Innholdsfortegnelse for January - February 2015 i Plane & Pilot

Avia Accord 201. As we go to press in early November, the Russian 201 twin, partner to the former Liberty XL-2, isn’t certified, though all FAA flight tests are said to be complete. Overseas, the airplane is known as the Avia, and it was obviously designed for a multitude of diverse missions. Like many other Russian designs, the 201 is nothing if not utilitarian—built for everything from paved strips to grass or even water runways. The fixed-gear 201 mounts its pair of 210 hp Continental IO-360s on high wings, and the Russian model may be mounted on wheels, skis or floats. Gross weight is listed as 4,850 pounds, and 1,927 pounds is useful load. Up to 1,104 pounds of that can be fuel, so payload is 823 pounds with full…

Sometimes, it makes sense to hang a new turbine engine on a capable piston or older turbine airplane. That might be a workable option depending on your budget and what airplane you fly. Blackhawk Modifications, Inc. With over 500 new engine upgrades, Texas-based Blackhawk has one of the longest histories and broadest offerings of any company offering turbine conversions. Conversions are available for Piper Cheyennes and Cessna Conquests, but the most popular are new engines for the King Air 90 and 200 series and Cessna Caravans. New for 2015 is an 867 hp, PT6A-140 conversion for the Caravan line. These conversions provide significantly increased climb and cruise performance while significantly decreasing operating costs. In the case of the Cessna Caravan, a Blackhawk conversion can double the climb rate, improve MTOW…

Lancair International Evolution. If you want to build your own turbine, there’s only one option: Lancair, now in its 30th year of delivering kit planes. The Lancair Evolution is an all-composite, four-seat turboprop with a top speed of 300 KTAS. The 2015 models have a higher gross weight limit that allows a typically equipped airplane to top the tanks and still carry 800 pounds of payload while covering an impressive 1,133 nm between fuel stops. Build time is estimated to be about 1,500 hours with a price of about $1.2 million. Visit www.lancair.com.…