11 July 2020: Stratos Aircraft recently announced the first flight of its spacious six-seater jet- ‘The Stratos 716X model’ as a part of an extensive flight program spanning over the next few months. The flight was a full power take off and rose to a climb of 13,500 ft lasting for 22 minutes. . The all-carbon airframe, single-engine jet is designed to cruise at 400 knots. The aircraft is 4.5ft long, powered by Pratt & Whitney JT15D-5 turbofan, and is configured with dual G3X screens, GTN 750 MFD, integrated Garmin Autopilot, dual standby attitude indicators, custom switch panels, fully automated pressurization system, and air conditioning.
“The first flight of the 716X went as briefed, which is a testament to the design quality and the professionalism of the crew here at Stratos,” said VanHatten, “The aircraft is well harmonized, and its directional stability was very good. The Stratos Aircraft team should be very proud of this accomplishment, and I’m looking forward to continued flight testing of this new design.”
“When we introduced the Proof of Concept 714 aircraft three years ago, the marketplace interest was tremendous,” said Stratos CTO, Carsten Sundin. “It was clear that the market is looking for the performance and comfort we were offering, but in a true six-place aircraft. We have achieved this with the 716X. With a cabin width of 4.9 ft and height of 4.8 ft, there is plenty of room for passengers to relax on long flights.
The Stratos 716X will be offered as an experimental kit build aircraft while the 716 will be certified by the FAA for production. “We see producing a limited number of kit aircraft as a logical step towards certification. It will allow customers who don’t want to wait for the 716 certification an opportunity to own and operate a Stratos 716X much sooner, while we continue to develop our production processes,” said Sundin.
The Stratos 716X kit will be comprehensive and include a builder’s assist program. “We are excited to be able to introduce the 716X builder’s assist program,” said Sundin. “This program will allow us to deliver the 716X to a select group of customers very soon while we continue with the program for the 716 Certified aircraft.”
“We have also just commissioned our state-of-the-art composite manufacturing facility. Advanced technology is applied in the construction of the carbon–fiber parts, including a CNC ply cutter and laser projectors to aid the alignment of the individual plies. The dedicated building also has a large ‘walk–in’ oven in which the completed parts are cured,” said Sundin.
Carsten declared himself to be extremely satisfied with the results of the first flight. “The aircraft performed just as predicted and the initial feedback is that the handling qualities are excellent. We look forward to now expanding the flight envelope and demonstrating the aircraft’s full potential.”
The Stratos 716X is a “multi-role” VLJ (Very Light Jet) designed to comfortably seat six people to support personal, business, and air taxi use.
