Cessna has flown its prototype Sport aircraft just nine months after chief executive Jack Pelton gave the project the go-ahead, possibly adding a second string to its return to the light aircraft sector that it and Piper once dominated.
The company, which is already committed to developing a family of larger singles under its Next Generation Piston (NGP) programme, will decide next year whether or not to go ahead with a fully-fledged LSA programme.
The Cessna Sport flew for 22 minutes on Friday 13 October from McDonnell AFB, Wichita, powered by its single 100hp Rotax 912S piston engine.
It is in the new light sport aviation class which would let it be flown by pilots in daylight after just 20hr training and with no medical exam apart from that required for car drivers.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
