First flight: Stratos 714

REDMOND, Ore. — The inaugural flight of the Stratos 714 Very Light Jet (VLJ) was completed successfully Nov. 21, 2016.

With Dave Morss at the controls, the four seat jet was launched for a 10-minute flight designed to verify general stability and systems operation.

This flight’s maximum speed was limited to 128 knots at an altitude of 3,700 feet AGL with the flaps at 24° and the gear extended for the duration.

According to company officials, Morss said he was satisfied with the overall handling and provided the development team with useful feedback.

Stratos will continue with a flight test program to explore the aircraft’s flight envelope with expectations of achieving a cruise speed of over 400 knots and a range of 1,500 nautical miles. With that kind of performance, the aircraft can fly from Miami to Seattle in about 7 hours with just one stop, company officials said.

“After years of development, the first flight was a very exciting event for the whole team,” said Michael Lemaire, CEO of Stratos Aircraft. “We invested the time and effort in the initial design and construction phases to assure that this proof of concept aircraft would ease the path to certification. After flight testing is complete, we will pursue a Type Certificate. We could shave off a considerable amount of certification time and start producing finished aircraft with additional investment, of course.”

Kevin Jordan, Chief Sales Officer adds: “At this time, we are not taking deposits or orders, but we have made it possible for interested parties to register on our website for airplane availability updates and investment opportunities.”

Stratos is planning a product introduction at EAA’s AirVenture 2017.