Mahindra Aerospace has successfully certified its turboprop 10-passenger GA10 Airvan utility aircraft but hasn’t been crowing about it. The FAA accepted the certification May 19, the same day it was certified in Australia and word is only getting out now because of third-party interest in the design. Although the program has been reportedly owned by Mahindra, a huge transportation and manufacturing company in India, the type certificate holder is listed as a stand-alone company in Australia known as Airvan10 Pty Ltd (the equivalent of an LLC in the U.S.). Throughout the development of the aircraft, a beefed-up extension of the highly regarded piston-powered GA8, the company has been low-key. Now that it’s certified, however, Textron and Quest, makers of the Caravan and Kodiak respectively, might be glancing over their shoulders.
The GA10 follows on the critically acclaimed GA8, which has been lauded in flight reviews (ours included) but a modest commercial success. According to the FAA certification, its Rolls-Royce turboprop will run on just about any kind of jet fuel and make 450 horsepower at takeoff with a top speed of 156 knots indicated. Maximum fuel load is about 150 gallons and maximum takeoff weight is 4,750 pounds. AVweb flew the GA8 a few years ago. Here’s the video report.
