A new twin-engined utility aircraft is being developed in Slovakia by start-up company Fly-Fan. The Trencin-based firm, along with its German and Hungarian partners, has built a prototype of the five-seat aircraft dubbed the Shark, which will be targeted at the international training, private flyer, air taxi and search and rescue markets, the company says.
The Shark will be constructed from composite materials and powered by two 160hp (120kW) Textron Lycoming O320 piston engines. Fly-Fan's co-owner Frantisek Sustek says: "Shark is the first real-life aircraft from our company, which has until now focused on making aircraft models."
The company is planning to develop other aircraft, he says, "as we have the respective know-how for both their design and production". The Shark has taken around 14 months to develop, Sustek says, and is scheduled to begin flight testing before the end of the year, leading to certification within two years.
Source: Flight International
