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The prototype Aircorp B2-N Bushmaster two seat primary trainer and utility aircraft. Aircraft such as this, the Mamba and Sentinel could well Usher in a new era of Australian produced FAR23 light aircraft.
Bushmaster Flies in Queensland
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New GA Design Takes Wing
Brisbane based Aircorp Pty Ltd has begun test flying its new Utility category general aviation trainer and rural support aircraft.
Pre-certification testing of the company’s ‘Bushmaster’ 82-N prototype began on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast during late October. Aircorp has maintained a very low profile during the design and development stages of the B-2 series, preferring to forego any publicity of the new aircraft until test flights began. Although a number of Australian companies are developing lightweight aircraft in the ‘heavy ultralight’ class, Aircorp is quick to point out that the Bushmaster 8-2 series (which ultimately will include two plus two, three and four place aircraft) falls outside that category.
“The Bushmaster is a full-blown GA aircraft, not an ultralight, a homebuilt or a kitplane, ” a company spokesman said. “It has been designed to FAR23, an internationally accepted airworthiness criteria, to provide a replacement for the present ageing GA fleet of 10-15 year old Cessna 150-152s and Cherokee/ Tomahawk types. ”
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In addition to the B-2’s primary role as a basic trainer and rural support aircraft, it is also aerobatic, which should appeal to those clubs and schools seeking a low cost entry level aerobatic
trainer. The prototype is currently flying with no flaps and is powered by a Norton Aerator 90 twin chamber rotary engine. Production aircraft will have three stage flaps and complete metal skins, the prototype aircraft is fabric aft of the cabin. As test flying progresses Aircorp will replace the Norton with a Lycoming and plans to certificate the aircraft with both engines. Hardpoints for floats are built and will be standard on all production deliveries.
The 8-2 series had been conceived by Aircorp to provide a very low maintenance airframe of immense strength and light weight. During certification structural tests, the prototype airframe exceeded FAR23 Utility Category requirements by 10%. Despite Aircorp’s low profile, to date the aircraft series has brought strong sales inquiries from several overseas market areas- particularly from SE Asia, where its potential ‘bush’ role, STOL capabilities and rough field performance have been seen in the light of Forward Air Controller and military liaison potential.
But it is in the rural support and basic training market that the company sees its immediate market targets. “The directors of our companyhave better than 100 years of combined bush flying experience and we drew on this in developing the 8-2 series. We believe the Bushmaster’s low initial cost, low running and maintenance costs and ability to take punishment will draw high interest from the rural aviation sector as well as those underdeveloped nations seeking fast, reliable air transport in remote regions. ” an Aircorp spokesman said.
The company expects to complete all CAA requirements for certification by early 1990 and will then begin setting up an assembly plant at Caboolture Airport.
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