8 November 2022
VIDEO A new two-seat amphibious aircraft, the Vickers Wave, is nearing the end of 12 years of development with certification targeted for 2023.
The light sport Wave has just completed the first stage of water testing, seven months after it had its first flight on land.
“We spent the best part of two weeks water testing in the beautiful Waikato,” said Paul Vickers, boss of the New Zealand based company.
“I have been waiting longer than a decade to see the Wave in her natural environment, and she did not disappoint. Not only does she look amazing, but the water handling was also impressive.”
The series of water tests was to check slow-speed manoeuvrability and buoyancy in preparation for high-speed taxiing and the first flight off the water.
The first flight back in March 2022 has been followed by a series of land based tests.
“We have now been test flying the Wave regularly over the past few months,” continued Paul. “Our test pilot, from 5Rings Australia, describes the Wave as a ‘lovely aircraft to fly, very manoeuvrable’.
“Our initial flights were focused on engine cooling, and we are now expanding our CG range and handling qualities. Various wingtip designs have also been tested and we are narrowing down the final selection.”
The Vickers Wave has been granted a weight exemption by the US authority, the FAA, to 1850 lb (839kg). Useful load is 650 lb (295kg). It’s powered by a Rotax 915iS, and has a claimed cruise speed of 120kt and a max range of 1100nm. Avionics are from Dynon. No price has yet been confirmed but estimates are around $200,000.
1 comment
Looks just like the Icon A5, but with a faster cruise speed and longer range.