Flight Design's C4 four-seat general aviation aeroplane has made its maiden flight less than one month after the Continental engine was first certified.
The aircraft flew for 55 minutes on 9 April, with the company saying the results recorded were exactly as expected, particular when measured against the Cessna 172 used as a chase plane.
In his report, test pilot Damian Hischier encouraged Flight Design to make no major changes to the air frame.
“The spiral stability of C4 is good and its directional stability is good ... don’t change a thing aerodynamically." he said.
“Flight Design engineers can work on reducing some friction in the controls, but leave the rest alone.”
While noting that engine operating temperatures were acceptable, he acknowledged that further work may be necessary for operations in the hottest climates, which the company is expected to remedy with cowl changes.
Tom Peghiny, President of Flight Design USA, said the C4 looked good from his angle in the chase plane as well.
“We observed the C4 accelerate away from the C172 chase plane during simulated approaches to landing and in simulated go-arounds,” Peghiny said.
“I could also see that during the 30-degree bank turns the test pilot needed no control correction and he reported that pitch forces were light.
“The plane appeared to be on rails, it looked very stable. Damian said he was comfortable getting close to us for the photos and videos shot during the maiden flight.”
Flight Design started work on the C4 in 2008, building upon the design of their successful CT range of light-sport aircraft. The comapny chose the Continental IO-350-AF as the power plant.
The C4 is now on display at AERO 2015 at Friedrichshafen, whilst the development team remains behind to plan the next steps in the project.