New Flight Design low wing LSA announced

Via their Facebook page and the Aero show in Germany, FDUSA has announced a new aircraft, the KLA-100. Not much is known yet. Flight Design and Vessel (S.Korea) have partnered on the plane. It looks like at least some of the R&D was paid for by the Korean government. No real specs yet, and no word on where it will be produced.

 

I'd like to see somebody makes something around the new bigger Rotax. The 915iS I believe it's called. Preferably not sticking to LSA speed limitations - such as the DynAero Sporster or MC01, something like that.

 

Reminds me of the DA20 I did my primary training in.

 

First thing that came to mind to me too, but this has a conventional tail.

 

I think I just read something about another Czech product w/ the bigger Rotax? Where's my google-foo...I was close it's a Slovakian design, the Viper SD4. I see mention of a Rotax 115 HP but not specifically the 915iS. Perhaps later this year?

 

115 HP Rotax is the 914.... 915 is 135 ponies

 

Make that #3

 

Kinda like an Arion Lightning, too.

 

Looks like a Sportair StingSport with a long wing

 

Why would they wanna go and do a fool thing like that?

 

Cuz low wings rule...

 

The first hit on Bing:
http://www.aircraftdc.de/en/projects/83-kla-100.html

"At the Konkuk University of Seoul, the Light Aircraft Development Center (LADC) is developing a Composite Very Light Aircraft (VLA). For the development of this 2-seater, low wing airplane, AD&C has been a consulting partner from the very beginning, supporting the engineers in developing a tailored certification basis and tune their design to it.

The project has reached its detailed design phase and is on the right track to produce a successful product."

 

Unlike icon, these planes are actually for sale!
Even though it is a crummy low wing. The only issue I see is it still has a tip up canopy, needs a slider to keep occupants from roasting to death.

Oh, is it available with an aoa?

 

"Korean Aircraft Manufacturers" - another one to add to the list of shortest book titles !

 

Nice looking... looks like much design taken from CT: stick, footlockers, hand brake, and much of the panel. Has Stratos parachute and will be built in the Ukraine.

 

Lol, right next to the "Italian war heroes of the 2nd world war"

 

Wow, that's quite a canopy...

 

Yes. And about 50 years ago we used to say the same thing about Japanese Automobile Manufacturers.

 

Don't knock it too much. It's the home of Antonov.

 

Never flown a CT.
Do they have toe brakes?

 

Hand brake and direct nose wheel steering

 

Awful forward thinking for a guy that doesn't like electric cars !

 

Man, that looks very similar to the LSA that Cirrus was going to sell in the USA. It was basically a FK 14 from Europe.

They were going to call it the Cirrus SRS, but, maybe FD bought the rights? The FK14 La mans is sweet looking

 

Flight Design was working on certifying a Part 23 aircraft with Garmin G3 touch, Garmin GTN 750 and a Continental multi-fuel engine. It was called the C4 and was allegedly to be priced around $250k and go after the Cessna 172 market. Why a second SLSA design in the middle of recovering from a bankruptcy? Makes no sense. http://flightdesign.com/wordpress/?page_id=36

 

What "Flight Design" is this company? Not the one from several years ago, I presume?

 

There are 3 "Flight Designs", all related. The original was FD-Germany, they had a plane. Tom Peghiny partnered with Germany and created FD-USA, which became the best-selling LSA in the USA. The planes were manufactured in the Ukraine, and imported to the US through FD-Germany. FD-Germany had $$$ problems (and a little Russian war), which created some problems for FD-USA, but USA remained solid (albeit without planes). The 3rd Flight Design is AeroJones, who purchased the rights to the CT line (and C4), and started manufacturing in Taiwan.
As FD-Germany is regaining their feet, they don't have an aircraft anymore, but plenty of experience in all aspects of production, sales, and Worldwide certification. So, they partner with a S.Korean company who has been designing/building an aircraft to jumpstart the general aviation industry in Korea. FD-USA is helping the process and adding their expertise, as it looks like they will get the airplane for the US market. The whole development process looks to have been subsidized by the S.Korean government and they have placed an order for a bunch of the planes.
The above is a rough representation of the story... I'm sure it's overly simplified, and is likely to get more complicated.

 

Aren't there a bunch of people who have paid deposits and full payment for planes but haven't received their aircraft yet? Seems like I'd be pretty ticked off if I was waiting several years for an airplane I had paid for and they have moved on to another venture. Am I missing something?

 

Not in the US. When things got tight, FDUSA put up their own $$ and did whatever was needed to fulfill all orders. There were "some" folks in some countries where it was apparently normal to pay well in advance of delivery. FD-G has strung them out, and now they are first priority as part of FD-G's recovery. I don't think there are that many, but they have been vocal, as you can imagine. You wouldn't find me rolling those dice.
No excuses, but the bottom did drop out of the World economy, and even the best aviation companies have suffered or restructured. And the Ukraine has had a nasty little visitor.

 

I doubt you know me well enough to make that determination.

 

Other shorties:

"Master chefs of England"

"Yoko Ono's Greatest Hits"

 

Numerous flight tests done already
http://flightdesignusa.com/2017/04/kla-100-debuts-at-aero-friedrichshafen-2017/

 

It bears a remarkable resemblance to the spinnaker on a sailboat. I'm sure that's a lot of fun on a gusty windy spring day. I hope it has some kind of break-away system because no way is that canopy going to last the life of the airplane.

 

KLA-100 debuts at Aero 2017 https://generalaviationnews.com/201...=email&utm_term=0_62525a9780-44458dd857-95105

The last time Flight Design was in the news they were going into bankruptcy and had transferred all their designs and manufacturing to Taiwan-based AeroJones Aviation.

Many had lost substantial deposits in Europe and were pretty angry.

Now suddenly there is this completely different low-wing from a S. Korean company called Vessel Co.

Looks like Flight Designs chairman Mr. Matthias Betsch is a bit slippery.

 

'Not entirely true... Flight Design (Germany) is in the middle of a reorganization, not bankruptcy. It would have been far easier to shut the doors and declare bankruptcy. If Matthias was "slippery" he would have "taken the money and run". He, and the company, has done everything possible to get things running again. They've brought on investors, added some business elements, and got production running again. Aircraft are being delivered from both Ukraine and Taiwan, and being delivered to those few that got caught in the downturn. They worked out deals to ensure parts were available, and that the fleet has the certifications needed to stay in the air. As far as news coverage goes, they've been in the news for many positive things, including announcing a new aircraft model, the CTLsi 2020. Over a year ago they announced they were providing "engineering services" to a South Korean company. That project turned out to be the KLA-100. It appears that Flight Design USA has been instrumental in helping to get FD-Germany back up and running. The deal with AeroJones was a great accomplishment, as the Asian aviation market is just getting established, and will represent a huge area of growth for aviation companies.
If allowed to reach final production and marketing, the KLA-100 could bring FD back to the top. It's a exciting new design, utilizing many engineering and design refinements. FD is lending it's real-world design and manufacturing knowledge and experience to the project, as well as their considerable experience in the difficult job of dealing with Worldwide aviation certifications.

Look around at the aviation market, just about every company has reorganized, restructured, merged, been bought-out, or closed their doors.

 

Some more successfully than others. Sometimes they do right by customers, sometimes they bend customers over.

 

S.Korean version being shown at a Tech Fair now... going on sale in Oct?

 

My head is spinning already.