Spectrum 33 Bizjet Flown by Company Founder
MicroLightJets.com News
Spanish Fork, Utah–April 26, 2006—— Linden Blue, veteran pilot,
founder and managing director of Spectrum Aeronautical, LLC, had a long
awaited opportunity to fly the Spectrum 33 in mid-March. Blue took the
controls of the new Spectrum 33 fanjet and blasted into the sky near the
western edge of the Rocky Mountains along with Spectrum chief test pilot
Bill Davies.
William “Bill” Davies, Chief Flight Test Pilot
(L) and Linden Blue, founder and managing director of Spectrum Aeronautical
LLC, prepare for test flight of the new Spectrum 33 business jet.
“I knew it was a performer,” Blue said, “but I was really surprised by
its initial acceleration. I think it would easily outperform a Lear 24 in
climb.” He added that flying the 33’s advanced side-stick control was
simple, and reminded him of using the joy-stick in a J-3 Cub in which he
first learned to fly.
The Spectrum 33, with a gross weight of only about 3300 kg (7300 lbs), is
designed to cruise at speeds up to 415 knots (Mach 0.72). Maximum range is
targeted at 3700 km (2000 nm), and the airplane will carry as many as ten
occupants.
With more than 10,000 PIC hours to his credit, Blue has been working on
the development of advanced composite aircraft for more than 25 years. Since
the 1990s he has been working with his long-time business associates at
Rocky Mountain Composites, Inc. just outside Salt Lake City, Utah on the
Spectrum 33. Together they have built the prototype from production tooling
and developed an advanced light-weight carbon-epoxy material system called “fibextm”.
Landing weight for the flight was about 2400 kg (5500 lbs) and the
approach speed was 85 knots. Blue summarized his flight by saying, “My first
landing was probably the smoothest and softest I have ever made--over years
of trying to land airplanes. Since I have no particular talent for landing,
this may suggest the airplane has exceptionally good characteristics on its
own.”
The Spectrum 33 is a new light business jet that’s built using a
revolutionary graphite-epoxy construction process that gives it virtually
the same size cabin as popular eight to nine seat light business jets, at
less than two-thirds the weight. It’s designed to cruise at FL450 at speeds
up to 415 knots (Mach 0.72) and fly as far as 2000 nm (3700 km) while using
about half the fuel of comparably sized current production aircraft.
FAA Type Certification of the Spectrum 33 is slated for 2007 or 2008. To
follow the progress of Spectrum 33 development, visit Spectrum Aeronautical
LLC on the web at www.spectrum.aero.
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