Soaring demand for business aircraft in Russia has persuaded Georgia's Tbilisi Aircraft Manufacturing (TAM) to seek Russian certification first for its four-seat TAM Jet very light jet and the eight-seat TAM-Air Elite Jet - which it is producing with US joint venture partner Epic Aircraft.
"We have received considerable interest in both aircraft from Russian customers. For the TAM Jet alone we have demand for around 500 aircraft," says chairman of TAM's supervisory board Nona Tordia, mainly from owner flyers and the growing numbers of players within the region's emerging air taxi market.
The TAM Jet is undergoing flight testing at TAM's Tbilisi International airport facility. The first prototype has chalked up 100h of flying Tordia says, during which time the company has made a number of modifications to the aircraft's wing and has stretched the fuselage by 500mm (19.7in) - which will improve the TAM Jet's performance considerably, Tordia says.
The first redesigned Williams International FJ33-powered TAM Jet is under development and scheduled to fly later this year. "We plan to build four more aircraft for the flight-test programme and expect to receive certification in early 2010 when we will build around 30 units." Meanwhile, two flying prototypes of the Elite Jet have chalked up more than 250h.
The first aircraft arrived in Tbilisi late last month from Epic's Bend, Oregon facility. "We are planning to present the aircraft to the Georgian government this month before the aircraft begins a demonstration tour of Europe," says Tordia.
TAM will build four more Elite Jets for the certification programme, with Russian approval planned within two years. "We are also working towards European approval of both aircraft", Tordia says, which the company plans to receive around six months after Russian certification.
TAM is planing to build "around 40 Elite Jets in 2011, and depending on demand may establish a final assembly facility for the aircraft in another European location", says Tordia.
Source: Flight International
