At AERO Friedrichshafen last week, German company Flight Design, maker of the popular light sport CS two-seater, unveiled its plans for its new four-seat model, the C4. The airplane will be certified by European aviation authorities (EASA) with reciprocal FAA certification to follow. First deliveries of the carbon fiber airplane are projected for 2013. On paper at least — there’s a long way from projections to flight test — the high-wing carbon fiber four-place airplane has some impressive tentative numbers. These include a 1,320-pound empty weight, a 2,640-pound max weight, and a maximum range of 1,700 nm with a diesel engine (the 155-hp Theilert Centurion 2.0 engine is the pick) or 1,200 nm with yet-to-be-named 180-hp fadec gas piston engine.
The cockpit will be spacious, with a 51-inch maximum width. There will be flat-panel avionics; Flight Design mentions both the certified Garmin G1000 suite and Dynon’s SkyView suite, though this planning is still a work in progress.
Without the restrictions of the LSA category, the C4 will be fast. It’s 32-foot-span wing carries it along at a max cruise speed of 160 knots on between 155 and 180 hp.
The C4 won’t be going at LSA prices, either. Projected asking price of the airplane is approximately $315,000.
