AstroAero Unveils A200C Cargo Turboprop Single

Australia-based AstroAero is developing the A200C SkyExpress, a turboprop single designed to carry standard cargo containers for freight-feeding operations. The company's plans call for certification under FAA Part 23 regulations, flight into known icing approval, single-pilot operations, and low operating costs.

Powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67T engine, the unpressurized A200C will have an mtow of 14,500 pounds and be able to carry up to 3,800 pounds of fuel and 5,500 pounds of cargo, up to a maximum altitude of 25,000 feet. The rear-loading cargo ramp’s door aperture measures 65 inches wide by 71 inches high and features self-leveling support legs, eliminating the need for a tail stand during loading. 

According to AstroAero, “The self-leveling legs automatically adjust to stabilize the aircraft on uneven terrain or unpaved runways, smoothly accommodating large center-of-gravity shifts as heavy cargo is rolled across the ramp.”

Although the A200C concept brings to mind the unsuccessful Ayres LM200 Loadmaster—a design proposed in the late 1990s—they are different airplanes. The LM200 would have carried 9,000 pounds of freight, powered by twin Rolls-Royce/Honeywell CTP800 engines coupled to a single gearbox and propeller. The A200C is far simpler and will have a relatively low operating cost, according to AstroAero.

The company has been working on the A200C project for a few years, with a full-scale mockup built three years ago. It said the design has been validated, and work on the T1 prototype is underway and expected to take eight months to complete. 

Team members are now completing structural assembly of the wing, forward and main fuselage, and fixed landing gear. Wind tunnel testing was accomplished at the University of Washington Kirsten facility. 

The A200C’s airframe structure uses conventional materials and sheetmetal techniques. According to Astro Aero, this will facilitate easier repairs at outlying stations, compared with composite structures.

“A lot of effort has gone into refining the aerodynamic design with a conscious choice to use conventional, reversible flight controls,” said chief test pilot Daniel Rich. “The goal was to create an aircraft that feels natural and completely uncomplicated to fly while remaining simple to manufacture and maintain. Pilots moving up to a heavy utility aircraft will find the A200C has familiar systems, is highly intuitive, stable, and easy to handle, keeping training overheads exceptionally low for fleet operators.”

Handlers will be able to load containers into the A200C directly from ground vehicles or airport dollies at the cargo compartment’s 47-inch roller-plane height and onto integrated internal roller tracks. With 430 cu ft of cargo volume, the compartment can accommodate standard unit load devices including LD1, LD2, LD3, LD3-45, LD4, LD6, LD8, and LD11 units or palletized cargo. With two LD3 containers loaded, the A200C will be able to fly 1,100 nm at 150 knots.

In an effort to ease pilot transition to the A200C, Astro Aero selected Garmin TXi avionics because they are similar to those in modern pilot trainers.

“We are intentionally catering to the modern pilot pipeline,” Rich said. “As a single-engine aircraft, we expect the majority of A200C pilots to come either straight from flight school or from small charter operations. We have ensured these pilots are presented with a simple and familiar avionics layout that is also not a step backward. The Garmin TXi architecture gives them an intuitive, highly visual data presentation that matches what they've already trained on. It reduces the cognitive workload significantly, which is incredibly important when flying single-pilot IFR.”