Ibis Ae270 Now Named Spirit

An Ibis Aerospace pilot flew one of the company's Pratt & Whitney PT-6-powered Ae270 single-engine turboprops, now named Spirit, to the NBAA Convention in Orlando, Florida, from the factory just outside Prague, Czech Republic. The company says it has around 75 orders for the big turboprop single. Ibis plans to build five airplanes in 2004 and eventually to ramp up to as many as 30 per year. Ibis anticipates certification by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Czech Republic in the second quarter of 2004; FAA certification is expected in June of 2004, with initial aircraft deliveries to begin during the third quarter 2004. Base price for the aircraft is $2.195 million in a basic IFR configuration; with an executive interior, weather radar and air conditioning, the expected price is around $2.5 million.