Now that’s surprising news. I wonder what the market potential for such an aircraft is. Sales in the Western world have been weak, but perhaps they expect increasing commuter demand in China.
Maybe that is why the Chinese President came to France this week?
Very strange, this F406 fits in a niche so small (a big unpressurized piston twin) that I can hardly imagine what would make AVIC buy the type certificate. Most customers seemed to be French government agencies.
Most customers seemed to be French government agencies.
The same “business model” that brought us cars like Renault Safrane, Avantime, Vel Satis, Citroen C6 and so on …
Government marketing will be done by the Chinese directly, or so the article says. So I’d imagine the primary intent is to meet a need for domestic government use, without buying from non-Chinese owned companies. Interesting angle to buy the rights to a Cessna from the former French subsidiary.
The F406 is turboprop, not piston.
In the unpressurized piston segment, there is the C402, which one of its biggest operators, Cape Air, will supposedly replace with the (to be certfied) new Tecnam twin.
At first glance, a non-pressuized twin turboprop does not make much sense, but in places where Avgas is not available (most parts of Asia) and where short-distance commuting is required (island locations) it might find a certain niche.
in places where Avgas is not available (most parts of Asia) and where short-distance commuting is required (island locations) it might find a certain niche.
But you can do the same task at half the cost with a C208. The prohibition of SET air transport is AFAIK an uniquely European thing.
I am puzzled by the article’s phrase
buyers can choose to equip their F406 with either Pratt & Whitney PT6s or a Continental Motors geared, FADEC and diesel engines.
Which piston engines exactly will be available?
As for
a non-pressuized twin turboprop does not make much sense
I didn’t think the venerable Twin Otter is pressurised?
I think if you’re looking to build a commercial aviation industry without much domestic capability, one way is to build those designs that are offered for sale. Governments are not terribly efficient consumers and obviously the Chinese Government would promote Chinese owned suppliers even if that precludes them buying the best that’s commercially available.
They would naturally have thought of adapting the design to Continental engines, or domestic turboprops they’ll build now or in the future.
Most strange is that the Chinese state already has a utility twin turboprop on offer, the relatively successful Harbin Y-12. A somewhat dated design, today, but no worse than this F406.
I didn’t think the venerable Twin Otter is pressurised?
That’s right, but as a rugged STOL aircraft it plays in a different league.