More than five years after the likes of Aviation Week (myself included as I worked there at the time) said "Don't hold your breath" in waiting for a certain Italian company to actually finish its odd-looking piston twin pusher, airframer Oma Sud has shut up the naysayers.
As of 8 January, the SkyCar is an officially a certified aeroplane. Here's the European Aviation Safety Agency type sheet to prove it.
The company applied for the certificate in 2004 and first demonstrated a mock-up of the Textron Lycoming IO-360-C1E6-powered aircraft at the Paris Air Show in 2005, shortly before Av Week made its assessment. Critics be damned though, Oma Sud completed first flight in December 2007, and at the time, expected certification later in 2008.
The initial launch customer for the high-wing, twin-tail, retractable-gear aircraft was thought to be a Miami-based aviation charter company, which planned to deploy the aircraft for operations between Miami and the Caribbean.
Though Oma Sud is marketing the twin as "designed for instrument flight rules", the EASA specifications sheet limits the aircraft to day and night visual flight rules operations. The unpressurized twin can fly at a maximum structural cruising speed of 152kt (281 km/h), 8kt slower than advertised, and can reach a maximum altitude of 5,486m (18,000ft). The aircraft is not approved for flight into known icing conditions.
Pictures of the four-seat plane (marketing materials say its a five seats but EASA says four) are fairly rare. There are some on flickr and the OMA SUD website, but video is rarer still.
In fact I couldn't find any clips. I'm most interested to see how it sounds, given the unique "music" of other pushers like the Beech Starship and the Piaggio Avanti.
If anyone can point me to.a video of the SkyCar in flight, please do forward.
Meanwhile, to OMA SUD, my apologies for doubting you in my foolish youth.
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