Alan Klapmeier's Kestrel Aircraft project is making headway to first flight next year, despite a knockback that forced it to cancel plans to build the single-turboprop in Maine.
The former Cirrus boss revealed this afternoon that Cox will supply an ice protection system for the under-development type. He said the electromechanical expulsion de-icing system was "a perfect fit for our aircraft's mission profile" by allowing ice removal while retaining a laminar flow wing. This, he said, was "a critical factor" for achieving high speed and reducing drag and fuel consumption.
Klapmeier was forced to look for a new factory earlier this year after promised government support to establish a plant in Brunswick, Maine, failed to materialise. The company will now construct a facility at Superior, Wisconsin. Klapmeier said he is "confident we will be able to put funding in place through the duration of the program".
 |
|---|
Billypix |
Kestrel is exhibiting a cabin mock-up of its new design at the show. The six-seat concept is considerably different from the original prototype Klapmeier inherited from the former Farnborough Aircraft, and on which the new Kestrel is based. The cockpit and cabin are wider, the passenger windows bigger and the leading edge of the wing is straighter. The aircraft is now powered by the Honeywell TPE331-14GR.
- All the latest news, video and images from NBAA 2012
Source: Flight Daily News
