Tue, Jun 28, 2011
Prototype Flew Friday In The Czech Republic
The prototype of Evektor's new EV-55M made its first flight from
Kunovice airport in the Czech Republic Friday. The airplane was
flown by Evektor test pilot Josef Charvát and military pilot
Major Jirí Hána. The flight began at 1055 local time
and lasted about 30 minutes. During the flight the EV-55M reached a
speed of 125 kts and an altitude of 3500 feet. “The airplane
behaved exactly as we supposed – it was easily controllable
and promptly reacted to the control interventions," said
Charvát.
The EV-55M is a military variant of the multi-purpose EV-55
Outback airplane, a high-wing, twin-engine, turboprop airplane
designed to carry 9 - 14 passengers or 4,000 pounds of cargo
at a cruising speed of 220 knots. The airplane is designed for
operation from short, unpaved runways, possibly from high altitude
airports. Evektor says it expects the EV-55M to be a viable
replacement for older twin-engine piston airplanes with capacity
for 6 – 9 passengers, and it hopes to be a successful
competitor for single-engine turboprop airplanes.
The EV-55M airplane will be offered in 3 versions of cabin
interior arrangement: passenger only, cargo only and combined
version (combi version) having space for cargo located in the
forward part of the cabin and passenger seats behind. Evektor says
the time needed for conversion of the cabin interior between
individual versions should not exceed 20 minutes.
This airplane project was initiated by Evektor company and
Association of Aircraft Manufacturers in the Czech Republic in
2004. It was followed by establishment of the consortium composed
of Czech aircraft industry companies and led by Evektor company.
The project was, since the very beginning, financially supported by
the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic in form of
a grant.
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