The Spectrum S-40 Freedom was a

business jet A business jet, private jet, or bizjet is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and some are used by pub ...

developed by

Spectrum Aeronautical Spectrum Aeronautical is a business jet developer based in Carlsbad, California with its development center located in Spanish Fork, Utah. An engine failure while flying a single-engine Stinson Voyager over the jungles of Honduras in 1958 nearly ...

. The aircraft was first announced at the 2006 NBAA Conference in

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

Design and development

The S-40 is expected to be classified as a very light jet, albeit it is planned to feature a cabin comparable to the Lear 60, Hawker 800, Phenom 300 and the Citation XLS, at a Maximum Take-Off Weight of less than . It will be built using a graphite-epoxy construction process that makes the aircraft one third the weight of comparably sized aluminium airplanes. The aircraft is designed to cruise at at speeds up to 435 knots (Mach 0.76) and fly as far as 4170 km - while consuming about 40% less fuel than conventionally built planes - using two GE Honda HF120 engines. The retail sales price of the aircraft is supposed to be US-$6.8 million. In May 2011 Spectrum president Austin Blue is quoted: "We are still trying to get the programmes advancing, but it is not easy" The aircraft is to be released about 12 months before the smaller

Spectrum S-33 Independence The Spectrum S-33 Independence is a very light jet designed and built by Spectrum Aeronautical using a carbon fiber construction process that makes the airplane weigh about two thirds as much as a comparably sized aluminum-frame airplane. The ai ...

. FAA and JAA Type Certifications of the S-40 Freedom were initially estimated for 2010. In 2016, the company stated that it was looking for funding to produce the S-40 in Mexico.

Design and development

Specifications

See also

References

External links