Mahindra Aerospace, the maker of the Australian-designed Airvan, announced at AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, that it is adding floats to its eight-seat utility airplane, which has been rebranded the Airvan 8. Wipairee Inc. is engineering the floats and has installed a set designed for the Cessna 206 Stationair for initial evaluations.
The float-equipped Airvan took its first flight about a week and a half ago and Ryan Nordell, an engineer from Wipaire who is working on the new float design, said the performance has been good, with stable flight qualities and good stall characteristics.
However, the Airvan will likely require its own design, Nordell said. The configuration has not yet been determined, but the floats will likely be larger than the 206 floats, which have a certified weight limit of 3,800 pounds. The max gross weight for the Airvan is 4,200 pounds.
Arvind Mehra, the executive director and global CEO for Mahindra Aerospace, said the floats are being added in response to customer demand, particularly in Alaska. The company also plans to offer the floats as an aftermarket STC option for Airvan owners. Pricing has not yet been determined. Additionally, Mahindra is looking at the possibility of adding skis to the Airvan, Mehra said.
Get exclusive online content like this delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for our free enewsletter.
We welcome your comments on flyingmag.com. In order to maintain a respectful environment, we ask that all comments be on-topic, respectful and spam-free. All comments made here are public and may be republished by Flying.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Get the latest FLYING stories delivered directly to your inbox