Jetcruzer 450 Design work on the Jetcruzer commenced in March
1983, with prototype construction starting in 1988. The aerodynamic design was undertaken in the United Kingdom by Sandy Burns from 1984 to 1985, with the layout prepared by Ladislao Pazmany and structural design carried out by David Kent of Light Transport Design in the United Kingdom. Wind tunnel testing was conducted by the University of San Diego. This initial version, designated the
Jetcruzer 450, seated six people including the pilot. The aircraft received
FAR Part 23 certification on 14 June 1994, becoming the first aircraft to receive
FAA certification as spin-resistant under the newly developed criteria. A single-engine FAA Part 135 public transport IFR certification was planned. Three prototypes were built; however, AASI chose not to market this aircraft and instead focused development on more advanced variants.
Jetcruzer 500 The first version developed from the 450 was the
Jetcruzer 500, a slightly stretched version powered by a
Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66A featuring
cabin pressurization. Two of the model 450 prototypes were converted to this configuration. The prototype Jetcruzer 500 (N102JC) made its first flight on August 22, 1997 with the second prototype (N200JC) making its first flight on 7 November 1997. The first public appearance was at NBAA Las Vegas October 1998. The third prototype (N136JC) of the new build was scheduled to be flown in early 2000. This was the version selected for production, and at one point, AASI had orders for some 200 aircraft at $US 1.6 million each. A military version, the
ML-2 had also been offered, as well as a
UAV, the
ML-1. None of these orders would be filled, however, as the Jetcruzer 500 remained uncertified and its development slowly stagnated. Specific problems with the aircraft's noise, high
stall speed, and
center of gravity were not overcome before all work on it was suspended in
2002. Nearly 20 years of work had still not resulted in a marketable aircraft.
Jetcruzer 650 In December
1992, construction work began on the prototype of an even larger variant, the
Jetcruzer 650, which was to seat up to thirteen. This was quickly abandoned as the company's financial problems required resources to be focused on the 500. A military version would have been the
ML-4.
Stratocruzer 1250 Similarly, a
turbofan-powered version was planned as the
Stratocruzer 1250, but never left the drawing board. Design work had started in September
1991 to provide a business jet with intercontinental range. A military version, the
ML-5 intended for surveillance duties, was also planned. Work was abandoned after AASI failed to attract financial backers for the project in
1995.
Post-AASI era In November 2003, the Jetcruzer project was offered for auction by Mooney Aerospace Group, the successor to AASI, and was acquired by
Innova Aircraft in February 2004. Following the acquisition, efforts to revive the aircraft were undertaken by Jetcruzer LLC, which proposed further development of the Jetcruzer 450/500 as an
experimental aircraft. In the 2010s, the Jetcruzer program was acquired by new ownership, with plans to revive the aircraft using updated propulsion technologies. In 2023, AIN reported that the revived program had not yet completed the first flight of its test aircraft. In 2024, Aviation Week reported that Jetcruzer International had begun flight testing of a remanufactured Jetcruzer 500 turboprop as part of a renewed development effort. In 2025, Jetcruzer International announced a firm order for ZeroAvia's 600 kW ZA600 electric propulsion system to support development of the Jetcruzer 500E. FlightGlobal reported that the system would be integrated into a modified Jetcruzer 500 airframe for flight testing. ==Specifications (Jetcruzer 450)==