Thirteen years after American Utilicraft filed patents for its FF-1080 Freight Feeder, “the project is moving from the design engineering phase to getting ready to start cutting metal on the prototype,” said company president and CEO John Dupont last month. Though the aftermath of 9/11 slowed development by the Lawrenceville, Ga. startup, Dupont added, he now expects a preproduction model to be airborne in about a year. “Eighteen months after that, our first production model should be certified and ready to go,” he said, noting that “we should have some major, major announcements to make at the NBAA convention” in Las Vegas next month. “We’re probably 30 months from delivering our first airplanes if we stay on schedule,” Dupont concluded.
If so–and if this all-aluminum twin-engine turboprop lives up to the company’s claims– the aircraft could eventually have a significant effect on the air-cargo business, particularly in European, African and Asian markets. That’s largely because the FF-1080 features short takeoff and landing capability that makes it well suited to cost-effectively transport standard industry air containers on short-to medium-range routes and to airfields with less than 3,000 feet of runway.
More In Aircraft
