Polish engineering company Metal Master unveiled at the show yesterday the Flaris LAR-1 ultra-light personal jet, the first of a trio of general aviation aircraft the Podgorzyn-based company has under development.

"This is a niche product," says Metal Master chief executive Rafal Ladinski. "There is simply nothing on the market like it."

The carbonfibre Flaris has a maximum take-off weight of 1,500kg (3,300lb) and an empty weight of 700kg. Powered by a 1,460lb (6.5kN) Pratt & Whitney Canada P&WC615F turbofan, the aircraft has a projected range of 2,500km (1,350nm), a cruise speed of 380kt (700km/h) and a stall speed of 62kt. "The aircraft is easy to fly and very versatile. It can take off and land on grass airstrips and small runways of 250m (820ft) giving it access to a huge number of landing sites worldwide."

The $1.5 million Flaris is equipped with a Garmin G600 cockpit. It features semi-elliptical, detachable wings, allowing the aircraft to be parked in a spacious garage and a safety parachute system in the nose of the aircraft. Ladinski says the programme is adequately funded by privately-owned Metal Master, which plans to fly the first aircraft at the end of the year. "We will initially certificate the aircraft under the Polish civil aviation authority's S-1 experimental aircraft designation," says Ladinski.

"We will deliver around 20 aircraft next year under this category, while continuing to work on full European CS-23 certification, which we are aiming for in 2015."

Ladinski is remaining tight-lipped on the other two programmes under development. "All I will say is one is smaller and the other bigger than the Flaris," he says.

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Source: Flight Daily News

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