Point Interceptor, Executive Jet, Critical Cargo Delivery... SportPlane?

By ANN Correspondent Allan Lockheed

Friday evening, in south suburban Denver, a remarkable new aircraft was introduced to several hundred Coloradans: Aviation Technology Group's Javelin.

It it, simply put, a fast little two-seat jet; and it can do everything a  baby fighter plane would be expected to do. Since September 11, it may do other things, as well.

Conceived as "A new class of business travel," the Javelin, a tandem-seat, twin-engined, .92 Mach-cruising, aluminum bird, it was originally to have served as a "Viper for the Sky," something well-heeled and talented execs could use instead of their usual gas-guzzlers. After all, most high-end corporate travel doesn't depend on a large party's going from one place to another. If the exec is a current rated pilot, he can bring a companion, in the pressurized Javelin. If he isn't a pilot at all, he can still get to the meeting, in style (and very little time).

The Javelin, unlike some surplus twinjet trainers, will be easy on fuel. The new Williams FJ-33s will allow operating costs of, the company says, about 72 cents a mile, as the 33-degree-swept wings slice the air, at altitudes over 50,000 feet. Like some high-performance SportPlanes, though, the Javelin will do a 360-degree roll in under 3 seconds; and it will climb, at 250KIAS, at 10,000 fpm. After all, its MTOW is just 4600 pounds -- and it has 3000 pounds of thrust. Empty weight? 2510.

With a range of 1250 nm, ATG President George Bye sees other uses for the machine. He knows how badly airlines need to keep on schedule; he understands how critical parts can keep whole companies' computer systems shut down, stopping production; he realizes that sometimes the only qualified technician is a thousand miles from the problem that needs fixing; and he sees the Javelin as a solution.

Since September 11, he sees a new application: point interceptor. At roughly 5% of the cost of an F-16, the Javelin could be stationed in places where the military just can't justify an entire air operation; carrying minimal weaponry, and without the need for defensive equipment, Javelins could fill in the holes in the security net over the country.

As a high-performance, low maintenance, economical trainer, Bye thinks the Javelin could find plenty of work, both in the military and civilian roles.

As a SportPlane, it can do just about anything that much-more-expensive machines can do; and, when compared to, say, the popular L-39, it can do them for a fraction of the operating costs -- and the manufacturer is in the USA.

Oh, yes -- the manufacturer: the Javelin, as we mentioned in these pages a couple months ago, will be built by the eminently-qualified Luscombe folks in Oklahoma. That operation, headed by the very same guy who resurrected the Cessna single-engine manufacturing line, can build Javelins at whatever rate Mr. Bye can sell them. All-aluminum construction means the machine will be repairable worldwide; simple construction (considering the performance) means repairs will be inexpensive. At 102 gph (at .92 Mach), the Javelin, once paid for (initial $26,000 deposits secure a $1.88 million delivery price), won't be a constant irritation to your accountant.

So, if you always wanted a 'Viper for the Skies,' and you don't mind being seen in what looks like a tiny F-5 or F/A-18 (do I hear anyone complaining?), the Javelin might be just the thing to consider, that you never considered before. The hard points are available on government contracts only, though...

Skeptical? Talk with the ATG people at Oshkosh; they'll be there.

FMI: www.avtechgroup.com