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Ibis Restructures Ae270 Certification in Response
to U.S. Market
 U.S.
market interest in the higher-powered Ae270HP has persuaded Czech-Taiwanese
Ibis Aerospace to freeze its PT6A-42 version of the design and bring
forward the uprated model by one year to offer deliveries from early
2004 onward. Those among the 69 firm customers and option holders
who had originally intended to obtain the standard aircraft have
mostly been persuaded to follow suit.
A 10-seat (including one or two pilots) single turboprop, the
Ae270 offers a range of 1,610 nmi plus 30 minutes for contingencies,
or 1,300 nmi with NBAA IFR reserves. Its alternative uses include
six/seven-seat executive transport and carriage of bulk cargo, and
like its competitor, the Pilatus PC-12, it is finding unexpected
favor with owner-pilots. Even so, reports Jeff Conrad, vp marketing,
Ibis can beat the Swiss on price and supply an Ae270 for $2.19 million,
or $2.45 million in executive fit.
Talk of executive versions would have seemed heresy when the aircraft
was conceived in communist-controlled Czechoslovakia in the late
1980s as a bid to replace the venerable Antonov An-2 utility biplane-fixed
gear and floatplane versions, et al. According to Conrad, that heritage
has given today's aircraft simplicity of design, proven systems
and internal size sufficient to ensure flexibility.
Two prototypes of the Ibis design have flown so far, the first
in July 2000 and the second in January of this year. Aero Vodochody,
the European partner of AIDC, also built two fatigue test fuselages,
one of which recently reached 20,000 hours (the equivalent of one
lifetime) and is continuing to 80,000 hours.
Thus far, the prototypes in the Czech republic have contributed
250 hours in 256 sorties. They will be joined at Christmastime by
the third flying (fifth overall)-but first conforming-prototype,
powered by a P&WC PT6A-66A turboshaft de-rated to 850 shp and
with provision for those systems and avionics that will be available
as options. Performance predictions are for 270 knot IAS maximum
speed when 66 equipped.
Although Ae270 mockups have been available for customer information
for several years, it will not be until NBAA 2003 that the aircraft
will be brought over from the Czech Republic for showing in the
U.S. By then, it is scheduled to be a couple of months short of
certification to European JAA-23 standard, with FAR Part 23 (single
pilot) following soon after, and Part 135 eligibility implied.
Initial production to clear the order backlog will be at the rate
of two per month, reported Conrad, building to between 35 and 50
per year. Break-even will occur after about 200, representing under
a quarter of a "conservative" total sales estimate.
By Paul Jackson
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