Press Release

CITEC-Europa First Flight

On Friday 31-DEC-99 Europa G-WWWG complete with Wilksch CITEC engine completed its first flight in the capable hands of test pilot Graham Singleton. The engine performed faultlessly and Graham was particularly impressed with the smooth delivery of power and low levels of cockpit noise and vibration saying "I have never felt a smoother surge of power from a piston engine in an airplane...".

Performance was good with brisk acceleration during the takeoff roll. Unfortunately poor visibility limited flights to short hops only. Changes to the oil cooling system and additional instrumentation will now be completed before more flights in the near future. An evaluation by Ivan Shaw of Europa Aircraft is expected early in 2000.

Mark Wilksch said "squeezing our WAM-120 into a 'pocket rocket' like the Europa has been a challenge for us but one that is resulting in a lighter and very compact engine package. This new power plant choice will add a whole new dimension to the Europa. We look forward to working further with Europa Aircraft to mature the installation for the benefit of many future Europa customers".

31 December 1999