Soloy Pathfinder 21
| Soloy Pathfinder 21 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Twin Turboprop |
| Manufacturer | Cessna/Soloy |
| Status | uncertified test bed |
| Number built | 1 |
| Developed from | Cessna 208 |
The Soloy Pathfinder 21 is a twin-engine, single propeller turboprop aircraft manufactured by Aviation Solutions, and based on the successful Cessna 208 airframe. The aircraft is essentially a stock Cessna 208 airframe that has been stretched by 72 inches, with structural reinforcement, and is powered by twin Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6D-114A engines in a side-by-side Dual Pac configuration.
Design and development
Soloy modified a Cessna 208 to construct a prototype Pathfinder 21, with its first flight in 1995. The Dual Pac PT6D-114A engine used in the Pathfinder 21 gained its FAA Supplemental Type Certificate in 1997.[1] Soloy was attempting to obtain FAA certification for the aircraft conversion, but after completing over 80 percent of the certification work Soloy announced that it was halting the entire program. The CEO explained that the FAA requires aircraft with more than nine passengers to have the airframe meet tougher restrictions required by Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 25, which is a practical impossibility, since the Cessna 208 does not meet those requirements. This requirement makes it unfeasible to market the airplane as the expanded passenger cabin is a major reason for the stretch to begin with.[2] The prototype has not flown since 1999.
Specifications
Data from Soloy[3]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1-2
- Capacity: 15-19 passengers
- Length: 46 ft 11 in (14.3 m)
- Wingspan: 52 ft 1 in (15.88 m)
- Height: 16 ft 6 in (5.02 m)
- Wing area: 279.4 sq ft (25.96 m2)
- Empty weight: 7,300 lb (3,311 kg)
- Gross weight: 12,000 lb (5,443 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 12,410 lb (5,629 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6D-114A in a Soloy Dual Pac Combined output twin turboprop, 664.5 hp (495.5 kW) each
Performance
- Cruise speed: 182 kn; 338 km/h (210 mph)
- Stall speed: 66 kn; 122 km/h (76 mph)
- Range: 467 nmi; 538 mi (865.6 km)
- Service ceiling: 27,400 ft (8,350 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,500 ft/min (7.6 m/s)
See also
Related Development
References
- ↑ STC No. SE00482SE
- ↑ Mike Vines Cessna Caravan Story (Part Two) AvBuyer (last accessed April 12, 2007)
- ↑ "Pathfinder Specs". Soloy Corporation. Retrieved 2006-07-19.
External links
- Cessna 208 — technical data concerning the Cessna 208
- Soloy.com Soloy Aviation Solutions online, products, brochures, etc.
- Caravan Pilots — Cessna Caravan site; Pilot related
- Soloy plans Pathfinder push (27 May 1998)