Kestrel Aircraft

K-350
Kestrel K-350 POC
Role	single engine turboprop
Manufacturer	Kestrel Aircraft One Aviation
First flight	29 July 2006
Number built	1 proof-of-concept
Unit cost	USD$3.2 million (projected)

The Kestrel K-350 or Kestrel (previously the Kestrel JP10) is a high-performance single turboprop-engined all-composite six-seat aircraft.

The proof-of-concept (POC) first flew on 29 July 2006. and by April 2010, registered N352F, had logged about 260 hours.

Its layout is low-wing with a conventional tail. The tricycle undercarriage is fully retractable. Its construction uses composites incorporating carbon fiber. The engine that has been powering the POC is a Pratt & Whitney PT6-67A turboprop flat rated to 1,000 hp (746 kW). In 2011 the company selected the Honeywell TPE331-14GR engine as first choice for the aircraft, also flat rated to approximately 1,000 hp (746 kW).

The company, formed in 2002 to build the aircraft, was started by Richard Noble who was responsible for the team that first broke the sound barrier on land. Noble envisioned the aircraft's primary role as being part of the fleet of “air taxis” flying over Europe that provide an alternative to both commercial airlines and chartered corporate jets. Noble named his Farnborough, England based company “Farnborough Aircraft” and the design for the then designated “F1” was detailed.

The name of the company was later changed to Kestrel Aircraft Company and the aircraft’s designation was changed from “F1”, to “JP100”, to “JP10”, and is now the "K-350".

In April 2015 the company was merged with Eclipse Aerospace to form One Aviation.

The carbon-fiber composite construction is claimed to allow a lower drag shape than does all-metal construction. The wing is also of carbon-fiber construction and features a high lift laminar flow design worked out mostly by aerodynamicist Dr. Gordon Robinson.

The cabin features a club-seating arrangement, a toilet (or a possible seventh seat), and a baggage compartment in the pressurized area. In the cockpit, side window pillars are eliminated for a more unobstructed view for the pilot.

Farnborough Aircraft formed a business alliance with Epic Aircraft to develop both companies' aircraft and as a result the POC aircraft appears similar to the Epic LT. The wing is reportedly the same, while the Kestrel’s fuselage is 20 inches longer than the Epic’s. The fuselage is also slightly wider and has a 27% greater interior volume. The window and door arrangement on the left side of the aircraft is noticeably different.