Photograph:
AeroAndina MXP-150 Kimbaya ZK-RTZ (c/n AA-02-14-15-056) in New Zealand (W Ruijne – NZCIVAIR)
Country of origin:
Colombia
Description:
Two-seat light touring and training monoplane
Power Plant:
One 85 kw (114 hp) Rotax 914ULS four-cylinder turbocharged horizontally-opposed liquid-and-air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 10.00 m (32 ft 10 in)
- Length: 6.30 m (20 ft 8 in)
- Height: 2.40 m (7 ft 10 in)
- Wing area: 12.23 m² (131.6 sq ft)
- Never exceed speed: 230 km/h (143 mph)
- Max speed: 200 km/h (124 mph)
- Cruising speed: 190 km/h (118 mph)
- Stalling speed: 56 km/h (35 mph)
- Service ceiling: 3,658 m (12,000 ft)
- Max rate of climb at sea level: 335 m/min (1,100 ft/min)
- Take-off run: 35 m (115 ft)
- Landing run: 60 m (200 ft)
- Range cruising at 75% power: 1,046 km (650 miles)
- Fuel capacity: 92 litres (20 Imp gals)
- Empty weight: 290 kg (639 lb)
- Loaded weight: 640 kg (1,411 lb)
History:
Agrocopetros LTDA was founded in Colombia in 1971 by Maximo Tedesco to design, manufacture and market ready-to-fly light aircraft in South America. It developed a series of autogyros for agricultural spraying, and in 1977 introduced the Scamp, an all-metal biplane, an aerial spraying variant being produced. By 1982 it was producing helicopters under licence from Rotorway in the United States and assembled a number for tourist operations until the Colombian Government in 1986 prohibited tourist operations with helicopters.
In 1980 the Company, also known as AeroAndina SA, started production of Zenair products, one variant being produced as a trainer for the Colombian Air Force. Eventually, following the production liability crisis in the United States, the management of the Company saw an opportunity to build high-quality, low-cost, all-metal light aircraft for the world’s markets and commenced development of five light aircraft designs from 1985. These were the MXP-740 Savannah, MXP-640 Amigo, MXP-650 Amigo-S, MXP-740-F and the MXP-100 Adventura. By December 2003 427 aircraft had been produced and production was continuing.
In 1998 the Company became known as Tecnologias Aeronauticas SA or Aerotec SA. Further development continued and in February 2002 the MXP-800 Fantasy was released, the prototype being shipped to Europe. Other designs included the MXP-850 Tumaco, the MXP-780 Calima, the MXP-150 Kimbaya and the MXP-150 Patriot, the latter for military training. Aerotec SA was then liquidated and became Aerotecnologias Andina SA CI, or AeroAndina SA. Thereafter the MXP-1000 Tayrona was launched to meet US LSA Regulations and it became available in 2005.
This new aircraft was named after a National Park in Colombia and was a development of the MXP-800 Fantasy, this itself being a development of the Zenair CH-701 based MXP-740 and MXP-750 series. It was constructed of aluminium alloy with a steel cage around the cockpit. The wing was braced with V-lift struts assisted by jury struts. The first four aircraft had flaperons but later production aircraft had flaps. Undercarriage was cantilever spring-legs for the mainwheels and a steerable nosewheel with rubber springing. A number of engines could be installed from the Rotax range, including the 912UL, 912ULS and the 914ULS turbo.
First two examples of the series arrived in New Zealand in late 2014, ZK-RTT (c/n AA-11-13-105-003) was an MXP-1050 Tayrona. The second aircraft ZK-RTZ (c/n AA-02-14-15-056) was registered in February 2015 to Pan Tam Holdings Ltd of Manukaua as an MXP-150 Kimbaya.