Swiss manufacturer MSW Aviation is to open a homebuilder assembly centre for its Votec 322 aerobatic two-seater kitplane following receipt of Swiss approval for flight school use.
MSW Aviation, based in Wohlen near Zurich, is to take a 250m2 (2,700ft2) facility in a new 1,500m2 hangar at nearby Birrfeld airfield to offer purchasers of the SFr150,000 ($120,000) kit construction assistance. Max Vogelsang, MSW Aviation director, says the company previously offered hangar space on an ad hoc basis at locations around the country.
This base gives Swiss customers the chance to have access to the company's engineers. A similar centre has been open at Flugzeugservice in Schwäbisch Hall in southern Germany for two years. MSW Aviation hopes to push production to a rate of six to eight kits a year once the new facility opens in October.
The two-seat version of the MSW OneDesign has also secured crucial approval from the Swiss airworthiness body FOCA, allowing it to be used at aerobatic flight schools, while remaining in the experimental category. Vogelsang says the company needs to sell around 15 aircraft to cover development costs, adding that six aircraft are flying.
"Our first aim is to prove the aircraft's superior performance against rival aircraft in aerobatic competitions," says Vogelsang. The steel-framed composite tandem-seat aircraft has a roll rate of 440°/s, a fully loaded climb rate of 2,600ft/min (13.2m/s) and a stall speed of 45kt (81km/h). The company's long-term goal is to find an investor to acquire the design rights of the aircraft and then move to full production, adds Vogelsang.
JUSTIN WASTNAGE / WOHLEN
Source: Flight International
