Groen Brothers Aviation (GBA) flew the first production Hawk 4 gyroplane for the first time on 29 September at the company's Buckeye, Arizona, operations base, following a 13-year development programme. Three Hawk prototypes have been flown.
Certification and first deliveries are to start in the second quarter of 2001, although GBA has begun selling the aircraft, with more than 120 orders valued at $36 million chalked up so far.
The Salt Lake City-based company is also setting up a network of US dealerships, with 20 established in Phoenix, Arizona; Anchorage, Alaska; Ohio and Salt Lake City, Utah. More dealership announcements are planned.
GBA is pitching its vertical take-off and landing Hawk 4 against helicopters of comparable size, claiming it to be "much simpler to fly and much less expensive to maintain than a helicopter of similar performance. Because the Hawk 4 can take off and land vertically, most jobs requiring a helicopter can be accomplished by a safer, less expensive aircraft". The Hawk 4 is powered by a twin-turbocharged 260kW (350hp), Teledyne Continental TSIO-550.
Source: Flight International
