The FAA has issued the type certificate for the new Thrush 510G agplane powered by a single 800-shp General Electric H80 turbine engine.
The 510G is a derivative of the original 510P model powered by the Pratt & Whitney PT6. The new model features a number of additional improvements including a total redesign of the airplane from the firewall forward and a welded steel frame that is powder coated externally and oiled internally for exceptional corrosion protection. The changes to the engine area allowed Thrush to remove 250 pounds of ballast that are required in the 510P model.
The GE H80 engine is an improved version of the Walter 601M turbine engine originally developed in the Czech Republic in the late 1960s. GE was able to wring an extra 50 hp from the design thanks to the use of better materials and 3-D aerodynamics.
Priced at about $900,000, the Thrush 510G is capable of a top working speed of 150 mph, can carry 510 gallons of liquid in its spray hopper and offers an engine TBO of 3,600 hours. Built at the Thrush factory in Albany, Georgia, the airplane can be ordered with one or two pilot seats.
See our full report on the Thrush 510G in the October issue of Flying.
