FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 1390.PDF
Very light jets pilot who wants to move up to a jet from pistons and turboprops," Walker says. "The air taxi market is the icing on the cake." Government is another target for the Adamjet. "We are promoting the aircraft to the US government as a replacement for aircraft of equivalent size and capability," he says. For all markets, Walker predicts combined sales of about 50 aircraft a year. To date, the prototype Adamjet has flown over 150 flight hours, with certifica tion set for early 2005. The $2 million air craft will be certificated to 41,000ft (12,500m) and an instrument flight rules (IFR) range of 2,000km (l,100nm), with four passengers. Cruise speed will be 340kt (630km/h) at 38,000ft. Aerostar retrofit Another very light jet heavily oriented to the owner-pilot is Aerostar Aircraft's Aerostar FJ90. Jim Christy, vice-president of the Hayden Lake, Idaho-based com pany, says the FJ90 will be a twinjet retrofit of some of the airframes, originally built as six-seat pressurised piston twins by Ted Smith (Piper) Aerostar between 1969 and 1976. Piper Aircraft - which acquired the programme from Smith - continued pro duction between 1976 and 1984. The two companies together built a total of 591 units. Aerostar Aircraft supports, and has held the production rights to the aircraft since 1991. Christy says the FJ90 will retain the six- Garmin's G1000 flightdesk i popular in the very light jet market Cessna's Citation Mustang is at the higher end of the very light jet price scale seat interior, but an optional eight-seat FJ90XL version would be made available through the insertion of a fuselage plug forward of the wing. Christy says Aerostar plans to certificate the FJ90 for single-pilot operation, with a choice of the FJ33 - with 1,2001b of thrust - or the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW615, which is rated at 1,3501b. The FJ90 will be certificated to 28,000ft and offer an IFR range of 1,850km at a cruise speed of 319kt, with a pilot plus three passengers. At maximum payload, the aircraft will have a 1,300km range. The first flight of the FJ90 with one of the two engine types is set for early 2005, with certification expected during 2006. Aerostar is considering one of two avionics suites - the Honeywell Apex, now in devel opment, or the recently certificated Garmin G1000. "Initially, we are offering the pro gramme as an upgrade to existing Aerostar airframes, for about $1 million," says Christy. "About 99% of the 450 pressurised Aerostars in service are owner-flown and relatively low time, with a 2,000h average. I see a market for about 100 a year." If funding becomes available, a new-pro duction aircraft, the Aerostar FJ100, would offer eight seats as a standard interior and would continue to use the Aerostar's alu minum airframe. If built, the FJ100 model would be priced at under $2 million, be certificated for a single pilot and use the same engine types as the FJ90, albeit with a higher-thrust FJ33, producing 1,3501b. It would have a 415kt cruise speed and a 2,600km IFR range - including reserves - with a pilot, plus four passengers. With all eight seats occupied, the range would be 1,670km. The certificated ceiling is pro jected at 41,000ft. At the 2002 NBAA convention in Orlando, Cessna announced its entry into the very light jet sweepstakes with the Citation Mustang. The six-seat metal and composite aircraft will be powered by two l,3501b-thrust PW615F engines. Cessna has also selected Garmin's G1000 as the avionics suite. A single-pilot aircraft, it will have a ceiling of 41,000ft and a 2,400km range carrying a 270kg payload. Typical cruise speed will be 340kt at 35,000ft. Bridge building "The Citation Mustang is a bridge between single-engine pistons and [current produc tion] jets," says Russ Meyer III, the aircraft's programme manager in Wichita. "This will allow us to offer a product to a segment of the market we have not tapped before." Meyer says that, at $2.4 million, the Citation Mustang will be less expensive than the CJ1, Cessna's current entry-level, $4.2 million jet. Although its pricing appears to be high-end for very light jets, Meyer says the reputation of the builder will make the aircraft more than competi tive, and he says the orderbook stands at 200 units. The first Citation Mustang flight is set for the second quarter of 2005, with certification by the third quarter of 2006. Taking the owner-operated very light jet concept a step further is Englewood, Colorado-based Aviation Technology Group with its proposed Javelin. The aircraft's alu minum airframe and tandem two-seat cock pit give it the look of a fighter. "We are tightly focused on the pilot who is more interested in speed, but at a reason able operating cost," says George Bye, the company's president. "For the Javelin, we are projecting a direct operating cost of about $411 per hour, or about e77 per mile." The Javelin was rolled out as a full-scale mock-up in July 2000 and introduced as a "very high performance aircraft for the business/pilot owner". The aircraft's twin FJ33 engines will deliver a 530kt cruise speed and a certificated ceiling of 45,000ft, with a range of 2,300km. The avionics www.flightinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 20-26 JULY 2004 63
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
