Indonesia's State owned PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) has completed maiden flight of the indigenous N219 twin turboprop commuter...
Indonesia's State owned PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) has completed maiden flight of the indigenous N219 twin turboprop commuter aircraft.
The first prototype completed a 30 minute test flight and landed back at Husein Sastranegara International Airport in Bandung on Wednesday.
The test flight was piloted by PTDI's chief test pilots Captain Esther Gayatri Saleh, and Captain Adi Budi Atmoko.
The 19 seater aircraft will be certified conforming to the CASR Part 23 airworthiness standards for small aeroplanes.
Including the aircraft, two prototypes will be used to carry out the 300 hour flight test program, while two aircraft will be used for ground tests.
The design and development of N219 is based on PTDI's experience on license production of CASA C-212 Aviocar and joint development of C-235 turboprop aircraft with Spanish airframer CASA.
The aircraft is designed to operate from unpaved grounds and need minimal ground support equipment to operate.
The N219 features an all metal high wing design, equipped with a fixed landing gear and an un-pressurized cabin.
The aircraft is 54 ft 1 in (16.49 m) long and have a wingspan of 64 ft 0 in (19.5 m) and a height of 20 ft 3 in (6.18 m).
With a Maximum Take Off Weight (MTOW) of 7,030 Kg, the N219 can carry a maximum payload of 2,300 kg.
Powering the N219 is two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT-6 turboprops, rated at 850 SHP each and driving a Hartzell 4-blade metal propeller.
With the max internal fuel of 1,600 kg, the twin prop can fly to a max distance of 828 NM (1533 km), while max range with max payload is only 149 NM (275 km).
Due to its short take off and landing capability, the aircraft require just a 500 m airstrip for landing and take off.
The N219 have a economy cruise speed of 190 knots (350 kmph), while the stall speed is 59 knots (109 kmph).
Besides its commuter role, the aircraft can also configured for troop transport, search and rescue, medical evacuation, and cargo transport roles.
