…Javelin Shows Off Simulator

0

Perhaps the most unconventional of the so-called personal jets hasn’t left the drawing board yet but those attending the National Business Aircraft Association convention earlier this month got to “fly” Aviation Technology Group’s Javelin. The two-seat twinjet looks (and may perform) more like a fighter than a bizjet but its proponents claim there’s no better way to get from your breakfast meeting to a lunch appointment hundreds of miles away. ATG unveiled the Javelin’s flight simulator to give potential owners a glimpse of what the airplane might be like to fly. “Typically this level of engineering simulator use occurs after actual flight tests are underway,” said CEO George Bye. For those who prefer the looks of the F-5 — and an aircraft that has flown and is currently available in kit form — there’s always the ViperJet. The first prototype of the Javelin is expected to be complete in September 2004 and civilian certification will take at least two years, with first deliveries planned for 2007. The company has, however, been taking orders, and added a blue-chip customer to its backlog book recently. Dave Liniger, chairman and co-founder of RE/MAX, put his deposit down. The pilot, skydiver, NASCAR driver and, yes, balloonist said he thinks the Javelin will be force to be reckoned with. “The Javelin is poised to kick things up a notch in both the civilian and military markets,” he said. Military applications include trainer, search and rescue, reconnaissance, light interceptor and even an uninhabited combat aerial vehicle.

LEAVE A REPLY