22 December 2006
Guildford-based Mistral Aviation has become the sole agent and distributor in the UK and Eire for Alpha Aviation aircraft.
Alpha Aviation is the New Zealand company which bought the Alpha range of aircraft from the French company Apex Aviation; Apex, in turn, had inherited them from Robin, where they had been the R2100 and HR200.
Alpha Aviation opened its brand new factory in October this year, and production of the ALPHA 120T and 160A is now in full swing.
The full range is currently:
– ALPHA 120T – a development of the HR200, with the tried and proven Lycoming 0-235 (and Alpha is closely looking into diesel possibilities – not before 2008 though);
– ALPHA 160A – a carb engined trainer with aerobatic capability
– ALPHA 160AI – an injection version with full inverted aerobatic systems.
Mistral says that previous difficulties experienced in getting spare parts from the French factory have now been addressed. The first ALPHA a 160AI model, arrives in UK in Feb, sold to a private buyer and several of the 120T follow in the first half 2007, all sold.