July 16, 2008 (Bend, OR) Today, Stratos Aircraft announced its intention to build an aircraft unlike any currently available or announced to the market. The new design, dubbed the Stratos 714, will fill a void in the light jet market by transporting four people and their baggage 1,500 nautical miles at a speed of 400 knots. No other aircraft, certified or announced, can claim to achieve the speed, range and utility that make the Stratos 714 a practical, owner-flown Very Light Personal Jet (VLPJ).
The Bend, Oregon-based company is located in the heart of composite aircraft design, innovation and manufacturing country. Immediately surrounded by three successful composite aircraft manufacturers and a host of suppliers and vendors, there is no shortage of the expertise required to design, manufacture, market and support the carbon fiber, pressurized, single turbofan Stratos 714.
Experienced aerospace engineer Carsten Sundin and serial entrepreneur Michael Lamaire founded Stratos with a singular focus on creating an aircraft that fills a void in the light jet market. The Stratos 714 will appeal to piston aircraft owners/pilots who demand greater speed, range, and weather capabilities than are currently available in a high-performance piston aircraft. Additionally, the Stratos 714 will be equally attractive to a segment of the turbine aircraft owner/pilot community who want to transition down from the dramatically rising operating costs of a larger turbine. Until the Stratos 714, there has been no such aircraft to meet the market need.
“The VLJ market is littered with a variety of concepts and designs that are all very good in their own right for operators with different needs,” stated Carsten Sundin, Chief Technical Officer of Stratos Aircraft. “However for performance-oriented pilots who simply don’t need more than four seats, the current field of VLJs just doesn’t make sense for one reason or another. Either the acquisition and operating costs of a larger – and slower - VLJ are too high, or the compromise between range and payload makes the aircraft impractical,” Sundin concluded. “In a nutshell,” stated CEO Michael Lemaire, “Our objective is to design and manufacture an aircraft that is affordable to own and operate, is easy to master, and can carry enough fuel and baggage to make the 1,500 nautical mile range at 400 knots the true selling point and not simply two unrelated data points in a brochure.”
Airframe
The sleek structural carbon composite fuselage provides ample room for four and includes two external baggage compartments - one sized to accommodate golf clubs or skis. The fuselage is mated to an aerodynamically-efficient, high-performance laminar flow wing that provides docile and predictable handling throughout the entire operating envelop from stall speed to maximum cruise speed. The latest in advanced avionics, flight management systems and flight into known icing will ensure maximum functionality. The comfortable passenger cabin maintains sea level pressure through FL250 and is pressurized to a cabin altitude of 6,000’ at the maximum operating ceiling of FL410.
Powerplant
The single centerline-thrust FADEC-controlled Williams FJ44-3AP turbofan provides the 7,000 pound (Maximum Gross Weight) Stratos 714 with 3,030 pounds of thrust at sea level. This favorable power-to-weight ratio ensures that the S714 will achieve its design capabilities of 400 knots. Additionally the economy of the single William FJ44 allows the S714 to carry four people and baggage 1,500 nm or two people in excess of 2,000 nm with reserves.
To learn more, visit the AirVenture 2008 display in the East Exhibit Hangar E at booth number 5020.
The Stratos 714 is the realistic combination of excitement and utility: high speed, long range, comfort, all wrapped up in an easy-to-fly, easy-to-maintain, 21st century flying machine. Stratos Aircraft is based in Bend, Oregon, the epicenter of composite General Aviation aircraft design and manufacturing. For more information on the Stratos 714 please contact us at [email protected].
