Beijing, Aug 6 (IANS) China has started test flights of its first homemade amphibious plane dubbed Seagull 300, a media report said Friday.
The plane is built by the Shijiazhuang Aircraft Industry Co Ltd in China’s northern Hebei province, China Daily reported on its website. It left the assembly line Aug 4.
The aircraft can also take off and land on water.
‘The Seagull 300 is the first amphibious plane of China that has independent intellectual property rights,’ said Xiong Xianpeng, in charge of the plane’s design.
The four-to-six-seater aircraft costs about four million yuan ($600,000).
‘We already have more than 50 orders of intent,’ said Xia Zhongmin, vice president of the aircraft company.
‘A Hangzhou-based company has been in touch with us since we started our research and development, and they are expected to confirm their order once the trial flight succeeds,’ Xia added.
The plane is expected to start its official flight later this month and will take part in an air show in November in China’s southern Guangdong province.
