German manufacturer Flight Design has certified its F2 two-seater as a step towards developing a four-seat GA aeroplane.
The company announced late last year that the F2 LSA had been certified to EASA CS-23, which the company says will lead to the fully-certified F4 four-seater and the F2e electric aircraft.
“We are very pleased to see the F2 EASA CS-23 certified," said Flight Design general aviation CEO Daniel Guenther. "This is an important milestone for our business and a tribute to the hard work by the F2 design team and our different businesses within Flight Design general aviation.”
Dieter Koehler, Head of Design for F2 and F4 projects, said the certification was expected to open new markets for the F2.
“The EASA CS-23 category is an internationally recognized certification standard which will allow the new F2-CS23 to be easily accepted in all markets worldwide.” he said
“The international design team of the F2-CS23 brought a tremendous amount of talent into this program and the EASA Type Certificate is well deserved.”
The F2-CS23 is part of the company's Vision Zero concept, which incorporates all commercially available safety features appropriate for the aircraft type.
These features include a passive stall and spin-resistant airframe design, airframe parachute, airbags and inertial reel harnesses, Garmin electronic stability and envelope protection, a strong occupant-protective enclosure for the pilot and passengers, automatic fuel management, simplified controls such as a combined throttle and brake lever and a more modern, car-like atmosphere and operation.
The F2-CS23 comes with Garmin G3X avionics, two-axis autopilot, Rotax 912iS fuel-injected 100-hp engine with a DUC certified propeller, Beringer wheels and brakes, leather seats and Whelen lighting.
Flight Design released the F2 in early 2021 as an LSA to take advantage of new EASA rules that allowed a maximum take-off weight of 600 kg.
The company has long had ambitions for a four-seat GA aeroplane, flying a prototype C4 in 2015 before going into receivership the following year, causing the project to be shelved.