When you walk in the Main Gate at AirVenture this year, one of the first things you see is the mockup of Flight Design's new four-seater, the C4. Jokes about explosives aside, the four-seater from the German company is turning out to be a hit, company officials said at Oshkosh. Introduced at AERO in Germany, the C4 has already racked up more than 60 pre-orders, including 33 at AERO and another 30 before Oshkosh kicked off. "We have about $16 million in backlog," said John Doman, head of sales for the German company. The company is taking "early bird" deposits of $7,000, which will secure a position in the first production run of 100 airplanes, along with a $10,000 discount off the $250,000 price. The C4 was designed to carry four "good sized" people, plus luggage and fuel, said Matthias Betsch, Flight Design chairman, noting empty weight is 1,320 lbs. It also boasts a cabin that's 4" wider than a Cessna 182. Company officials said at Oshkosh that they will use both American and European suppliers for the new plane, which should help keep the price independent of the exchange rate. Suppliers are expected to be announced in eight to 10 weeks. The C4 will be offered with two engine choices: One that burns avgas and one that burns diesel. It also will feature a whole airplane parachute system developed by BRS Parachutes that will have a new electronic ignition. The plane won't be certified with the chute system, but will be added later as an additional safety feature, Betsch noted. The company is still surveying pilots on its website to find out exactly what they want in the C4. So far, the top parameters are price, speed, useful load and range, Doman said. "The input has been very valuable," he added. You can take the survey here. Continue Reading »

===> Posted on July 28th, 2011 by Janice Wood. No comments. © GAN 2011.