Grob GF 200

__NOTOC__ Infobox Aircraft
name=GF 200


caption=
type=Business aircraft
national origin=Germany
manufacturer=Grob
designer=
first flight=26 November avyear|1991
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retired=
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number built=1
variants with their own articles=The Grob GF 200 was a business aircraft of unorthodox design developed in Germany during the 1990s. It was a low-wing cantilever monoplane with retractable tricycle undercarriage and a highly streamlined fuselage. The engine was mounted within the fuselage, to the rear of the passenger cabin, and drove the pusher propeller via a driveshaft. The GF 200 has a T-tail, but also a large ventral fin beneath the fuselage. Like other Grob designs, construction throughout was of composite materials, in the case of this particular aircraft, including the driveshaft.

Development commenced in 1983 but was postponed due to concerns about achieving certification for the composite design. However, with financial support from the German government, development commenced in earnest by the end of the decade. The project officially launched at the Hannover Show in May 1988, at which a mockup of the design was displayed and a hope expressed to have the aircraft flying within two years. As it transpired, the prototype was rolled out in March 1991, in the hope of a first flight by May, and which finally took place on 26 November.The aircraft made its first public appearance at the Berlin Air Show in 1992. Initial flight tests revealed problems with engine cooling and excessive noise. The former concern was addressed by a redesign of the engine air intakes.

The prototype was intended as a test aircraft and technology demonstrator, and lacked many of the refinements that would have been incorporated into a production aircraft, including cabin presurisation, de-icing equipment, and even a complete cabin interior. When Grob was unable to find financial backing to take the design further, the company embarked on the construction of a more "true-to-life" prototype in 1997, the GF 250, in the belief that this would prove more attractive to potential business partners.

Further planned developments included the turboshaft-powered GF 300, and the GF 350 with twin turboshaft engines driving a common propeller.

pecifications (GF 200)

aerospecs
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crew=One pilot
capacity=4 passengers
length m=8.70
length ft=28
length in=6
span m=11.00
span ft=36
span in=1
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rot dia m=
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dia m=
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width m=
width ft=
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height m=3.42
height ft=11
height in=3
wing area sqm=12.5
wing area sqft=135
swept area sqm=
swept area sqft=
rot area sqm=
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volume m3=
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aspect ratio=
empty weight kg=
empty weight lb=
gross weight kg=1,600
gross weight lb=3,527
lift kg=
lift lb=

eng1 number=1
eng1 type=Teledyne Continental TSIOL-550
eng1 kw= 230
eng1 hp= 310
eng1 kn=
eng1 lbf=
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max speed kmh=
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max speed mach=
cruise speed kmh= 370
cruise speed mph= 230
range km=1,850
range miles=1,160
endurance h=
endurance min=
ceiling m=
ceiling ft=
glide ratio=
climb rate ms=6.2
climb rate ftmin=1,220
sink rate ms=
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armament6= aircontent
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References

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