Country of origin:

United States of America

Description:

Light business and executive aircraft

Power Plant:

Two 800 lbst Williams Research 44-800 turbofans

Specifications:

History:

The Foxjet was developed in the 1970s by Foxjet International as a small business jet half the size of a Learjet, able to operate from grass-strips, with low operating costs. The design was changed a number of times. Initially it was intended to have two 570 lbst Williams LR19-3 turbofans, at one stage three of these engines being considered, the latter to be known as the ST/TRI-3. Size was also increased at one stage to accommodate six persons on board.

Construction of three mockups took place and these were displayed at aviation events in the United States in the 1970s. In 1979 it was announced that of the first 110 Foxjets for delivery in 1981, three were not sold, and 12 had been allotted for Australian customers. A company, Foxjet Austral-Asia was set up to sell the type in this region.

The Foxjet was to have a performance akin to a Cessna Citation II, with a rate of climb of 1,036 m/min (3,400 ft/min), large double-slotted Fowler flaps, and an undercarriage for grass and non-paved strips. It was said the type would be able to fly non-stop from Brisbane, QLD to Port Moresby, PNG.

The Foxjet 600 was probably the first of what has become known as the Very Light Jet (VLJ) concept but its development was stopped by the United States Government which would not allow the use of the Williams engine, which was then in use in cruise missiles, to be used in a civil aircraft. Thus the program came to a halt, as did work on the prototype, which had been proceeding when the project was cancelled. At that time a contract had been entered into with Aeronca to construct the prototype, and there were plans for a further two prototypes of the basic ST-600 to be built, construction beginning in 1977. The first flight was expected to take place by June 1978  but did not eventuate.

In May 2006 Millennium Aerospace Corporation acquired the rights to the aircraft from Foxjet International and proceeded to update the aircraft to the Foxjet II, a mockup of the Foxjet II being shown at aviation event at Palm Springs, Florida. The new design was to be powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW-615 turbofans. When the plans were revealed in November 2006 in California it was said deposits had been received for 50 aircraft and some re-design had taken place, the Foxjet having been enlarged to 9.35 m (30 ft 5 in) long. The new owners found all the drawings were still available, and many items had already been certified.

The new Foxjet II was to have an empty weight of 917 kg (2,022 lb), a loaded weight of 2,155 kg (4,751 lb), cruising speed of 741 km/h (460 mph) and max rate of climb of 1,036 m/min (3,400 ft/min). Other major changes included the use of carbon fibre in the fuselage and wings, and engines were to be 1,300 lbst. An announcement was also made at one stage that the prototypes were to be built in 2007 in Los Angeles and then production was to take place in Mississippi. Certification was expected in 2008.

The original prototype, it seems, was never completed and flown but was obtained by Mr Lyle Anderson of Princeton, Minnesota and placed on display in front of his car dealership, as happened with the mockup imported for display purposes in Australia. In 2010 the incomplete prototype was still extant and was eventually displayed at the Rum River Festival before being placed on display at Princeton Airport.

William Lear of Learjet fame was said to have ordered the first example. On 31 July 2008 Eckhaus Leasing Group, a subsidiary of the Eckhaus Fleet company vehicle organisation, announced it had placed an order for 250 examples of the Millenium Foxjet II, expecting to take delivery of 50 aircraft per year for five years.

As noted, the Australian distributor had a mock-up shipped to Australia in about 1979 for display at its office, but this was the only Foxjet to arrive. Since then the mock-up has been displayed in front of various factories, car yards and private homes. It has been described in newspapers at various times as a “Learjet”. At one stage it was displayed at Milperra, NSW with ‘VH-MAZ’ painted on the tail. Its ultimate fate is not known but it is known to have been on display at a Mazda dealer at Milperra in 2002, having been shown at a number of centres in Sydney about that period.

This may well have been the same aircraft for which the registration VH-FOX10 was reserved but was not taken up. An aircraft with the registration VH-FOX was damaged in a storm at Rocklea, QLD on 27 November 2014 and, as this registration had not been taken up, the aircraft damaged may have been the mock-up that spent some time in Sydney.