Stratos Aircraft (booth 3905) is looking at outfitting its 714 personal very light jet with a fifth seat and a Pratt & Whitney Canada PW500 engine rather than the Williams International FJ44.
Company literature has shown the 714 as a four-seat jet powered by one FADEC-equipped FJ44-3AP. The aircraft has also been designed around the FJ44, but yesterday the manufacturer revealed it is considering two variants of the PW500.
"We're talking to Pratt & Whitney Canada as well because they have two solutions that can meet the requirement," said new Stratos chief executive Alexander Craig.
Evaluating two engine manufacturers rather than one gives Stratos more "economic leverage", he said.
Stratos chief aerodynamicist Gordon Robinson said Williams was in "pole position" to supply the engine, but "P&WC has shown some keenness to also be on the program" and "further conversations with Pratt & Whitney have changed our perception slightly". He added that the PW500 is closer to the FJ44 in performance than initially thought and selecting the PW500 would only require some slight modifications to the 714's design.
Robinson said Stratos has also shortlisted four to five glass cockpit avionics suppliers. There is no reluctance from potential suppliers to partner Stratos despite the failures of several other VLJ start-ups over the past year or two, he said, adding: "Everyone seems to have dusted themselves off and picked themselves up".
As for the potential fifth seat, Craig said this could include a third seat in the back or a jump-seat behind the right front seat. If Stratos decides to go with a three-seat option for the back it could be offered as a single bench or three bucket seats.
Bend, Oregon-based Stratos "is looking at other options and alternatives" for manufacturing including New Mexico, New York and Michigan.
Designed to cruise at 400kt (740km/h) for 1,500nm (2,780km), Craig claimed that the $2 million 714 will fly faster and further than any other single-engined jet as well as twin-engined jets in the same category. He said the 714 will also have lower operating costs than similarly sized turboprops.
Source: Flight Daily News
