Jetcruzer to Make Public Debut Here

The new Jetcruzer 500-a six-seat, single-engine turboprop aircraft-is scheduled to make its public debut Monday at 10 a.m. at Booth 6428. James Lovell, Jr.-the former astronaut and a director of Advanced Aerodynamics & Structures Inc. (AASI), the airplane's manufacturer-will participate in the ceremonies.

A second Jetcruzer is on static display at McCarran, and a fuselage mockup with an interior by Designworks/USA, a BMW subsidiary, is on exhibit on the convention center floor.

AASI is in the process of moving into a new, 200,000-square-foot facility at Long Beach Airport, where construction of the first customer aircraft is scheduled to begin in early 1999. The facility is designed to produce up to 120 Jetcruzers per year. First delivery is anticipated by the end of 1999.

As of August, the company held 150 orders for the $1.395 million aircraft, a backlog worth $180 million and representing almost two years of production.

With a cruise speed of 315 kt, the Jetcruzer 500 is the fastest corporate propjet, with the lowest operating costs of any aircraft in its class, according to AASI. Graphite composite materials are used in the fuselage, while the wings are metal.

Powered by a single, 850-shp Pratt & Whitney PT6A-66A, the aircraft has a range of 1,400 nmi, a useful load of 2,300 pounds, and a service ceiling of 30,000 feet. The Jetcruzer utilizes a five-blade, 7.1-foot-diameter Hartzell prop and Bendix Silver Crown avionics.

AASI executive VP Gene Comfort said that 60% of the people who have placed nonrefundable deposits for the Jetcruzer are corporate owner-pilots. He said that 60% of Jetcruzer sales have been to U.S. customers.

The company is planning a future launch of a follow-on twinjet called the Stratocruzer 1250. Powered by two Williams FJ44-2 turbofans, the $3.5 million Stratocruzer is projected to have a range of 3,700 nm.