Groen Brothers Aviation (GBA) flew the Jet Hawk 4T turbine-powered gyroplane for the first time on 12 July. The four-seat aircraft joins a prototype piston-powered Hawk 4 in testing at the company's flight operations centre near Phoenix, Arizona. GBA hopes to fly both aircraft at the Oshkosh show this month.
The company plans to certificate the Rolls-Royce 250-powered Jet Hawk six months to a year after the basic aircraft. US certification of the Hawk 4 is now expected in the latter half of next year.
GBA says the Hawk 4 prototype has already demonstrated the aircraft's vertical take-off and landing capability. Two conforming prototypes for certification flight testing are to be built by the year-end.
Source: Flight International
