Pressurized all-metal high-wing commuter for 19 passenger with cruise speed above 500 km/hour. Wide-body fuselage with 1+2 seat abreast. Project in official LET and state goverment schedule. Started under USSR interest, after communist bankruptcy adapted according to world market.

The L510 is a commuter aircraft project from 1992, determined for local transport. The wide body pressurised fuselage provides enough of comfort for 19 passengers in its basic version. The L510 is supposed to meet FAR 23 requirements.

The aircraft is intended to be the direct successor of thousands of old L410 and other commuters designed for short lines, well known all over the world like Twin Otter, Bandeirante or Dornier 228, which are before finish of its life and in the same time, it can be the right competitor of faster planes like Beech 1900 or Fairchild (Swearingen) Metro with small cabin cross section and need of longer landing stripes.

The basic advantages in comparison with the older short liners:

• More efficient aerodynamic design. brings essentially better performances and maintenance economy
• Pressurised and more comfortable passenger cabin
• Modern cockpit and interior design
• Lower noise level

Opposite to faster Beech and Swearingen planes the L510 keeps all advantages of its popular predecessor:

• Relatively short take-off and landing distances
• Low runway quality requirements
• Pleasant flight properties
• Service reliability and resistance

The maximum payload range allows L510 to operate all lines on which commuters are usually used.

The capability to perform several shorter stages without fuelling simultaneously saves the time and reduces the maintenance requirements.

In case of maximum range it allows to be used as an exceptionally spacious and economical business turboprop.

ADVANCED INSTRUMENT PANEL enables lower tiredness of the crew, higher safety of operation and save maintenance time. At the same time, average passengers like flying in the modern classic aircraft, not in the historical rarity.

BASIC DATA

• Wing span 16.744 m
• Length 15.6 m
• Hight 6.0 m
• Wing area 24.38 m2
• Cabin length 6.6 m
• Floor width 1.64 m
• Cabin hight 1.85 m

WEIGHTS

• Empty weight 4330 kg
• Max. take-off weight 7228 kg
• Max. payload 1900 kg

PERFORMANCES

• Max. cruise speed 526 km/h
• Balanced take-off length 900 m
• Landing distance 1000 m
• Max. payload range 800 km
• Max. range 2000 km

POWER UNIT Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65B (820 kW).

WIDE BODY FUSELAGE DESIGN enables to this aircraft the best offer of comfort in its category. The pressurization system is automatically controlled to provide maximum comfort during flight, but in the same time, L-510 offers to passengers more space then L-410, which has the roomiest passenger cabin of all. Enough of comfort seems to be the main requirement set to the passenger cabin at present. To ensure it, three abreast seat configuration has been chosen. Comfortable seats with head and arm rests as well as individual air controls and reading lights provide the feeling of home to all passengers. The main baggage compartment holds 3,2 to 5,4 m3 depending on chosen cabin arrangement. In addition, the large overhead bins, under-seat storage and wardrobe feature the cabin. The cabin has a roomy lavatory. All cabin arrangement is designed as a quick-change modular system, offering maximum adaptability to diverse market needs.

As far as the fuselage cross section is concerned, the resultant shape consist of circular upper part above the floor level and modified bottom part which is slightly flattened. Such a shape allows to magnify cabin floor width and, at the same time, to reduce the need of big undercarriage fairing, normally used for high-wing concepts.

HISTORY of L-510 development

Development of L 510 aircraft was beginning before 89 - after soviet request for change of hundreds our airplanes L 410 and Antonov An-28 in the near future.

After own market research the main focus of this project was changed, because Russian market went to the hell and our L-410 are still filling the gap in the market, so by our meaning, it needs to be improved, not changed.

From this reason the final 510 is faster and enables to take off from short runways, but longer, then Russian.

The wide body fuselage, large passenger compartment, great baggage compartment and ideal aerodynamically designed shape of fuselage and undercarriage fairing can make top offer for customers. With L 410 like a cheap "off road", L-510 can make closed line of products.

Little more complicated manufacturing of more aerodynamic shaped fuselage and landing gear nacelle should have compensation in lower Czech working hour cost. With help of lower develop cost we can offer the perfect airplane in price of worse and old competitive airplanes so we can fight place on the world market.

Although during last ten years 19-seat commuters market has still the same number of sold planes, main aircraft producers are focused on higher-class airplanes from the higher profit reason. So L-510 has possibility to be successful.

© Ing. Jaroslav Dostál, Head of preliminary Design LET 1999