TYPE: Four-seat lightplane.

PROGRAMME: Outcome of four-year study sponsored by Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Motor Sales (US arms of Japanese motorcar manufacturer), with objective of entering US lightplane market. TAA-1 (Toyota Advanced Aircraft) POC prototype (N72TA) made maiden flight at Mojave Airport, California, on 31 May 2002, flown by Scaled Composites' test pilot Jon Karkow. No plans to produce TAA-1 in quantity; Toyota spokesperson quoted in 2002 as saying that prototype has no connection with "the new aircraft Toyota is considering now", which would have both fixed- and retractable-gear versions and advanced avionics.

COSTS: Reported investment of some US$50 million for conception, design and prototype manufacture; unit cost objective of US$150,000 (2002).

DESIGN FEATURES: Conventional lightplane configuration with low-mounted, tapered wings and sweptback vertical tail; hardtop cabin.
Toyota proprietary laminar flow wing section.

STRUCTURE: Mainly composites; fuselage is one-piece, co-cured (single-moulded) shell of carbon fibre and resin. Prototype built by Scaled Composites.

LANDING GEAR: Non-retractable tricycle type.

POWER PLANT: One 149 kW (200 hp) Textron Lycoming IO-360 flat-four engine; two-blade propeller.