Wings Magazine

News
Adam Aircraft A700 completes company environmental testing

Jan. 10, 2008, Englewood, CO - In early December, Adam Aircraft completed a highly successful series of tests at the world renowned McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.


January 10, 2008  By Carey Fredericks

Jan. 10, 2008, Englewood, CO – In early December, Adam Aircraft completed a highly successful series of tests at the world renowned McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. "Overall, the Eglin effort met all testing goals and provided an abundance of data that will help ensure the highest level of performance by the A700 in a variety of adverse weather conditions," said Tom Bisges, Adam Aircraft Sr. Vice President Engineering and Program Management.

During the five day testing exercise, the Williams FJ-33 engines were exposed to freezing fog, freezing rain and blowing snow to evaluate the ground performance of the engine inlet anti-ice system under these extremely harsh environmental conditions. The anti-ice tests, conducted for FAA certification credit and critically evaluated, were completed satisfactorily and will form the initial part of the overall Powerplant Operating Characteristics and Airplane Anti-ice Protection certification effort which will be completed later this year.

The testing also involved exposing the aircraft and all of its systems to temperatures as low as -40F evaluating the effects of cold on the flight controls, avionics, ECS, engine starters and other critical systems. "The aircraft performed very well during these extreme tests, including successful battery starts of the engines at the -40 degree limit," said Bisges. "These low temperature tests were primarily for company development and the results will be used to formulate improvements to be certified as part of the Hot and Cold Weather certification testing which will also be completed later this year."

Completion of the testing, which involved Adam Aircraft personnel, Williams International and the FAA, is another positive step towards certification of the A700, the cost effective, high performance very light jet.

Advertisement

Adam Aircraft is a designer and manufacturer of advanced aircraft for civil and government markets. The company uses computer-aided design, rapid prototyping, advanced manufacturing techniques, and carbon composite materials to produce high-performance aircraft at attractive prices. The A500 twin-engine piston aircraft has been Type Certified by the FAA, and the A700, which is currently undergoing flight test and development, will carry seven people and feature the best people-to-price performance ratio of any VLJ. Adam Aircraft headquarters are based at Centennial Airport (APA) in Englewood, Colorado, with additional facilities in Pueblo, Colorado, and Ogden, Utah. To learn more about the company visit www.adamaircraft.com .

Advertisement

Stories continue below