One New Light Jet’s Very Turbulent Ride
Numerous manufacturers (Cessna, Diamond and Eclipse, to name a few) are racing to create a jet with performance beyond that of pressurized turboprops at lower cost than the current crop of light business jets. But one single-engine jet design that’s been flying since 1996 with performance specifications very similar to that of the twin-engine Eclipse 500 has very formally hit the skids. The intellectual property garnered from the six-seat, single-engine, forward swept-wing, composite, business-class Vantage jet project has been put on the auction block. Procedures approved by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri (Case No. 02-47804-293) have set the bidding deadline for September 18, 2003, at 01:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time.
Numerous manufacturers (Cessna, Diamond and Eclipse, to name a few) are racing to create a jet with performance beyond that of pressurized turboprops at lower cost than the current crop of light business jets. But one single-engine jet design that's been flying since 1996 with performance specifications very similar to that of the twin-engine Eclipse 500 has very formally hit the skids. The intellectual property garnered from the six-seat, single-engine, forward swept-wing, composite, business-class Vantage jet project has been put on the auction block. Procedures approved by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri (Case No. 02-47804-293) have set the bidding deadline for September 18, 2003, at 01:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time. Prospective buyers will compete for property including trademarks, design drawings and specifications, flight test data, performance data, aerodynamics data, supplier information, policies, procedures, business processes, marketing data and customer contact information completed to date, as well as tooling and molds manufactured for use in production of the aircraft. To receive a copy of the bidding procedures, contact Howard S. Smotkin (hsmotkin@stoneleyton.com) or Janice R. Valdez (hsmotkin@stoneleyton.com).