BRENDAN SOBIE / SINGAPORE
A US kitplane manufacturer is to discuss partnering a South Korean company to bring to market South Korea's first indigenous general aviation aircraft.
The four-seat Firefly was developed by the Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) with local and US-made parts. Government-funded KARI has recruited local rocket launch pad and shipbuilding equipment manufacturer Shin Young Heavy Industries to sell the kits in the USA and kickstart a general aviation industry in South Korea.
KARI and Shin Young will meet Velocity Aircraft in Florida this month to discuss a partnership for manufacturing and selling the kit. Velocity has been involved with Firefly from the start, supplying the canard, fuselage and landing gear, and hosting flight tests. KARI developed the wing, vertical stabilisers and rudders, and performed initial flight tests in South Korea before moving the prototype to the USA a year ago. "We are almost ready to sell it," says KARI principal researcher Seokmin Ahn.
Pricing for the kits and the South Korean/US workshare breakdown still need to be negotiated. "There's a lot to be worked out," says Velocity vice-president Scott Baker.
Velocity is keen to sell the Firefly if it can lead the sales drive and retain rights to the fuselage, borrowed from the Velocity XL. The Firefly and XL handle differently; the Firefly is more stable at slow speeds. Overall performance is similar, with the 195kW (260hp) Firefly cruising up to 1,850km (1,000nm) at 180kt (333km/h).
Source: Flight International
