News

02/27/07 - Grob Aerospace shows strong year meeting training requirements

During 2006 Grob Aerospace continued to meet demand from air forces around the world, providing robust, reliable and cost effective primary training aircraft. At the close of the year, the German manufacturer and composites specialist had over 400 Grob G 115 and G 120 series aircraft flying with major air forces, including NATO.

The Canadian Air Force is now training with nine G 120A training aircraft purchased and operated under a contract with the Canadian DND by Allied Wings, using them for pilot screening, primary and advanced training as well as aerobatics. The versatility of the G 120A secured Grob Aerospace the order from Allied Wings. The last of these aircraft were delivered in Spring 2006 to the Allied Wings aviation training centre at Southport, Manitoba.

The Autumn of 2006 saw Grob Aerospace come into the hands of new owners; a Swiss based consortium lead by Niall Olver, who also became the CEO of Grob Aerospace. At this point the Grob product line was reviewed. It was determined that the popular G 115E, and G 120A trainers would remain in production. The G 140 program, which is close to certification, was put on hold; but in a manner so as to easily be restarted if a fleet order is obtained.

About the G 120A

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.