The first Found Aircraft E350 Expedition in Australia has been delivered to the customer.
Built in Canada, the E350 is a robust, high-wing utility powered by a 315 HP Lycoming IO-580, giving it cruise TAS of around 150 knots.
Cattleman Alister McClymont ordered the aircraft for use on his property in north-west Queensland and has nothing but praise for his new machine.
“I’m very pleased with it”, he says. “It’s fast – it hikes along at 150 knots plus, gets airborne quickly, and climbs very well despite the heat up here.
"Talking of which, the ventilation airflow once in the air is great – that was something I had been concerned about in buying a Canadian aeroplane but in fact it’s better than I get from my other aircraft.
"Another thing I really like is how easy it is to remove the rear seats to convert to cargo operations – we cart all sorts of stuff and this thing looks like it’s built to be worked, and we work them pretty hard.
"I also like the four big doors which can open no matter what position the flaps are in – good for loading and also for safety if we need to get out in a hurry
"I think this aeroplane will suit others like myself very well – it outperforms my other aircraft in pretty much every department."
The E350 is constructed of a welded steel tube frame with carbon-fibre surrounding the cabin and conventional aluminium surrounding the rest of the airframe. Garmin 500 glass comes as standard, and a tail-wheel version is also available.
Bryce Ducker, the E350 agent for Australian and PNG sees the aircraft as the ideal aeroplane for the outback stations.
"The significance of this is that the E350 is establishing itself as an aspirant to the mantle traditionally held by the Cessna 206 as the aircraft of choice for those on the land, making this an important development," he said.
"Aside from having five seats versus the 206's six, the E350 is faster, carries a greater load over a longer distance, and requires less runway - so this is a serious challenge. Coming as it does from Canada with that country's reputation for building great utility aircraft doesn't do its prospects any harm either!"