Spectrum.aero Soars to GREEN Platinum Standard

Monday, 28 July 2008 00:24

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Carlsbad, CA, USA, July 28, 2008 – In a world going green: Cars, Food, Buildings, we are compelled to ask, can an Aircraft truly go green? What would it look like? Sound like? How would it fly? Spectrum Aeronautical, LLC, a corporate jet designer and manufacturer with operations at the Palomar Airport, near San Diego, CA and in Spanish Fork, UT has answered those questions with its proprietary composite technology, fibeXTM. Currently on track for FAA certification are two Spectrum jets, the “Freedom” (set to certify in 2009) and the “Independence” (set to certify in 2010).

What started twenty five years ago as a drive to produce the lightest, fastest, most fuel-efficient aircraft that was also affordable, came to represent the greenest technology in the aviation industry today. Due to Spectrum’s weight, aerodynamic characteristics, and engine fuel efficiency, the amount of fuel needed is half of a comparable sized jet—truly revolutionary.

The main environmental concern in aviation today is the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas into the atmosphere. An aircraft’s weight, aerodynamic characteristics, and engine fuel efficiency directly affect the amount of power required and fuel needed for its operation. Those factors determine an aircraft’s emission footprint. The key to reducing emissions is to improve each of these factors.

Spectrum Aeronautical along with its engine partners, GE Honda (Freedom) and Williams International (Independence), have systematically addressed each one of these issues in designing its aircraft. Spectrum’s sleek aircraft feature the company’s proprietary fibeXTM composite material. This unique blend of several properties outperforms any of its individual components, resulting in a composite up to 40% lighter than aluminum airplanes of similar size, and it 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, carbon dioxide emissions. For example, Spectrum’s Freedom will produce an average of 1,123 tons of carbon dioxide per year, while comparable jets produce 2,311, even 2,861 tons per year—more than double that of Spectrum’s Freedom. All of this is accomplished without any major sacrifices in comfort or performance, and will cost about half as much as comparable jets. Spectrum’s technology is the new green standard in the aviation industry.

Austin Blue, President of Spectrum Aeronautical, LLC, states, “We believe environmental stewardship is everyone’s responsibility. We’ve invested time, energy, and resources into making sure that our technology goes above and beyond the environmental standards of our generation and the next.”

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 the price of comparable jets, it will save the average owner hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in fuel costs. 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—one of the best overall values in the industry.