VisionAire VA-10 Vantage
VisionAire Corporation · United States · first flew 1996 · light aircraft
The VisionAire VA-10 Vantage was an ambitious American single-engine personal jet designed to bring jet performance to the owner-pilot market at a price below traditional business jets. Powered by a single Williams FJ44 turbofan mounted in the aft fuselage, it offered 694 km/h cruise speed.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, swept |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × turbofan, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Single-engine personal jet with aft-fuselage turbofan intake |
| T — Tail | T-tail |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Single-engine personal jet with aft-fuselage turbofan intake
- Forward-swept mid-set wing — extremely rare on a business jet
- Retractable tricycle gear on a four-seat cabin
The single aft-fuselage turbofan inlet below the swept T-tail, combined with the mid-set swept wing, creates a distinctive silhouette; it is considerably larger than most single-engine piston aircraft but smaller than conventional business jets.
Specifications
- The VisionAire VA-10 Vantage has a length of 12.4 m (41 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 14.5 m (48 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 694 km/h (431 mph).
- Typical crew: 1 pilot, up to 3 passengers.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
VisionAire Corporation launched the Vantage programme in the early 1990s, targeting the growing market for affordable personal jets. The prototype flew in 1996 and attracted strong customer interest, with hundreds of deposits placed. However, the company struggled with certification costs and financial difficulties, and the programme ultimately did not reach production.
Variants
The VA-10 was the sole proposed variant; a scaled VA-12 was studied but not built.
Where you'll see it
The Vantage never entered service; the company folded before certification was achieved, making it one of several ambitious personal jet programmes of the 1990s that did not survive to production.
Related aircraft
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