VLJ MAGAZINE | Spectrum Aeronautical Goes Fast Forward | Light, Very, Jet, Freedom, Independence

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About the editor

Bill Strait William Strait is President and CEO Private Jet Group International. His company's Private Jet services include specialized aviation business consulting, capital solutions, insurance brokerage, targeted training solutions, and provision of qualified flight crews. All of which are in great demand by the rapidly growing international very light jet marketplace.

Bill is a veteran aviator and corporate manager with over thirty years of civilian flying experience in the general aviation, corporate, and commercial sectors. He has logged more than 20,000 hours of safe flying experience while traveling to more than 50 countries and is an active Captain on the MD-11 for a major international freight carrier. His professional path to this level includes type ratings in the G-1, DC-9, B-727, B-757/ 767, and seaplanes plus instructor pilot ratings in the B-727, B-757, and B-767.

His passion in life is aviation and his personal goal is to help those interested in aviation fully realize their dreams-whether it be to discover flying or to create a successful aviation business. It was this entrepreneurial aviation spirit that caused Bill to become one of the early promoters of the very light jet market sector through his publication of this online magazine. As its managing editor, Bill is now recognized as a key leader in this exciting Private Jet aviation business sector.

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Spectrum Aeronautical Goes Fast Forward

"Spectrum is enhancing the capabilities of the S-33 Independence through continued design refinement and the application of newly available technologies. The company recently decided to use the Williams International FJ33-4A-19 engine instead of the previously planned FJ33-4A-15. This will give the jet a substantial step up in both thrust and efficiency. Blue said, “The Independence already had the highest thrust to weight ratio of any business jet, and now it’s even better. Also, the -19 incorporates Williams’ latest technology, so with the additional thrust it has even better fuel specifics.”

Concurrently in development with the company’s S-33 Independence very light jet is the larger S-40 Freedom, which provides a stand-up cabin with a maximum diameter of about six-feet and speeds up to Mach 0.77. Spectrum is taking full advantage of opportunities in the development of the Freedom, which has been gaining a great deal of momentum over the past year. Austin Blue, Spectrum’s President, explained, “We’ve made the decision to accelerate the Freedom’s development and move its anticipated TC schedule up by about a year. To do this requires a shift in priorities, making the Freedom our primary focus for the time being.” Prior to this, the company had targeted type certification for the Independence in 2009, followed closely by the Freedom in 2010. “In essence,” he said, “we’re pulling the S-40 up to 2009 so an advanced version of the S-33 can follow shortly after it in 2010, rather than vice-versa.”

Both the Independence S-33 (eight-place very light jet, powered by Williams International FJ33 engines) and Freedom S-40 (nine-place mid-sized jet, powered by GE Honda HF120 engines) feature the company’s proprietary fibeXTM composite material system. Their light weight, combined with ultra-efficient fanjet engines, result in extraordinary fuel efficiency and very low emission of greenhouse gasses.."

READ MORE about Spetrum Aeronaytical and their stellar progress in the world of Very Light Jets...

Standby for our upcoming exclusive interview with Linden and Austin Blue..

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