Hawker 4000 receives FAA type approval - deliveries set to start
13 Jun 2008
Hawker Beechcraft said it has received full FAA type approval for its Hawker 4000 super-midsize business jet this week. The type approval is in addition to production certification. According to a company spokesman, shipments will now begin ''very soon.''
There are now 27 Hawker 4000s at various stages of completion, some of which are fully outfitted.
Hawker Beechcraft claims firm orders for more than 130 Hawker 4000s.
The jet was first launched in 1996 and has been under development ever since. While previous owners, Raytheon Aircraft, did obtain FAA type certification for the super-midsize business jet in November 2006, the certification tests were so long delayed that the design was asked to meet additional new fuel tank and hydraulic requirements.
Hawker Beechcraft chairman and CEO Jim Schuster says that the company is now ''eager to fulfill our substantial backlog of worldwide customer orders.''
Hawker 4000
The Hawker 4000, originally known as the Hawker Horizon, is a super-midsize business jet developed by the Raytheon Aircraft Company. The aircraft was originally announced in 1996.
In December 2005, NetJets signed an order for 50 of the new aircraft, the largest single commercial order in the history of Raytheon Aircraft.
The Hawker 4000 can be outfitted to seat eight people in a comfortable cabin configuration. This is partially due to the aircraft's carbon composite construction, which gives it more interior space than many jets in its class. Interior standing room is an average of six feet.
This composite construction also makes the aircraft much lighter than a standard aluminum structure, allowing a maximum range of 3,445 nautical miles, and a service ceiling of 45,000 feet.
In the cockpit, the Hawker features a fully glass cockpit, featuring the Honeywell Primus EPIC system, similar to that found on commercial jets such as the Bombardier CRJ. This system includes five 8x10-inch LCD displays, and a fly by wire control system.
