Oma Sud will display for the first time at the Paris air show the flying prototype of its Skycar piston twin.

The orderbook for the six-seat unpressursed aircraft - which is earmarked for European certification in the third quarter - will also be opened at the event. The Skycar has flown around 55h to date, says Oma Sud, which is gearing up to deliver the first 200hp (150kW) Textron Lycoming IO-360-C1E6-powered aircraft later this year to an unnamed charter company in Florida, USA.

The €750.000 ($1 million) Skycar is targeted at corporate, charter government VIP, search and rescue, medical evacuation and surveillance markets.

OMA Sud is hoping to carve a slice of the replacement piston twin market where the average age of the global fleet is around 37 years, it says. The Skycar has a maximum take-off weight of 1,995kg (4,395lb) and a maximum cruise speed of 160kt (290km/h).

Source: Flight International