Cobalt Aircraft's futuristic Co50 Valkyrie has taken US$50 million in orders since the books opened in November last year.
The Valkyrie is a five-seat single-engined piston with a canard wing and a 350-hp turbo engine driving a pusher propeller. The aircraft is projected to have a top speed of 260 knots, making it the fastest piston single on the market.
Following the public launch on 12 November 2015, the fully-certified version has seen significant interest from investors, pilots and travel enthusiasts around the globe, including 29 orders in the first 24 hours.
Some of the early customers are believed to have been from Australia.
“Cobalt's initial pre-orders have exceeded my expectations,” said David Loury, founder and CEO of Cobalt. “The growing demand for the Valkyrie illustrates the real desire that people have to purchase a private aircraft that’s design-centric, sleek and super fast. My vision is to reinvigorate the personal aviation market, starting with the Valkyrie.”
The certified aircraft will be non-pressurised, IFR capable and have a range of 1050 nm with IFR reserves. It will also boast an airframe parachute system.
The sticker price for the Valkyrie is $US595,000, which makes it cheaper than the Cirrus SR22T and the Cessna TTx.
Cobalt Aircraft is targetting 2017 for the first deliveries.
More information on the Co50 Valkyrie is on the Cobalt Aircraft website.