Stratos 714 Very Light Jet Unveiled At Oshkosh

If you thought the only single-engine personal jet at Oshkosh was from Brand C, think again. Stratos Aircraft unveiled at Oshkosh AirVenture the Stratos 714, a 400-kt., four- to six-place single-engine Very Light Jet with a 1,500 nm range and 41,000 ft. service ceiling, designed primarily for owner-operators. "That's what a VLJ is all about," Stratos president and CEO Michael Lemaire said at the unveiling at Boeing Plaza. In development for more than a decade, the composite aircraft first flew last November with noted test pilot Dave Morss at the controls. "It flies like it looks, and it's one of the prettiest aircraft I've ever had the pleasure to be associated with," Morss said.

Courtesy of Stratos Aircraft

The jet has now concluded its first flight test phase, flying at altitudes up to 17,000 feet and speeds up to 320 kts. The prototype is powered by a Pratt & Whitney JT15D-5, but the production version will have a Pratt & Whitney Canada PW535E. With full payload the jet will take off in 2,090 feet, and fly "from Miami to Seattle in seven hours against a 50-kt. headwind with a single stop," the company says.

When flight tests are complete, Stratos will seek outside investors for certification, which Lemaire estimates could require "in the area of $200 million" and take three to four years. Meanwhile, the company has also developed a state-of-the-art production facility and much of the tooling needed to build the jet. If Stratos can't raise the funds for certification, "We could start producing kits next week," said John Hadlich, Stratos Prototype Project Manager. No price for the Stratos 714 has been set, but Lemaire estimates a certificated version would be about $3 million.

Learn more at Stratos Aircraft.