25 July 2017
+VIDEO The Stratos 714 single-engine jet is on display for the first time at this year’s EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, fresh out of a successful first set of flight tests and brandishing a smart new paintjob and interior.
But the six-seater jet isn’t so much looking for customers as investment. It’s going to take at least $200m and three years to take the 714 through development and certification and into production, according to John Hadlich, prototype project manager. Cirrus Aircraft faced a similar task with its now-certified Vision Jet, and ended up being sold to a Chinese aerospace company to find the funds.
That’s not to say Stratos is turning away potential buyers. It says it isn’t accepting deposits yet but will take “expressions of interest”.
The Stratos 714 first flew in November last year and has since flown 37 times. It’s logged more than 52 flight hours and so far touched 320kt. The target performance figures are impressive: cruise speedof 400kt, range of 1,200nm with six people on board or up to 1,600nm with people exchanged for fuel.
The team behind the Stratos 714 say the jet is “a multi-role VLJ (Very Light jet) designed to support personal, business and air taxi use”.
“We have been very pleased with the results of the initial flight test program,” said Stratos CEO Michael Lemaire. “We were able refine the flight controls, improving the feel, and the pilots who have flown the aircraft have given us great feedback.”
Carsten Sundin, the aircraft’s designer said, “It has been a long road, with extensive designs and tests. The time invested has resulted in a true business jet performance that is within reach of an owner-operator for the first time.
“We have taken a methodical approach in the design and we anticipate only minor design changes will occur in the certification process. Parallel to the design effort, we have built a solid foundation to support certification and production. This includes production-quality tooling, parts traceability, costing systems, and facilities infrastructure.”
