Let L 610

Design and development

In the late 1970s, after the success of the LET L-410 twin engine turboprop, the Soviet airline Aeroflot requested that LET design a replacement for the Antonov An-24 aircraft.

LET's L-610 was designed as a twin engined turboprop aircraft powered by the new Czech engine, Walter M602, with a seating capacity of 40. Flight testing was delayed by engine development taking longer than airframe development. Eventually the 1,358 kW (1,822 shp) turboprop engines were finished and the aircraft first flew on 28 December 1988. No aircraft was ever delivered to any commercial customer, although one aircraft was shown in Aeroflot markings during the Paris Air Show in the 1990s. One Let 610 M was delivered to the Czech Air Force, to support manufacturer's certification and test flights process.

After the Soviet collapse LET tried to westernize the plane in order to widen the aircraft's sales appeal. The result was a new model, known as the L-610G, which had General Electric CT7 engines, Rockwell Collins Pro Line II digital EFIS, weather radar and autopilot. The L-610G prototype flew its maiden flight on 18 December 1992; four years after the L-610M.

During the time that the now-defunct Ayres Corp. owned LET, the aircraft was also known as the Ayres L-610, and for a time was marketed as the Ayres 7000. The customer for the Ayres 7000 was to have been City Connexion Airlines before bankruptcy problems sidelined the program.

Variants

L-610M

Basic variant with Walter M602 engines.

L-610G / Ayres 7000

Variant with General Electric XT7-9D engines.

L-610 MPA

Proposed Anti-submarine warfare variant.

Specifications (L-610)

Data from Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory

General characteristics

Crew: 2 (pilot, co-pilot)

Capacity: 40 passengers

Length: 21.72 m (72 ft 3 in)

Wingspan: 25.60 m (84 ft)

Height: 8.19 m (27 ft 10 in)

Wing area: 56 m² (603 ft²)

Empty weight: 8,950 kg (19,730 lb)

Max. takeoff weight: 14,500 kg (32,000 lb)

Powerplant: 2 × General Electric CT7-9D turboprop engines, 1,305 kW (1,750 hp) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 490 km/h (265 knots, 305 mph)

Cruise speed: 438 km/h (236 knots, 272 mph)

Range: 2,420 km (1,305 nm, 1,503 mi)

Service ceiling: 10,250 m (33,700 ft)

Rate of climb: 8.5 m/s (1,673 ft/min)

List of prototype aircraft

L-610M:

X01 OK-130, first flight 28 December 1988 Frant. Srnec, Stanislav Sklenář

from 3 June 1989 OK-TZB, OLZ nu. 4307, Paris Airshow 293from June 1989 again OK-130last flight OK-130 26 May 1993 15:12 UTC at LKKU Kunovice with crew Stanislav Sklenář, Ing.Jiří Nečas

X02 prototype for structural tests

X03 OK-132, first flight 8 September 1989 Stanislav Sklenář, Ing.Miroslav Srnec

last flight at LKKU Kunovice OK-UZB 23 October 1997 Stanislav Sklenář, Miloslav Tošovský 08:15 UTC

X04 prototype for tests

X05 OK-134, first flight 8 March 1990 Ing.Miroslav Srnec, Miloslav Tošovský

from August 1992 OK-VZC Air Show Moskvafrom June 1993 with examination number 0005 for Kbely – army testlast flight 0005 LKKB Kbely – LKKU Kunovice with army number 4202, Old. Pelčák, Mikšík

910101 OK-136 first flight Ing.Vladimír Vlk, Stanislav Sklenář

Collins navigation, skleněná (glass in the Czech language)from 11 June 1991 OK-WZAlast flight 28 June 1991 OK-136 LKKU Kunovice – LKKB Kbely – LKKU Kunovice landing at 13:04 UTC with Jaromír Novák, Ing.Miroslav Srnec

L-610G:

920102 OK-136, first flight 18 December 1992 Ing.Vladimír Vlk, Ing.Miroslav Srnec

from 8 June 1993 OK-XZAlast landing OK-XZA at LKKU Kunovice at 18 December 1997 with Stanislav Sklenář, Miloslav Tošovský

970301 OK-CZD, first flight 13 May 1997 Stanislav Sklenář, Jaromír Novák

last flight 24 June 2000 Miami-Tamiami (KTMB) – Albany (KABY)