What would an aircraft look, sound and fly like, were it to go green, asked Spectrum Aircraft during EAA AirVenture, but answered by pointing to its own aircraft offerings which include its proprietary composite technology, fibeXTM Spectrum’s Freedom jet is set for FAA certification in 2009 and Spectrum’s Independence in 2010. Indeed, the company said that Spectrum.aero offers the new green standard in corporate aviation.
What started 25 years ago as a drive to produce the lightest, fastest, most fuel-efficient, affordable aircraft, is now the greenest technology in aviation today, said the company, noting that, owing to weight, aerodynamic characteristics, and engine fuel efficiency, the fuel needed is half of a comparable jet.
Spectrum Aeronautical and its engine partners, GE Honda (Freedom) and Williams International (Independence), are dramatically reducing the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas, the main environmental concern in aviation today. Spectrum’s jets feature the company’s proprietary fibeXTM composite material, which make its aircraft up to 40 percent lighter than aluminum airplanes of similar size with the added feature that fibeXTM won’t fatigue or corrode.
The lighter frame, aerodynamic design, and use of ultra-efficient fanjet engines will also significantly reduce fuel consumption, and therefore, CO2 emissions. For example, Spectrum’s Freedom will average 1,123 tons of CO2 emissions per year, while comparable jets produce 2,311, even 2,861 tons per year—more than double Spectrum’s Freedom. Spectrum’s Freedom, which is 54 feet long and has a wingspan of about 43 feet, can seat up to eight passengers. Besides costing about half as much as comparable jets, the average owner will save hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in fuel. Spectrum’s Independence is about 46 feet long with a wingspan of approximately 43 feet, and can seat up to six passengers. The Independence will feature the largest cabin, highest speed, and longest range of any Very Light Jet, said the company.