- Interceptor 400
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The Interceptor 400 was a
turboprop -powered single-engined light aircraft developed from theAero Commander 200 . It failed to attract buyers, and was perhaps too far ahead of its time. In the early 1970s, at the time of its development, the market for single-engined turboprops was still a decade away.Development of the aircraft commenced when
Lymon Lyon approached Aero Commander to build him a one-off modification of the 200, to be powered by a turboprop. His request came just as the firm was realizing that the aircraft was not economically viable, and instead, offered to sell Lyon thetype certificate instead. Lyon and a group of investors then formed the Interceptor Corporation to develop and market the aircraft.Its first flight was on
June 27 1969, and certification was obtained in 1971. However, without buyers, major Interceptor investorPaul Luce eventually took possession of the company's intellectual property and the prototype Interceptor 400 when the firm could not repay capital he had loaned it. The rights are now owned byProp-Jets Inc , which Luce has a 50% stake in.A militarized version, the Interceptor I400-M reached at least the planning stage. It was envisaged for a wide variety of roles, including training, reconnaissance,
Forward Air Control , andCounter-Insurgency , as well as general utility duties.pecifications (Interceptor 400)
General characteristics
* Crew: one pilot
* Capacity: 3 passengers
* Length: 24 ft 4 in (7.42 m)
* Wingspan: 30 ft 6 in (9.30 m)
* Height: 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)
* Wing area: 162 ft² (15.0 m²)
* Empty: 2,700 lb (1,227 kg)
* Loaded: lb ( kg)
* Maximum takeoff: 4,005 lb (1,820 kg)
* Powerplant: 1xGarrett TPE331 , 400 hp (300 kW)Performance
* Maximum speed: 348 mph (556 km/h)
* Range: 1,042 miles (1,666 km)
* Service ceiling: 24,000 ft (7,317 m)
* Rate of climb: 1,800 ft/min (549 m/min)
* Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
* Power/Mass: hp/lb ( kW/kg)Related content
Related development:
Meyers 145 -Meyers 200 Comparable aircraft:
SOCATA TBM-700 -Pilatus PC-12 -Piper Malibu Meridian Designation sequence:
External links
* [http://www.meyersaircraft.com/ Meyers Aircraft Home Page]
* [http://www.deans-world.com/Meyers200/Welcome.html Meyers owner enthusiast site]
* [http://airbum.com/pireps/PirepInterceptor400.html Aviation Journalist Bud Davisson's review of the Interceptor 400]
* [http://www.meyersaircraftowners.org/ Meyers Aircraft Owners Home Page]
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