News

07/02/07 - Grob Aerospace signs repeat Canadian Air Force G 120A Trainer order with Kelowna Flightcraft

Grob Aerospace has won a repeat order from Kelwona Flightcraft of Canada for two G 120A-C primary training aircraft for the Canadian Air Force, just one year after it first became a customer. The order includes a fuselage cockpit section to be used as flight simulator provided by Atlantis Systems Corporation. The contract was signed today, 29 June, at Grob Aerospace’s facility at Tussenhausen-Mattsies, Germany, by Barry Lapointe, President of Kelowna Flightcraft, Dr. Andreas Strohmayer, Managing Director, Grob Aerospace GmbH and Denzil White, Director Special Mission and Training Aircraft.

The aircraft are scheduled for delivery in the first quarter of 2008 and will join the original fleet of nine Kelowna Flightcraft operated G 120A-Cs, which were delivered in May 2006. Kelowna Flightcraft leads the Allied Wings Consortium at the Canadian Wings’ aviation training centre in Southport, Manitoba.

The decision to expand the fleet is largely due to the exceptional versatility of the G 120A, which has allowed more advanced tasks, usually undertaken later in the flight training syllabus on more expensive aircraft, to be “downloaded” to the G 120A, thereby improving the efficiency and cost effectiveness of the training program.

The aircraft has been equipped to meet the demanding Canadian Air Force specifications and is certified to deliver the full range of primary flying training tasks, including instrument flying, navigation, full aerobatics and formation flying.

“This follow-on order from Canada demonstrates that the G 120A is proving itself as the most capable and cost effective primary trainer for military flight training purposes,” said Denzil White, Director Special Mission and Training Aircraft.

Grob Aerospace is a leader in aerobatic training aircraft with numerous NATO Air Forces using its aircraft for pilot training, including the Royal Air Force, French Air Force, German Air Force, Israeli Air Force, Canadian Air Force and United Arab Emirates Air Force. It has sold over 400 G 115 and G 120 trainers since 1987.

About the G 120A

First flown in 1999, the G 120A is a cost effective and versatile light aircraft, specifically designed to meet the most challenging forms of primary pilot training. It is certified by both the EASA and the FAA to +6/-4 g. The aircraft is fitted with its powerful 260 hp Lycoming engine. It provides the ideal training platform for the full range of conventional high-performance aerobatic maneuvers, including spins, inverted spins, loops, rolls, stall turns, outside turns and recovery from unusual attitudes. This versatile aircraft also offers excellent handling at both high and low airspeeds, making it ideal to tackle the full spectrum of primary training requirements, including pilot screening, instrument flying, navigation and mission oriented tasks which previously required two different aircraft types. Like all other Grob aircraft, the G 120A airframe is manufactured entirely from carbon fiber composite, which gives it a competitive advantage by offering high strength and long structural service life of
15’000 hours, lightweight construction and associated low fuel consumption and low maintenance costs.

About Grob Aerospace – 35 Years of Aviation History

Grob Aerospace was founded in 1971 and its history spans 35 years. The company is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland but maintains its own purpose built airfield in Tussenhausen-Mattsies, Germany that accommodates its research, development, manufacturing and assembly facilities. Grob Aerospace is one of the world’s largest and the most experienced composite aircraft manufacturer. It has delivered more than 3,500 aircraft that have flown over seven million hours on five continents.

www.grob-aerospace.com
For further information contact:
Elisabeth Palander Celia Turner
Grob Aerospace AG Emerald Media
+41 (0) 44 876 56 82 +44 (0) 770 334 4425
elisabeth.palander@grob-aerospace.ch celia@ctpr.demon.co.uk
Juliane von Heimendahl
Grob Aerospace AG
+41 (0) 44 876 56 89
juliane.von.heimendahl@grob-aerospace.ch