The Kestrel K-350 is emerging as a new competitor for the Australian single engine turbo-prop (SETP) market, and the manufacturer considers it a perfect fit for conditions over here, citing “tons of utility” as a major advantage.
Under the guidance of CEO Alan Klapmeier, who founded Cirrus Aircraft with his brother Dale, Kestrel intends to produce a six to eight seat SETP that is easier to fly and relatively inexpensive to operate. In that, it will be fighting for market with established aircraft like the Meridian, PC-12 and TBM850.
According to Kestrel documents, the K-350 will have “the lowest seat-miles-per-gallon cost of any aircraft in its class. For most missions, it will have journey times that are comparable with light jets, while burning significantly less fuel thus lowering direct operating costs and reducing emissions.”
At the moment, the K-350 is still at the mock-up stage, and most of the performance specifications have not been revealed yet, but the range is expected to be 1500 nm with a cruise TAS of around 325 knots. The exterior design is done, and the interior is expected to be completed in time for display at Oshkosh this July. Construction will be from composite materials.
The engine chosen is the Honeywell (formerly Garrett) TPE 331-14 GR, which is rated at 1650 SHP. Kestrel expects to deliver the first aircraft by the end of 2015, with a target price of around $US3 million
Although Kestrel currently employs only 60 people, the aim is to create 600 jobs, and the company has recently shifted headquarters from Brunswick, Maine to Superior, Wisconsin. The reason, according to reports, is that the state of Maine was reluctant to provide enough financial assistance, where as Wisconsin kicked in a total package worth $US 8.5 million.
That is on top of the $US1 million committed by Klapmeier himself. Clearly, the K-350 has its believers.
Kestrel Aircraft was born from the ashes of Farnborough Aircraft, set up in 1998 by British World Land Speed Record holder Richard Noble. Noble left the company in 2002, and development continued in Britain, before moving to the USA, where Alan Klapmeier was recruited to see the project through to certification.