Photograph:
Australias first Skywave B-OAHN / 19-8889 at the Australian International Air Show at Avalon, VIC in February 2019 (P J Ricketts)
Country of origin:
China
Description:
Two-seat amphibious light sport aircraft
Power Plant:
One 75 kw (100 hp) Rotax iS four-cylinder, four-stroke, liquid-and-air cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 10.4 m (34 ft 2 in)
- Length: 6.8 m (22 ft 3 in)
- Height: 2.2 m (7 ft 3 in)
- Max speed: 205 km/h (127 mph)
- Fuel capacity: 100 litres (22 Imp gals)
- Range: 600 km (373 miles)
- Service ceiling: 3,500 m (11,483 ft)
- Take-off distance on land: 200 m (656 ft)
- Landing distance on land: 150 m
- Landing distance on water: 200 m (656 ft)
- Empty weight: 350 kg (772 lb)
- Useful load: 180 kg (397 lb)
- Baggage weight: 30 kg (66 lb)
- Loaded weight: 650 kg (1,433 lb)
History:
The M-2 Skywave was one of a new series of carbon fibre two-seat light sport aircraft introduced to the market in the 21st Century and was similar in appearance to the Icon M-5 from the United States and the Vickers Wave produced at New Plymouth in New Zealand.
Construction was of 90-percent carbon fibre. Chief designer, President and CEO worked on the aircraft for nine years and Chinese production certification was received from the Civil Aviation Administration of China. Some test flying was made from the company’s 600 m (1,968 ft ) grass runway and from Dishui Lake on 4 July 2018. Oxai Aircraft is based in Lingang in the Pudong New Area and by late 2018 the company had received 75 orders and was expecting US LSA certification in early 2019.
It was powered by a Rotax 912iS engine but could also be fitted with the Rotax 915 turbo engine. It was built at the company’s facility at its own airport near Shanghai. It was first displayed at the Zhuhai 2016 event in China in September 2016; at the Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition in April 2018, and at the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. An example was flown from Shanghai to Oshkosh, Wisconsin in the United States via Dubai taking some six weeks with fourteen stops. In some references it has become known as the Shanghai Oxai Aircraft Company.
The first example of the type seen in Australia was demonstrated at the Australian International Air Show at Avalon, Vic in March 2019, this aircraft being fitted with a Garmin G3X screen with a G5 backup. This aircraft registered B-OAHN had the RAA registration 19-8889 applied during the air show but it was later removed. No further examples are known to have been imported.