Flight Design C4

C4
The C4 in flight
Role	Light aircraft
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Flight Design
First flight	9 April 2015
Introduction	2011
Status	Under development
Unit cost	220,000 Euros/US$250,000 (goal)
Developed from	Flight Design CTSW

The Flight Design C4 is a German four seat, high-wing, single engine light aircraft under development by Flight Design of Leinfelden-Echterdingen.

In February 2011 the company announced that it was developing a four-seat design. The C4 was introduced at the AERO Friedrichshafen 2011 show. The company finalized the design features through an on-line survey to determine the features and performance that potential customers were looking for in a new aircraft. A full-sized exterior mock-up was also displayed at AirVenture 2011.

The aircraft first flew on 9 April 2015.

The company applied to start certification for the C4 under European Aviation Safety Agency rules in early 2011 and intends to gain US Federal Aviation Administration FAA certification through EASA certification reciprocity and was initially forecasting FAA approval in early 2013, although this was later delayed. First deliveries were initially forecast for 2013, at a price of 220,000 Euros or US$250,000. Company CEO Matthias Betsch indicated that the key to the aircraft's success will be the price of US$250,000, saying: "We'll do everything to make that number. That's the magic number."

In writing about the aircraft's price goal, AVweb's Paul Bertorelli wrote: "here comes Flight Designs with a certified, four-place cruiser it proposes to sell for around $250,000. Why does it think it can do this with Diamond's DA40—a comparable proven and competent airplane—sells for around $350,000? One reason is that it builds airplanes in the Ukraine, where labor rates are lower. But another may be that it hasn't certified a four-place airplane in the current market and is doing what most airplane companies do: underestimating the cost of bringing a new airplane into production. I wish them the best, but I'd rather see a realistic price that builds in the most important thing any new airplane should have: Good value for the customer and profitability for the company building the airplane. It's never in the customer's interest to have the company losing money on every sale."