Video has emerged of the eventful first flight of the US Aircraft A-67 Dragon, a low-cost counter-insurgency aircraft being developed privately in the belief the US armed forces need such an aircraft for operations in Iraq.
The 6 October 2006 maiden flight from Monett municipal airport in Missouri lasted 45min and – not shown on the company’s video - ended with the landing gear collapsing on landing. Flight testing is expected to resume in the second quarter with a redesigned and strengthened landing gear.
The two-seat aircraft, powered by a 1,200shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67 turboprop, was designed and built for Canton, Ohio-based US Aircraft by Golden Aviation, a warbird restoration specialist. The brief was to produce a simple, cheap to build and easy to operate aircraft for light attack and border patrol missions.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
