The 80th anniversary of Aero Vodochody was marked by the official unveiling of the first test unit of the Ae270 aircraft. The ceremony took place at Aero Vodochody's manufacturing facilities in northern Prague on December 10 and was attended by journalists, public officials and employees. \rThe Ae270 is a low-wing, single engine turboprop aircraft intended for medium range transport and general utility purposes. It will be produced and marketed by Ibis Aerospace, a collaboration established in 1997 between Aero Vodochody and Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) of Taiwan. \rThe aircraft is designed to meet FAR part 23 normal category and is eligible for FAR part 135 IFR operations. It has a useful load of 3,300 lbs and can accommodate ten passengers.\r"The Ae270 will undoubtedly become a contender worldwide for the executive and medium-range passenger transport aircraft market," claimed Milos Valis, Ibis general manager. "But the other versions for the military, health care industry, topographical mapping etc also promise to attract attention. The fact that the aircraft will be offered in such a variety of modifications enables a wide range of uses which will surely satisfy a number of clients," he added.\rAlso announced at the rollout was the appointment of Petr Hora as pres-ident of Aero Vodochody, replacing Scott White. Hora, who became chairman of the board of directors last month, has experience in engin-eering, research and development in the aerospace industry and has held managerial positions in Germany, the US and the Czech Republic. White will continue to hold his position as president of Boeing Ceska, the consortium which holds a 35 per cent stake in Aero Vodochody.