Italian manufacturer Blackshape officially unvelied its BK160 Gabriel tandem two-seat aeroplane at Aero Friedrichshafen yesterday.
The Gabriel is a low-wing military-trainer style aircraft certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in the CS-VLA category.
Powered by a 160-hp Lycoming IO-320, the Gabriel is capable of 164 KTAS at sea level and has an endurance of just over three hours. It has a maximum take-off weight of 750 kg and a useful load of 220 kg.
"The BK160 Gabriel represents a major milestone in small aircraft panorama," the Blackshape media release states, "with its unparalleled human-machine interface completely relying on a full glass cockpit resembling modern military trainers, its aggressive attitude with sporty finishing inspired by the hand-made tailor style, and a glyph of Italianness in its design."
Gabriel construction is of the same pre-impregnated carbon-fibre as Blackshape's smaller BK100 Prime.
Blackshape is targeting customers who simply want to get somewhere fast, want to enjoy a higher level of emotion in flight, and flying school that want to offer more advanced training to customers.
More information on the BK160 Gabriel is available on the Blackshape website.