Skyleader
Skyleader a.s. is a Chinese-owned aircraft manufacturer based in Jihlava, Czech Republic. The company specializes in the design and manufacture of ultralight aircraft in the form of ready-to-fly aircraft in the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale microlight and American light-sport aircraft categories.[1][2]
Type | Private joint stock company |
---|---|
Industry | Aerospace |
Headquarters | , |
Products | Microlight aircraft Aerospace manufacturing subcontracting |
Owner | Zair Aerospace |
Website | www |
History
The company was formed as a successor to the bankrupt Kappa 77, s.r.o., in March 2005 as Jihlavan Airplanes, s.r.o., named for the town in which it is located. Skyleader owns 100% of Jihlavan Airplanes and operates it as a subsidiary.[3]
The company works with the Institute of Aerospace Engineering at Brno University of Technology on aircraft design, having jointly developed the Kappa 77 KP 2U-SOVA into the Skyleader 100 to 600 series of microlight and light-sport aircraft.[3] The Skyleader GP One was developed as a new high-wing design and introduced at the AERO Friedrichshafen show in 2010.[1][2] Skyleader also does aerospace manufacturing subcontract work and produced the doors for the Airbus A320 airliner.[3]
The Bulgarian company ACS started producing the Skyleader 600 at the state owned TEREM-Letets aircraft factory in Sofia in July 2015 under a licence agreement.[4]
In 2017, Skyleader was purchased by the Chinese firm Zair Aerospace, which is headquartered in Wuhan.[5] Zair set up a local production line in Hubei to manufacture the Zair JA600 that received Chinese state certification in 2019. The JA600 is a development of the Skyleader 600.[6]
Aircraft
Model name | First flight | Number built | Type |
---|---|---|---|
Skyleader 100 | 2011 | Two seat low wing microlight | |
Skyleader 150 | Two seat low wing microlight | ||
Skyleader 200 UL | 1996 | Two seat low wing microlight | |
Skyleader 400 | Two seat low wing microlight | ||
Skyleader 500 LSA | Two seat low wing light-sport aircraft | ||
Skyleader 600 | 2010 | Two seat low wing light-sport aircraft | |
Skyleader GP One | 2010 | Two seat high wing microlight | |
References
- Bayerl, Robby; Martin Berkemeier; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2011-12, pages 76-77. WDLA UK, Lancaster UK, 2011. ISSN 1368-485X
- Tacke, Willi; Marino Boric; et al: World Directory of Light Aviation 2015-16, pages 80-81. Flying Pages Europe SARL, 2015. ISSN 1368-485X
- Skyleader (2014). "About Us - Company Overview". Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- Александър Богоявленски. "Ултралеки самолети Skyleader ще се сглобяват в София". BGONAIR. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
- "China GA Manufacturers – China GA Report 2020". February 27, 2021.
- "JA600 received Chinese state certification" (in Simplified Chinese). November 29, 2019.