The Gavilán 358 (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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Sparrow Hawk Sparrowhawk (sometimes sparrow hawk) may refer to several species of small hawk in the genus ''Accipiter''. "Sparrow-hawk" or sparhawk originally referred to '' Accipiter nisus'', now called "Eurasian" or "northern" sparrowhawk to distinguish it ...

'') is a Colombian light utility transport aircraft of the 1990s. A high-winged

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

piston engine A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is typically a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common featu ...

, small numbers of Gaviláns were produced in the late 1990s/early 2000s, some serving with the

Colombian Air Force , "We are the Force" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Colombian Air Force Hymn , mascot = Capitan Paz , anniversaries = 8 November , ...

Development and design

In 1952, Aero Mercantil of Bogota, Colombia, became a dealer for

Piper Aircraft Piper Aircraft, Inc. is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft, located at the Vero Beach Regional Airport in Vero Beach, Florida, United States and owned since 2009 by the Government of Brunei. Throughout much of the mid-to-late 20th centur ...

, later selling a range of Piper aircraft assembled from kits by

Aero Industrial Colombiana SA Aero is a Greek prefix relating to flight and air. In British English, it is used as an adjective related to flight (e.g., as a shortened substitute for aeroplane). Aero, Ærø, or Aeros may refer to: Aeronautics Airlines and companies * Aero (P ...

(AICSA), also in Bogota. In 1986, it started development of a single-engined utility aircraft, suitable for production in Colombia.Taylor 1988, p.46.Wiley ''Flight International'' 4–10 March 1992, pp. 44–45.Homewood ''Flight International'' 6–12 March 1996. pp. 32–33. The resultant design, the Gavilán, is a simple high-winged

of all-metal construction. It has a boxlike, square-section fuselage that accommodates a pilot and up to seven passengers, with access through two doors on either side of the cockpit and a large cargo door on the left side of the fuselage. The passenger seats can be removed to allow carriage of cargo, including a full-sized coffin. It is fitted with a fixed

tricycle undercarriage Tricycle gear is a type of aircraft undercarriage, or ''landing gear'', arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has a single nose wheel in the front, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity. Tricycle ge ...

designed to withstand continued operations from rough South American airstrips. It is powered by a 350 hp (261 kW) Lycoming TIO-540-W2A engine,

turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...

to give sufficient power at Colombia's high altitudes.Wiley ''Flight International'' 4–10 March 1992, p.45. The first prototype Gavilán made its first flight on 27 April 1990, testing resulting in lengthening of the forward fuselage and modifications to the wing.Lambert 1993, p.62 It was badly damaged in a crash landing due to engine failure in 1992, however, delaying certification and production, with the second prototype not flying until 29 May 1996. The Gavilán received its

type certificate A type certificate signifies the airworthiness of a particular category of aircraft, according to its manufacturing design (''type design''). It confirms that the aircraft of a new type intended for serial production, is in compliance with applica ...

under US

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regulations in May 1998.US Certification for Gavilan 358
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Flight International ''Flight International'' is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", it is the world's oldes ...

'', 1–7 June 1992. p.28. In 2012,

Cub Crafters Cub Crafters, Inc. (often styled CubCrafters) is an aircraft manufacturer based in Yakima, Washington. Founded in 1980, by Jim Richmond, to build parts and supplementary type certificate (STC) modifications for the Piper PA-18 Super Cub, its ...

bought from John Bryerton of GATS the Prototype.

Operational history

Deliveries to customers started in 1998, with the first of twelve Gaviláns ordered by the

Colombian Air Force , "We are the Force" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Colombian Air Force Hymn , mascot = Capitan Paz , anniversaries = 8 November , ...

being delivered on 25 June that year. El Gavilan SA, of Colombia, was pushing to sell 32 Gavilan 358's to the South African Air Force in April 1998. El Gavilán (as Aero Mercantil was renamed in 1992) had received orders for 19 aircraft by November 1999, but it is unclear whether all of these were built, with ''

Flightglobal FlightGlobal is an online news and information website which covers the aviation and aerospace industries. The website was established in February 2006 as the website of ''Flight International'' magazine, ''Airline Business'', ''ACAS'', ''Air ...

'' estimating in 2008 that only about twelve Gaviláns had been completed. At least four of the Colombian Air Force's Gaviláns were still in use in 2004. The Gavilán was retired in the Colombian Air Force in 2007."Gavilán 358"
''FUERZA AEREA COLOMBIANA''. Retrieved 16 December 2016.

Variants

* G358 – standard version ** G358M – Military version with weapons mountable in the rear doors in the gunship configuration. * G508T – Turboprop-powered version with 500 hp turboprop, under development. ** G508M – Military version of the turboprop version

Operators

* :*

Colombian Air Force , "We are the Force" , colours = , colours_label = , march = Colombian Air Force Hymn , mascot = Capitan Paz , anniversaries = 8 November , ...

Colombian Navy ) , colors= , march= ''"Viva Colombia, soy marinero"'' , mascot= , battles= Battle of Lake MaracaiboThousand Days War (Civil war) Colombia-Peru War World War II Korean War Colombian Armed Conflict Operation Atalanta , notable_commanders=José Prud ...

Colombian National Police The National Police of Colombia (Spanish: ''Policía Nacional de Colombia'') is the national police force of the Republic of Colombia. Although the National Police is not part of the Military Forces of Colombia (Army, Navy, and Air Force), it c ...

Specifications

Notes

References

* Homewood, Brian.
Coming around again
. ''

'', 6–12 March 1996. pp. 32–33. * Lambert, Mark (ed.). ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1993–94''. Coulsdon, UK: Jane's Data Division, 1993. . *Taylor, John W.R. ''Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1988–89''. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Information Group, 1988. . * Taylor, Michael J.H. (ed.). ''Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory 1999/2000''. London:Brassey's, 1999. . * Wiley, John.
Colombia's Worker Tested
. ''

'', 4–10 March 1992. pp. 44–47.
World Air Forces 2004
. ''

'' 16–22 November 2004, pp. 41–100.