VisionAire Vantage

Vantage
Role Light business jet
National origin United States of America
Manufacturer VisionAire Corporation
First flight 16 November 1996
Status Under development
Number built 1


The VisionAire VA-10 Vantage is a prototype single-engined light business-jet (or "very light jet") designed and developed by the American company VisionAire Jets Corporation. Originally planned for production in the late 1990s, the original VisionAire Corporation failed; the project was acquired by Eviation Jets, which planned to produce it as the redesigned EV-20 Vantage Jet; Eviation also failed, and the design was relaunched by a revived VisionAire under its original design.

Design and development

The Vantage is currently being developed by VisionAire Jets, LLC, a successor company to VisionAire Corporation, founded in 1988, to fill a perceived gap in the light aircraft market between high performance piston-engined aircraft and twin-engined executive jets. The Vantage differed from contemporary executive jets in that it was powered by a single engine, a Pratt & Whitney Canada JT15D turbofan buried in the rear fuselage, fed by twin air-inlets above the fuselage. It was of all-composite construction, and its wing was forward swept to minimise drag and allow an unobstructed cabin by allowing the wing spar to pass behind the cabin. It was planned to sell the Vantage for $1.65 million, compared with $3.3 million for the Cessna CitationJet.[1][2][3]

The first prototype, a proof-of-concept aircraft intended to confirm the design's handling, was built by Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites at Mojave, California.[4] It made its maiden flight on 16 November 1996.[1] Testing of the prototype revealed a number of handling and aerodynamic problems, which resulted in a redesign of the aircraft in December 1998.[1][5]

Delays to the program continued, while costs mounted, and in January 2003, with the company having already spent $110 million, requiring another $125 million to complete certification and owing $35 million, a Federal Judge ordered VisionAire liquidated to pay its debts.[2][6][7] The Vantage design was purchased by Evation, who used it as the basis for the twin-engined EV-20 Vantage Jet design.[8][9]

The Vantage Proof-of-Concept (POC) aircraft is currently located at the VisionAire Jets facility at the Hickory Airport, Hickory North Carolina.

Eviation EV-20 Vantage Jet

Following the purchase of the Vantage by Eviation Jets,[10] the redesignated EV-20 was redesigned to be a twin-engine design, powered by two Williams FJ44-1AP turbofan engines, and was designed to have a cruise speed of 424 knots (785.2 km/h) at 36,000 feet (10,972.8 m) with an approximate range of 1,300 nautical miles (2,407.6 km). In the executive configuration it would have provided room for eight passengers, while in the commuter configuration was designed to carry ten. It was intended to utilise have Garmin G1000 avionics, and be made entirely from composite materials. In 2006, initial reviews of the EV-20's design had been completed, and construction of a prototype aircraft was expected to begin, utilising an outsourcing model for construction of the first prototype.[11]

Return to VisionAire

The redesign of the Vantage from a single- to a twin-engine design proved troublesome; the company failed to progress with the development of the type, and in 2012 the EV-20 was repurchased by VisionAire;[12] the aircraft's design was returned to a single-engined configuration, and VisionAire stated in early 2013 that they planned to construct the Vantage in a factory in Newton, North Carolina, with the first prototype of the production Vantage scheduled to fly in 2014.[13]

Specifications (VisionAire Vantage)

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004[1]

General characteristics

Performance

See also


Related lists

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Jackson 2003, pp. 749–750.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Very Light Jet - VLJ". Global Security. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  3. ↑ Warwick 1997, pp. 54–55.
  4. ↑ Flight International 20–26 November 1996, p. 6.
  5. ↑ Higdon, "FBO Light Jet Review".
  6. ↑ Aerospace Online 28 March 2003.
  7. ↑ AIN Online, 1 March 2003.
  8. ↑ Flight International 11–17 November 2003.
  9. ↑ "Buoyed in Brazil". Flightglobal. 19 April 2005. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  10. ↑ Elbert, David (February 23, 2006). "Iowa developer creates company to make jets". Des Moines Register. Des Moines, IA. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  11. ↑ Sarsfield, Kate (February 28, 2006). "Eviation jet plan waits on funding". FlightGlobal. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  12. ↑ Thurber, Matt (June 21, 2012). "VisionAire Vantage Jet Single Being Resurrected". AINOnline. Midland Park, NJ: The Convention News Co. Retrieved 2013-04-01.
  13. ↑ Sarsfield, Kate (January 8, 2013). "VisionAire sets sights on 2014 first flight for new Vantage jet". FlightGlobal. Retrieved 2013-04-01.

References

External links