Aero Ae 270 Ibis

Ae 270 Spirit
Role Civil utility aircraft
National origin Czech Republic
Manufacturer Aero Vodochody
First flight 25 July 2000

The Aero Ae270 Spirit is a single-engine turboprop general utility aircraft that was developed by the Czech aircraft company Aero Vodochody. Aero Vodochody envisioned the Ae270 Spirit as a solid market competitor. The Ae270 was designed for rugged passenger and small cargo services. The aircraft's maiden flight took place in 2000. It received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Type Certification in 2005 and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) type certification in 2006,[1] Serial production was cancelled due to a change in strategy for the company and its manufacturing partner.

History

Prototype

Design began in the early 1990s. The aircraft's configuration was finalized by 1993. In 1997, Aero signed an agreement with AIDC of Taiwan to jointly manufacture and market the aircraft through Ibis Aerospace. The first prototype (0001, OK-EMA) was completed in 2000, and it first flew on July 25, 2000.

The aircraft was projected to have an empty weight of 1,790 kilograms (3,950 lb), a maximum take-off weight of 3,000 kilograms (6,600 lb), and a ceiling of 7,620 metres (25,000 ft). Five prototypes were planned, two for static and dynamic tests and three for flight tests. The requirements changed and the aircraft was redesigned, new equipment added, a new engine variant chosen. The changes added significant weight. The second (partial) prototype was used for static tests and the fourth, for fatigue tests. The third prototype (OK-SAR) first flew in 2002. The fifth prototype (OK-LIB) was finished in 2003, with its first flight in February. The sixth prototype (OK-INA) was also finished in 2003. UCL (Czech Civil Aeronautical Institute) added more requirements, which delayed further tests. The first prototype was no longer usable for EASA test flights as changes were significant. A seventh prototype (OK-EVA) was built in 2004.

In 2004, AIDC announced that it would not deliver wings for additional airplanes, as its business priorities had shifted from the civil to military aviation. At the same time, Aero Vodochody's upper management experienced a similar shift in their business priorities. Aero management's declining interest led to the cancellation of eighty advance orders for the Ae270 aircraft.

Certification

Airworthiness was certified by the Czech Civil Aviation Authority permitting training and aerial work, including commencement of commercial use.[2] EASA certification completed on December the 12th 2005. The FAA certificate was received on 24 February 2006.

Programme suspension

During 2008 the programme was suspended. Three aircraft continued to be flown. Currently, one of the aircraft continues in regular service for Aero, as a corporate shuttle. Jigs and tools were placed into storage, and 3 unfinished fuselages (including fatigue test prototype 0004) were moved to the Air Park Zruč u Plzně museum.[3]

In July 2011, Aero Vodochody stated that the Ae-270 Spirit program (including know-how, jigs and tools) would be sold to Belarus, where serial production was planned to start in 2015.[4]

Aircraft Integrated Solutions an aviation engineering company based in Manchester UK, is resurrecting the program since August 2016 after its intellectual property and rights as well as European and US type certificates were acquired by its parent, Lebanese investment house COPS.[5]

Specifications (Ae 270HP)

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004[6]

General characteristics

Performance

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

Related lists

References

notes
  1. ↑ "History | AERO Vodochody". www.aero.cz. AERO Vodochody a.s. 2008. Archived from the original (Web page) on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
  2. ↑ "Ae270 Commercial Flight-Ready", Aviation Week & Space Technology, 8 January 2007.
  3. ↑ "Ztracený duch Ibise posvátného" [Lost Spirit of Sacred Ibis] (in Czech). Magazín Letiště České republiky. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  4. ↑ "Aero chystá s Běloruskem miliardový kontrakt, chce tam vyrábět Ae 270" [Aero plans a billion-dollar contract with Belarus, wants to produce Ae 270 there] (in Czech). Magazín E15. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  5. ↑ "UK company to revive Ae270". Flight Global. 9 August 2016.
  6. ↑ Jackson 2003, pp. 262–263.
  7. ↑ The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage
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