Flight Design goes big with F2, F4
Flight Design, maker of the popular CT line of light sport aircraft, revealed three new future designs destined for U.S. certification. All build on the core design of the CT series LSAs but have larger cabins.
The new airplanes have cabins that are 3.1 inches wider and two inches taller than the CT series’ cabins. Door dimensions have also been increased, making for easier entry and exit. The entry door is set 2.3 inches lower than those in the CT series.
It’s available with either a 100-horsepower Rotax 912 iS engine or, for the European market, a 141-hp turbocharged Rotax 915 iS engine. With the Rotax 912 iS engine, maximum cruise speed is 132 knots and maximum range is approximately 750 nautical miles. The anticipated price is $195,000 and deliveries are expected to begin in August 2019.
The F2e will be powered by a liquid-cooled, 100-hp Siemens electric motor. This airplane is currently in flight testing; performance and price information is not yet available. Officials did say that first deliveries are planned for next spring.
The F4 is a four-seater powered by the 141-hp Rotax 915 iS turbocharged engine. It will be certified under 14 CFR Part 23 and, like the F2 models, come with AmSafe panel-mounted airbags, three-point inertia-reel harnesses, a ballistic parachute recovery system, and Garmin’s G3X Touch flight display. Although flights won’t begin until next year, a Flight Design spokesman said that the F4’s cruise speeds should run between 155 knots and 160 knots, and that maximum range could reach the 800-nm mark. Price? Approximately $300,000.
With its performance targets, four seats, and four doors, the F4 sounds like a replacement for the company’s ambitious C4 project of a few years ago. However, the C4 remains in mind, and may yet augment the F4 at a future time.
