Let L-610

L-610
The Czech L-610 M aircraft
Role Airliner, transport aircraft
Manufacturer Let Kunovice
First flight December 28, 1988
Primary user Czech Republic
Number built 8

The Let L-610 is a prototype aircraft for the Czech civil aircraft manufacturer Let Kunovice.

Design and development

In the late 1970s, after the success of the LET L-410 twin engine turboprop, the Soviet airline Aeroflot requested that LET design a replacement for the Antonov An-24 aircraft.

LET's L-610 was designed as a twin engined turboprop aircraft powered by the new Czech engine, Walter M602, with a seating capacity of 40. Flight testing was delayed by engine development taking longer than airframe development. Eventually the 1,358 kW (1,822 shp) turboprop engines were finished and the aircraft first flew on 28 December 1988. No aircraft was ever delivered to any commercial customer, although one aircraft was shown in Aeroflot markings during the Paris Air Show in the 1990s. One Let 610 M was delivered to the Czech Air Force,[1] to support manufacturer's certification and test flights process.

After the Soviet collapse LET tried to westernize the plane in order to widen the aircraft's sales appeal. The result was a new model, known as the L-610G, which had General Electric CT7 engines, Rockwell Collins Pro Line II digital EFIS, weather radar and autopilot. The L-610G prototype flew its maiden flight on 18 December 1992; four years after the L-610M.

During the time that the now-defunct Ayres Corp. owned LET, the aircraft was also known as the Ayres L-610, and for a time was marketed as the Ayres 7000. The customer for the Ayres 7000 was to have been City Connexion Airlines before bankruptcy problems sidelined the program.

Variants

L-610M
Basic variant with Walter M602 engines.
L-610G / Ayres 7000
Variant with General Electric XT7-9D engines.
L-610 MPA
Proposed Anti-submarine warfare variant.

Specifications (L-610)

Data from Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory[2]

General characteristics

Performance

List of prototype aircraft

L-610M:[4]

from 3 June 1989 OK-TZB, OLZ nu. 4307, Paris Airshow 293
from June 1989 again OK-130
last flight OK-130 26 May 1993 15:12 UTC at LKKU Kunovice with crew Stanislav Sklenář, Ing.Jiří Nečas
last flight at LKKU Kunovice OK-UZB 23 October 1997 Stanislav Sklenář, Miloslav Tošovský 08:15 UTC
from August 1992 OK-VZC Air Show Moskva
from June 1993 with examination number 0005 for Kbely – army test
last flight 0005 LKKB Kbely – LKKU Kunovice with army number 4202, Old. Pelčák, Mikšík
Collins navigation, skleněná (glass in the Czech language)
from 11 June 1991 OK-WZA
last flight 28 June 1991 OK-136 LKKU Kunovice – LKKB Kbely – LKKU Kunovice landing at 13:04 UTC with Jaromír Novák, Ing.Miroslav Srnec

L-610G:

from 8 June 1993 OK-XZA
last landing OK-XZA at LKKU Kunovice at 18 December 1997 with Stanislav Sklenář, Miloslav Tošovský
last flight 24 June 2000 Miami-Tamiami (KTMB) – Albany (KABY)

See also

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

References

  1. ↑ "History: L-610 Transport Aircraft (a prototype not recommended to employ)". army.cz.
  2. ↑ Taylor, M J H (editor) (1999). Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory 1999/2000 Edition. Brassey's. ISBN 1-85753-245-7.
  3. 1 2 "The Virtual Aviation Museum – Let L 610". Retrieved 2007-07-21.
  4. ↑ "www.L410.cz » Přehled vyrobených kusů".
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