Britten-Norman’s latest Islander has entered its ground test programme, putting the aircraft on course for a first flight in September and eventual delivery to the Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS).
The aircraft, which was rolled out at Britten-Norman’s Isle of Wight facility on July 30, will undergo flight testing before being prepared for handover to FIGAS. The company is also opening its production line to customers and media ahead of the aircraft’s formal launch later this year.
The latest milestone follows the successful application of electrical power on July, 29. By the time of the roll-out, the aircraft had been fitted with its engines, propellers, cowlings, electrical systems, brakes and flight-control surfaces and mechanisms. Structural completion reached 75% in June.
Attention is now turning to testing as Britten-Norman moves the aircraft towards its first flight. The programme is being closely followed as the company builds momentum around its new-production Islander aircraft.
Production is also continuing on the next aircraft. A second airframe is progressing through the assembly line, while components for subsequent aircraft are already being manufactured. Britten-Norman is working towards a continuous production cadence, supported by investment in machinery, tooling and facilities.
The company’s workforce has grown by more than 40% since the current production programme began, reflecting the increased activity around the Islander.
The new-build aircraft retains the characteristics that have made the Islander a long-serving aircraft in regional and specialist operations worldwide. These include low operating costs, rugged reliability and strong short-field performance.
Britten-Norman says the aircraft combines the established Islander design with modern manufacturing methods and tooling, while maintaining the standards on which operators have relied throughout the type’s more than five decades of service.
With ground testing now under way, the next major milestone will be the aircraft’s first flight, targeted for September, followed by flight-test completion and customer preparation ahead of delivery to FIGAS.
