…And Kit Jets, Too…
It seems already like ancient history, but among the first in this crop of light jets to ever bolt into the sky was the Maverick Jet, a twin-engine kitbuilt that was flying at Oshkosh three years ago, back when some of the current contenders weren’t even mock-ups yet. The Florida-based company has been selling copies that are assembled at its Build Assist Center, and may try to certify the airplane for production. Meanwhile, the folks at Aerocomp Inc. told AVweb yesterday they’ll be flying their new eight-place, single-engine kitjet within a month (going over our notes, you might not want to hold them to that time frame … but it likely will get done), and plan to have it on exhibit at the show. Aerocomp says the eight-seater, with a pressurized fuselage built of a proprietary carbon-fiber hybrid sandwich, will cruise at 400 mph. Dan Hanchette at Viper Aircraft told AVweb yesterday they are working on a new model of their two-set ViperJet kit, which will be pressurized and have longer range and more power. Their demo of the original two-seater has already been flying for three years. Aviation Technology Group says its Javelin jet, memorable thus far as a flashy two-seater mock-up, will be ready for FAA certification in 2007.
