What we will fly in the future - Co50 Valkyrie

If you look at the price tags of small business jets, it becomes clear that only millionaires, billionaires and large organizations can become the owner of such aircraft. For example, the cost of a new Learjets is $20 million, and a used one is $2,5 million. Against this background, the Co50 Valkyrie with its $610 price tag looks more than attractive. But what kind of aircraft is it, how safe and comfortable is it for such money?

prehistory

Many consider the name of the aircraft unfortunate. Indeed, if we turn to the Scandinavian myths, we will see that the Valkyrie is the daughter of the king, flying over the battlefield and picking up the dead to be “sent” to the chamber of “Valhalla”. Most likely, the Americans are simply ignorant of Scandinavian mythology, and it is possible that they meant the well-known XB-60 bomber of the same name in the 70s. Despite such associations in the first days after the presentation of the aircraft and the announcement of the start of prepayment collection , managed to get 29 orders in just one day, and 3 million dollars in 50 months.

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What is attractive aircraft

When the head of the development company David Luory was asked why the new business jet was being ordered so actively, the designer replied: “Because it is beautiful.” Each person has his own idea of ​​​​this category, but at least we can confidently say that the design of the aircraft was a success.

Speed

By design, the aircraft is a "duck" - it has a piston engine with a pusher propeller mounted at the rear. When compared with one of the most popular production aircraft in this class - Mooney Acclaim Type S with its 389 km / h, it turns out that Co50 develops 475 km / h. Another light aircraft Sirrus SR22 also does not fly faster than 342 km/h.

Security

The designers of the Valkyrie also pay attention to the wide view from the cockpit - 320 degrees and the low noise of the engine located far behind. It's hard to disagree with this. The cockpit canopy leans back, making boarding / disembarking quick and convenient, including in emergency situations. Although there is a minus: you can get into the rear passenger seats only by folding the backs of the front seats, as in a coupe-type car. In general, security is given increased attention. The aircraft is equipped with an anti-icing system, it is even equipped with ... a parachute! And the applied balancing scheme increases the stability of the jet at critical angles of attack.



Among other advantages, it is worth highlighting the ease of control and reduced fuel consumption, incomparable with that of jet jets. The maintenance of the aircraft is also inexpensive, thanks to the piston engine installed on it.

Design features

For the manufacture of the ship's hull, carbon composites were used, flaps and rudders are made of Carbon-Nomex material, the chassis and blades of the propeller that changes the pitch are made of aluminum alloys. A number of aircraft elements are made of steel. Technical parameters of the "Valkyrie":

✅ wingspan - 9,14 m
✅ business jet length (height) - 9,14 m (3,05 m)
✅ maximum takeoff weight - 1,55 tons (empty weight is about a ton)
✅ Continental TSIOF-550-D engine power - 350 hp With.
✅ average speed - 463 km / h
✅ range - up to 2565 km (when fully loaded with 4 passengers - 840 km)
✅ highest height - 7,6 km

What's inside? In the cockpit there are Garmin G3X Touch touchscreen displays (later they installed 12-inch screens from SmartDeck from Esterline). There are holders for tablets on the dashboard. The interior looks chic, which is understandable: one of the former employees of Hermes, considered one of the leaders in the design industry, worked on it (as well as the chairs). A plus can be considered a voluminous luggage compartment, in which, in addition to trunks and suitcases, skis and golf clubs are placed.



It took about 10 years to develop the aircraft and build it. The impetus for the start of the design of a "personal" aircraft was an unprecedented drop in oil prices in 2004. Although the owner of Cobalt Aircraft registered it only in 2008 in San Francisco. At the same time, funding for the project began. It was supposed to be an aircraft for "personal use".

What today?

The first flight took place in 2015. Officially, the aircraft was supposed to go on sale in 2017, but due to difficulties with certification, the sale of the vessels did not start, as promised, in 2019 either. According to some reports, the completion of the procedure is prevented by electronics that have not previously been used in aircraft. The "stumbling block" was Bluetooth, which is used to control the aircraft.





The manufacturing company is trying to find a way out and is selling its aircraft as self-assembly kits. However, it is known that Cobalt Aircraft refuses to officially announce how many aircraft have been ordered and sold. In 2020, a pair of Co50 was registered with the US Federal Aviation Administration. The first was built in 2014, the second in 2018, both owned by private companies. Aircraft in the official register are marked as "registration status may be unserviceable." This means that you can sell or buy an airplane, but you can't fly it.



But there is a loophole! The client purchases an aircraft, receives a document for it, as for an “experimental” technique (an “X” index is added to the model name) and then can provide his purchase for “testing”, participate in an air show. But in practice - to use for personal purposes. The most surprising thing in this epic is that the head of the company is a Frenchman who decided to register his offspring in the United States, because in his native country there are too many bureaucratic obstacles to legalize a new aircraft.



The head of the company (now called Centauri Aircraft Company) Luori argues that the FAA cannot keep up with the times, resists innovative technologies and requires often unnecessary tests that take many months and tens of thousands of dollars. The head of Cobalt Aircraft is not alone in his "fight" with the FAA: the development and implementation of many projects slowed down precisely at the certification stage. The procedure is especially painful for small firms, and often it is they who offer unusual, innovative solutions. Companies such as Eclipse (now called One Aviation), Adam Industries, for example, “stumbled” on the FAA barriers. However (at least for today) the site of the company producing Co50 (https://www.centauri-aircraft.com/) works: you can ask questions and send them through a special page. Most likely, ordering a plane is also realistic.