PRESS RELEASE

The certification tests of the Be-103 amphibious aircraft have been completed successfully at BERIEV Aircraft Company. Guennady S. Panatov - General Designer and Director General of BERIEV Aircraft Company was presented with Type Certificate of normal category for this aircraft on December 26, 2001.

Much work was done during certification in association between designers of the new amphibian and experts of scientific and certification centres of aviation industry and civil aviation.

Test-pilots who performed certification tests of the Be-103 amphibious aircraft were Guennady G. Kalioujnyi, Vladimir L. Fortushnov, Konstantin V. Babitch - all from BERIEV Aircraft Company together with test-pilot of Yuri M. Kabanov - test pilot of State Research-Scientific Institute of Civil Aviation. 263 flights were performed during certification tests, 59 of them - from water. Flying time was 161 hours.

The Be-103 amphibious aircraft turned now from prototype to competitive product. The aircraft is intended for 5-6 passengers or cargo transportation. The aircraft may be accomplished also in other modification - as patrol or fire-fighting.

The Be-103 prototype has been developed by BERIEV Aircraft Company and its series manufacture has been organized at Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Production Association. The first flight of the aircraft was performed on July 15, 1997 in Taganrog and the first flight from water - on 24th April 1998. Five flying aircraft and two airframes for static and fatigue tests (these tests are conducted in Taganrog) are manufactured yet.

Actuality and popularity of the Be-103 amphibian as well as its competitiveness for the market is confirmed by the interest of foreign aviation companies at international exhibitions. The aircraft participated in the International Trade Exhibition for General Aviation AERO-99 and AERO-01 in Friedrichshafen, Germany, MAKS-2001 (Zhukovsky) and International Exhibition on Hydroaviation "Gelendzhik 96", "Gelendzhik 98", "Gidroaviasalon-2000" in Gelendzhik, Russia.