Kate Sarsfield/LONDON
Kestrel Aircraft has pushed back certification and first deliveries of its four-seat, single-engined K-250 utility aircraft to 2000, while it seeks funding for the programme.
"Development is ongoing and we are now in the process of ordering tooling for the first production prototype," says Kestrel vice-president of marketing Charles Sallaway. The Norman, Oklahoma-based company is holding discussions with private investors, and hopes to have the funding in place soon. "In the USA, it costs $20 -$25 million to build a single-engined aircraft from scratch. We are more than half way there," adds Sallaway. Kestrel has built a proof-of-concept K-250, and is scheduled to fly the first of five production prototypes by the middle of 1999.
The manufacturer plans four variants of the high-wing, Teledyne Continental IO-550G-powered K-250, including the 130kW (175shp) K-160, 150kW K-200RG and the six-seat 245kW K-325. "We plan to have all the aircraft in production within five years, but we will concentrate on the K-250 initially," adds Sallaway.
Source: Flight International
