HUGH MCATEAR
The old adage that small is beautiful rings true at Grob Aerospace whose management believes its compact size was a major factor in its ability to fast track its new four-seat turboprop from first sketch to prototype in just three months.
"It took just as long to get the company's promotional brochures for the show ready," quips head of sales and marketing Hans Doll.
Doll credits the company's 150 employees and the parent company Grob-Werke's strong engineering heritage for the remarkable development of the new aircraft. Grob believes the aircraft's compactness will make it a cost-effective competitor to other single engine turboprops on the market.
Powered by a Rolls-Royce Allison 250-B17F turboprop engine, the Grob G140, with both pressurised and unpressurised options available, is aimed at the training, business and utility/surveillance markets. Certification is expected by the end of next year.
Prototype
The all-plastic Grob G140TP prototype is on show alongside the company's G115EG and G120A trainer aircraft. The company announced that its launch customer for the G120, Lufthansa Flight Training (LFT) has converted three of the four options available to bring firms orders to six.
All six trainers will be used by LFT at its subsidiary, Airline Training Center Arizona (ATCA) in Goodyear near Phoenix for initial flight training for German armed forces pilots. The G120A flew for the first time last year and is due to be certified in September, clearing the way for delivery of the first three aircraft that month.
The G120A was designed for basic and advanced training roles and is fully aerobatic capable with a retractable landing gear. Unusually for its size, it is also fitted with advanced avionics, including electronic flight information system (EFIS) displays in the cockpit for instrument flight training.
Source: Flight Daily News
