“Next Generation” Personal Jets In The Works

It may seem strange that when a very light jet has made it to FAA certification for the very first time this week, so many people already are working on “next-generation” designs, but that’s what AirVenture is all about — the spirit of innovation. Maverick Jet, which had an experimental VLJ flying back in 1999, this week said it will build two new jet aircraft – the single-engine Solo Jet, which they say will fly 472 knots at 31,000 feet, and an “economy” version, the twin-engine SmartJet, which will go 290 knots at 22,000 feet, at half the operating cost. Both will have five seats. Target prices are $899,000 for the SmartJet, which will be certified, and $1.25 million for the single-engine experimental Solo Jet, which offers an optional BRS full-airplane parachute. The company wasn’t saying yet what kind of engines the Smart Jet will use, but the Solo Jet will have a single Pratt & Whitney.