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Aviation History
2003
2003 - 2133.PDF
Adam's A700 light jet (foreground) - derived from the A500 piston-twin will be first to market m ••• \p^M —•m high-performance piston singles and twins and older turboprops and light jets in ser vice. There is also a widespread belief that the availability of aircraft costing less than today's business jets will lead to growth in the air-taxi market. While deposits and orders - over 2,000 at Eclipse, 700 at Satire and 300 at Cessna - suggest the forecasts may not be over-optimistic, too many manufacturers may be chasing the market. As well as Adam, Avocet, Cessna, Dia mond, Eclipse and Satire, there are others - serious and speculative - waiting in the wings. Cirrus Design, which recently became the first GA start-up to deliver 1,000 aircraft - has a single-engined jet on the drawing board, but says development is at least two years away. New Piper Aircraft, which completed a recapitalisation in July, is studying a twin-engined light jet, but also says any launch is at least two years hence. Mooney Aircraft, rescued from bank ruptcy earlier this year, harbours light-jet ambitions, but has abandoned plans to acquire the rights to Century Aerospace's CA-100, which was unveiled in 1998 as a $2.6 million, FJ33-powered twinjet - although later foundered for lack of fund ing. Aerostar Aircraft has abandoned plans for the FJ-100 derivative of the Piper Aerostar piston twin, having failed to raise the $50 million needed to certificate the $2.1 million, FJ33-powered twinjet. The company is looking for ways to fund internally a cheaper jet derivative of the Aerostar. Other projects There are other projects on the fringes of the entry-level market. Englewood, Colorado-based Aviation Technology Group (ATG) is trying to raise $130 million to certificate the $2.2 million Javelin, a two-seat twinjet modelled on a modern fighter. Melbourne, Florida-based Maverick Jets has simply avoided the cost of certifi cation and is marketing its FJ33-powered Leader twinjet as a kitplane. Japanese car manufacturer Honda, if it decides to enter the light-jet market, is potentially a more serious competitor, al though the US-designed Hondajet would be at the top end of the entry-level market. A prototype is scheduled to fly in Greens boro, North Carolina, by the end of this year, powered by Honda-developed HF-118 turbofans, With a maximum take-off weight of 4,175kg (9,2001b), the Hondajet is larger than Cessna's Mustang, but smaller than the Citation CJ1. The aircraft has a composite fuselage and metal wing, natural laminar flow forward-fuselage and wing, and overwing-mounted engines. Certification Price Airframe Engine(s) Avionics Cabin height Cabin width Max TO weight Max cruise Max range Adam A700 late 2004 $2m composite 2 x 1,2001b FJ33 Avidyne Entegra 1.31m 1.37m 3,175kg 340kt 2,590km Avocet Projet late 2006 c$2m metal 1 xd,300lbTBD TBD 1.45m 1.48m 3,250kg 365kt 2,220km Cessna Citation Mustang mid-2006 $2.6m metal 2 x 1,3501b PW615 Garmin G1000 1.37m 1.4m c3,630kg 340kt 2,400km Diamond D-Jet early 2006 <$1m composite 1 x 1,4001b FJ33-4 TBD 1.42m 1.42m 2,155kg 315kt 2,440km Eclipse 500 early 2006 $1.2m metal 2 x 900lb PW610 Avidyne/BAE 1.27m 1.42m 2,560kg 375kt 2,580km Satire Jet end 2005 $1.4m metal 2 x 1,1001b FJ33-4 Avidyne Entegra 1.4m 1.44m 2,835kg 380kt 2,405km www.flightinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 30 SEPTEMBER - 6 OCTOBER 2003 39
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