KATE SARSFIELD / LONDON
Warrior (Aero-Marine) plans to fly the first of four Centaur aluminium-based light seaplane prototypes in the fourth quarter of 2004, a year behind its original schedule. The Salisbury, UK-based company blames a lack of funding for the delay, but suggests this should have little impact on the aircraft development schedule. "To speed up the programme, the first prototype will have certifiable flying qualities," says Warrior managing director James Labouchere.
The prototype fuselage was last month moved to the company's US research and development and assembly base in Sanford, Maine, in preparation for systems and engine installation.
Labouchere says the latest round of public and private funding may be sufficient to take the aircraft to first flight. "We have no doubt that it will be funded easily from there onwards as there is a great deal of interest in the Centaur concept," Labouchere says.
The six-seat folding-wing aluminium-based amphibian features composite hull technology from racing catamarans. "The Centaur will be the first seaplane to have a structure compatible with salt water," Labouchere says, eliminating corrosion issues that affect traditional all-metal seaplane hulls, which are based on 1930's and 1940's technology.
Warrior is expecting to replace a significant proportion of the seaplane market and predicts a demand for over 4,000 aircraft. "We want to get aviation working freely in the marine sector," he says, with the focus on Europe and the USA. "There are five times as many coastal facilities in Europe as there are accessible seaplanes, many of which are unable to handle the high waves, and their long wingspan excludes them from small marinas," he says. The Centaur's 12.8m (42.2ft) wing folds to 4.6m.
The aircraft is powered by a 260hp (195kW) Lycoming IO-540 J2B and has a maximum take-off weight of 1,800kg (4,000lb). Centaur can reach an altitude of 50ft (15m) in 362m when taking off from water, or 286m from land. Warrior is also planning to offer a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6-powered version of the aircraft to broaden its appeal within the business aviation sector.
Source: Flight International
