Flight International — 22 August — 4 September 2017

fiightglobal.com 22 August-4 September 2017 | Flight International | 23

Jet set go

Covery Story P24

F

rench start-up Elixir Aircraft

is preparing its two-seat Elixir

piston-single for first flight at the

end of August, and hopes to se-

cure European certification for

the all-carbonfibre type in the

second quarter of 2018.

“The aircraft is 99% com-

plete,” says Elixir co-founder and

chief operations officer Cyril

Champenois. “We just have to

put the final touches to the elec-

trical harness and then it will be

ready to fly.”

Only one aircraft will be in-

volved in the fight-test campaign,

but the Elixir’s major composite

parts, including the wing, ailer-

ons, flaps and horizontal tail, will

undergo ground testing concur-

rently. “We are building this test

article now, and it will be ready

in September,” says Champenois.

The company, based in La Ro-

chelle in western France, has se-

cured nine orders for the

€150,000 ($177,000) aircraft to

date, and plans to deliver the first

units in the third quarter of 2018.

Elixir is broadening its Euro-

pean sales effort beyond France,

and is now in discussions with

potential customers in Germany,

Italy and the UK.

US validation is targeted for

2020, Champenois says. ■

L

isa Airplanes has flown the

second and final Akoya proto-

type and says it is aiming for US

certification and service entry of

the two-seat amphibian in 2018.

The light sport aircraft made

its debut sortie in June and has so

far accumulated 10h of flight test-

ing at Lisa’s Chambéry Savoie

Mont Blanc airport headquarters

in southeast France and at the

nearby Lac du Bourget.

The latest Akoya features a

new, retractable landing gear, fit-

ted with electronically adjustable

skis and wheels, enabling the

Akoya to operate from land and

snow. The aircraft’s “seafoils” –

patented technology developed

by Lisa and based on hydrofoils

used on racing boats – enable the

Akoya to take off and land on

water efficiently, Lisa says.

The upgrade is among the last

design changes to the Rotax 912

ULS-powered type, which was

launched in 2007 with a proof-of-

concept aircraft. An initial proto-

type made its debut sortie in

2011, but the company was

pushed into receivership the fol-

lowing year.

It was rescued in 2013 by a Chi-

nese investor who continues to

fund the programme.

The $560,000 Akoya is target-

ed at owner-flyers looking for

what Lisa describes as “the ulti-

mate in personal transport”.

The aircraft features an emer-

gency parachute and foldable

wings for easy storage and trans-

port. It has a maximum speed of

135kt (250km/h) and a range of

1,080nm (2,000km). ■

GENERAL AVIATION

Retractable landing gear and skis have improved Rotax-engined type

Lisa Airplanes

Start-up has so far secured nine orders for the all-carbonfibre aircraft

Elixir Aircraft

A

uthorities in Russia are tar-

geting illegal operations of-

fering sightseeing and pleasure

flights to customers unaware of

the safety risks involved.

Thirteen accidents – six of

which were fatal, with the loss of

14 lives – have occurred in the

general aviation sector so far this

year, according to the federal air

transport regulator Rosaviatsia.

It has expressed concern that

advertisements offering illegal

general aviation “entertainment”

flights, for tourism purposes, are

becoming widespread.

Rosaviatsia cites falsification of

documents in association with

the fatal crash of a Hydrosamolet

Che-23M amphibian in Abkhazia

in late July.

It also points to a mid-air colli-

sion of a Cessna U206 and a Rob-

inson R44 helicopter in August

2015 after which investigators

found the Cessna operator did

not have a valid pilot’s licence.

“Citizens who decide to take

advantage of these illegal services

of general aviation aircraft opera-

tors do not have knowledge of the

serious problems they might face

in the event of an accident,” the

regulator says.

The authority has identified

several primary causes of acci-

dents in the sector, including ob-

stacle impact during low-level

flight, loss of control during ex-

cessive manoeuvring, and spatial

disorientation.

Rosaviatsia stresses that Rus-

sian civil aviation regulations

state that owners of general avia-

tion aircraft “do not have the

right” to provide any kind of paid

service for passenger transport,

and that any such offer “violates”

the country’s air code.

Rosaviatsia has urged regional

authorities to increase awareness

of the problem and stresses the

need for constant interaction

with owners to detect and pre-

vent unlawful flights. ■

REGULATORY

DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW

LONDON

Russia highlights

safety fears from

illegal operators

PROGRAMME KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

Lisa launches final prototype

of Akoya two-seat seaplane

French airframer hopes to secure US certification next year for single-engined amphibian

DEVELOPMENT KATE SARSFIELD LONDON

Elixir prepared for August first flight