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PIQUA, Ohio — May 11, 1999 — Hartzell Propeller Inc. announced today that it has agreed to design and develop a propeller system for the AERO Vodochody Ae 270 Ibis aircraft. The Ae 270 is a low-wing, single engine turboprop aircraft intended for short-haul transport and general utility purposes.
Hartzell’s propeller design proposal calls for a 96″ diameter, four-bladed lightweight turbine propeller with full feathering and reversing capabilities. The prop would be the latest member of the company’s growing family of lightweight turboprop propeller systems that have now seen millions of flight hours in numerous rugged applications.
The new aircraft will be produced by IBIS Aerospace Ltd., which is a joint venture between AERO Vodochody, of the Czech Republic, and Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) of Taiwan. The aircraft will be produced in two versions … the pressurized Ae 270 Ibis and the unpressurized Ae 270 W Ibis. The AE 270 Ibis will feature the Hartzell prop fitted to a Pratt and Whitney Canada PT6A-42A.
In addition to cabin pressurization, the aircraft will also feature retractable landing gear, unlike its cousin the Ae 270 W Ibis. The Ae 270 Ibis is expected to deliver a range in the neighborhood of 1200 nm and cruise speeds of up to 220 knots. To date, the company has fielded more than 100 serious inquiries from the US, Europe, South America, Asia and the Far East.
Hartzell Propeller Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of propeller systems, shipping into more than 25 countries in 1998. Hartzell enjoys a 60 percent market share on turboprop airliners and 85 percent market share on corporate turboprops. The 82-year old company is also well-known for its design leadership, having introduced the industry’s first full-feathering propeller for light twins, the first fully reversing propellers for corporate turboprops and the industry’s first composite structure blades.
