Avocet ProJet
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The Avocet ProJet was a Very Light Jet (VLJ) introduced by Avocet Aircraft, a Westport, CT., based company founded by former investment bankers Carey Robinson Wolchok and Andrew Chao and Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), the largest industrial company in the State of Israel. The Avocet ProJet was announced at the 2003 NBAA.
The ProJet was planned as a six-seat, twin-engine turbofan jet. Capable of takeoffs and landings in as little as 3,000 feet, it was intended to fly at an airspeed of 365 knots (420 mph) up to an altitude of 41,000 feet and a maximum cruising range of 1,200 nautical (1,375 statute) miles.
The ProJet had a long list of well-known supporters and investors, including football legend Joe Montana, who was a member of Avocet's board of directors and one of the first customers of the ProJet.[1]. Other Avocet board members included Jacob Frenkel, the former Bank of Israel Governor, Gil Amelio, the Former Chairman and CEO of Apple Computer, General Amnon Shahak, the former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces and Israel's Minister of Transportation, and Joe Edwards, a former NASA Astronaut and the Chairman of the National Science Center. Avocet was headed by David Tait, OBE, the former head of Virgin Atlantic Airways, in the role of Chief Executive Officer, and Mark Biagetti, a senior executive from Pratt & Whitney and McDonnell Douglas, as Chief Operating Officer. The Company announced orders for more than 100 aircraft at the NBAA 2003 Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida, and expected first flight in 2005.[2]
The ProJet was the third Very Light Jet announced in the aviation industry, after the Eclipse 500 and the Cessna Mustang. The ProJet's proposed price of approximately $2 million and direct operating costs projected to be less than $1.00 a mile, positioned the aircraft to be a direct competitor to the Eclipse 500, which was priced at $1.75 million.
In 2005, the Avocet ProJet development project stalled due to a corporate decision at Israel Aircraft Industries to seek additional partners for the program. Industry sources cited concerns by IAI executives of potential product support problems if IAI and Avocet introduced the Jet into the market without a product support partner. Rumors in the industry had Avocet and IAI collaborating with Raytheon Aircraft and Embraer on the program, but by December of 2005, the Avocet program was officially cancelled and all deposit holders were provided with their deposits returned. Shortly after the Avocet program stalled, Embraer introduced its VLJ, the Phenom 100, an aircraft which bore a striking resemblance to the Avocet ProJet.[3]
