Kate Sarsfield/LONDON
Maverick Air is developing a six-seat twin-engined business aircraft called the Twinjet 1200, which will be available in kit and factory-built versions.
Robert Bornhofen, president and owner of the Pueblo, Colorado-based manufacturer, is building the Twinjet 1200 with assistance from engineering company Airboss Aerospace of Stockton, California. The project is being funded by Bornhofen and private US investors. "We hope to set up a European joint venture, and have been holding discussions with two interested parties," says Bornhofen.
The $125,000 composite Twinjet 1200 kitplane will initially be powered by derated, reconditioned General Electric CT58 turbines, allowing 330kt (610km/h) at 15,000ft (4,600m).
The first proof-of-concept aircraft is scheduled to have its maiden flight by the end of February, with first customer deliveries planned for June. Maverick has received ten "commitments" for the kitplane and is expecting orders following its debut at the Experimental Aircraft Association convention at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in July. "We hope to enter full production by the end of June, building around ten aircraft a year. We will have the capacity to produce between four and five aircraft a month in the second year of production," adds Bornhofen.
The factory-built Twinjet 1200 is expected to enter service around 2001. The $600,000 aircraft will be identical to the kit variant "-but the primary airframe structure could be metal instead of composite". Maverick is considering an engine change, with the Williams FJX jet engine - which is being developed for NASA's general-aviation-propulsion programme - the front runner.
"We hope to coincide certification with the availability of the appropriate engine," says Bornhofen. Maverick is holding negotiations with an undisclosed manufacturer which will be responsible for the certification and production of the Twinjet 1200.
Source: Flight International
