The Ibis Aerospace Ae270 high speed business turboprop has received US Federal Aviation Administration certification as US aerospace parts supplier Fairchild readies to acquire Ibis partner, Czech airframer Aero Vodochody.
On Friday last week the FAA issued the type certificate for the Ae270 aircraft, validating the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) type certificate issued on 12 December, 2005. The Ae270 is manufactured by Aero Vodochody and Aerospace Industrial Development (AIDC) of Taiwan.
The certification of the propjet marks a comeback for Aero Vodochody into the development and production of civil aircraft of its own design, the company says. Aero Vodochody was originally a military manufacturer and the dual certification provides a good base for other potential civilian projects, says Petr Klimes, Aero Vodochody president.
“Our goal now is to start the Ae270 aircraft operation, gain operational experience and to start further upgrades programme of the Ae270's commercial and technical parameters,” says Josef Sonsky, vice-president for the Aero Vodochody civil programmes.
The EASA certificate was granted following the final report from the Czech airworthiness authority UCL, which is the only civil aviation authority from the 10 new members of the European Union to have full certification permissions. The final UCL flight test was carried out on 4 October, 2005, while the final FAA flight test took place on 25 April, 2005.
Certification was made an essential condition for continued AIDC funding of the project and the joint venture is now expected to develop a version B with enhanced characteristics.
Fairchild investment in Aero Vodochody is also thought conditional on the type certification, although the company, based in Odolena Voda outside Prague, also picked up two new military contracts last week. Aero Vodochody will take over maintenance and overhaul of the Czech air force's fleet of L-159 light attack aircraft in an outsourcing deal at the end of this year.
Source: Flight International
