B/CA Show News - NBAA 2007 Day 1 - (Page 50) NEW AIRCRAFT N BA A 2007 continued from page 49 known to the FAA as a Swift Engineering SE-400. It was built in the seclusion of the Wallops Island NASA facility by BaySys and flew there on July 2, just 200 days after design began. Arrival at AirVenture was with a mere 27 hours on the Hobbs, yet it took part in the flying display on two days. Design objectives are a four-seat personal jet capable of 1,250 nmi NBAA range, service ceiling of 41,000 feet, 2,200-foot runway requirement, and 345-knot cruising speed, while offering interior accommodation (designed by International Aircraft Engineering) comparable with BMW 3 Series automobiles. There’s some 60 percent commonality with the Eclipse 500, including wing (minus tip tanks), landing gear and doors, forward bulkhead, air conditioning and oxygen supply, and fins—and additionally, Eclipse’s Avio NG flight management and control system, adapted for a single-engine (1,100-pounds-thrust PW615F) aircraft. The pickaback engine and V tail are a combination also selected by Cirrus. Verdict: Getting there Epic Victory duction standard (environmental control, pressurization, deicing, autopilot and interior) with No. 005. Targets of Canadian certification in 1Q2008 and FAA in the second quarter will likely be missed, but with more than 300 orders, Diamond has only very few 2009 slots available—and those at a $10,000 premium. The top-of-the range, $1.38 million Executive model is first to be certified, distinguished by additional fuel and greater max weight than the European version, allowing the former Diamond D-Jet Diamond D-Jet Austrian company Diamond Aircraft has progressed from powered sailplanes to four-seat twinprops via the popular DA20 Eclipse/Evolution, always employing composite materials, and it now has a major Canadian subsidiary serving the North American market. In January 2003 it revealed basic details of its D-Jet, a two-plus-three-seater powered by a single, 1,400-pounds-thrust Williams FJ33-4 fed from a pair of wingroot intakes. The D-Jet will reach cruising height of 25,000 feet in 15 minutes, with an 8,000-foot equivalent in the (4 ft, 10 in high) cabin. First flight took place on April 18, 2006, followed by a public debut at Oshkosh that July. Exactly a year later, the second prototype was rolled out, Diamond having accepted a four-month delay in order to build the machine in productionstandard jigs and save time later. Three more development D-Jets will join the Canadian-based test effort in the near future, leading up to full pro50 Epic Elite a range of 1,350 nmi with a 5,110-pound takeoff weight. Disposable load with full fuel is 500 pounds. Long-range cruise is 240 kts, increasing to 315 kts for shorter distances. Garmin G1000 avionics are standard, including a three-screen display (two 12-inch and one 15-inch) taking up the entire panel, while a ballistic recovery parachute is under consideration as a safety measure. Verdict: Getting there with TAM of Tblisi, Georgia—again, in carbon composites. First flight was delayed by a legal dispute with Farnborough Aircraft over rights to the wing design, and in satisfaction of court ruling, a new wing was purchased from Germany. Thus refitted, the prototype eventually flew on June 7, by which time Epic had relocated its certified aircraft production plant to Canada. Public debut was at AirVenture, Oshkosh, in July. As might be expected from Epic, you pay different amounts of money and take your choice: six-seat Experimental category is available for building now; six/eight-seat certified comes on stream in 2009 at $2.35 million. Transport Canada is doing the certification paperwork for the FAA to rubber-stamp. Two side pod-mounted Williams FJ33-4A turbofans each provide 1,650 pounds of thrust, with a range of 1,650 nmi at 385 knots or, for those in a hurry, 1,400 at 412 knots. There’s 1,330 pounds to play with when the tanks are full and a reasonable 5-foot headroom. It takes 17 minutes to get to max altitude of 41,000 feet, and there’s 8.5 pounds of pressure differential to make it more pleasant up there. Verdict: Getting there Epic Victory Epic announced its mono-jet program at Sun ‘n’ Fun in April, after beginning design work on Dec. 15, 2006; flew it for the first time on July 6; showed it to the public at Oshkosh later that month with 45 hours’ flying time accumulated; and was standing by in August to ship first kits to early buyers with $1 million to spare. Eventually, there’ll be a certified aircraft with a PW617 turcontinued on page 52 Epic Elite Taking its Dynasty/LT turboprop as a basis, Epic announced at the 2004 NBAA Convention in Las Vegas that it was developing a twin-jet jointly September 25, 2007 www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews
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