Rotorcraft Update: Schweizer introduces improved 300CB variant

Working in its own quiet low-key way, Schweizer Aircraft has revealed its new 300CBi. An enhanced upgrade of the company’s strong-selling 300CB, the new 300CBi features a fuel-injected 180-hp Lycoming HIO-360-C1A engine. Schweizer maintains that throttle correlation is noticeably more precise and engine response is smoother and more immediate than with its predecessor’s carburetor-equipped Lycoming engine. The 300CBi will also feature a new main-rotor drive shaft and hub, as well as Schweizer’s new electronic automatic engagement system (AES), which replaces the optional startup overspeed governor and introduces a low-rotor warning indicator and automatic rotor engagement system. The 300CBi will replace the 300CB, with first deliveries expected to begin in June following certification. Base price for the new 300CBi is $214,750, $5,000 more than its predecessor, an increase that Schweizer believes will be largely offset by the reduced operating costs.