Chichester Miles (CMC) is planning to resume flight testing of its four-seat Leopard twin jet at the end of the month. The move comes around a year after the aircraft - prototype 002 - was grounded to incorporate design changes, including improvements to the aircraft's wing and system changes. Last year the UK company lost the Leopard's planned powerplant, the Williams FJX-2, to rival Eclipse Aviation for its six-seat Eclipse twin jet. The 700lb-thrust (3kN) engine has since been renamed the EJ22. CMC chairman Ian Chichester Miles says: "We are hoping that Williams will come up with a variant of the FJX-2 in a few years. Meanwhile, we are exploring a number of options, including the Agilis powerplant." The $1.3 million Leopard is currently powered by 550lb thrust Williams FJX-1 experimental engines.
Source: Flight International
