Ibis Aerospace flew its second production Ae270 Propjet fitted with the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-66A in late February from Aero Vodochody’s flight-test facilities near Prague, Czech Republic. (Ibis Aerospace is a joint venture between Aero Vodochody and Taiwan’s Aerospace Industrial Development Council [AIDC].) The initial flight of S/N 7 lasted 1.5 hours, during which functionality of systems was tested, including landing gear, wing flaps and engine operation. At press time, S/N 5, the first production-configured Ae270, had logged about 250 hours since taking to the air on February 25 last year. S/Ns 1 and 3, powered by P&WC PT6-42s, are no longer flying.
The Ae270 current flight-test fleet includes three aircraft: S/Ns 5, 6 and 7. S/Ns 2 and 4 are dynamic and static-test articles. S/N 6, which flew for the first time last September, is currently undergoing certification for an executive interior at Southstar Interiors in Uvalde, Texas. Executive-configured versions will be known as the Ae270 Spirit.
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