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Toronto Sun
06-05-2025
- Business
- Toronto Sun
JetZero's triangle-shaped jet on track to fly by 2027
Published May 06, 2025 • 2 minute read A rendering of JetZero's blended-wing jet. Photo by Bloomberg Daybreak / JetZero JetZero Inc., the start-up aiming to take on planemakers Airbus SE and Boeing Co., is on track to fly the first full-scale model of its manta ray-shaped jetliner by late 2027, executives said Friday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The company is about halfway through the key milestones in its development process for the so-called 'demonstrator aircraft,' and is already laying plans to manufacture and certify the first commercial versions, Florentina Viscotchi, JetZero's head of engineering, told reporters at its Long Beach, California, headquarters. Executives 'feel very confident' they're on the path to first flight by the end of 2027, as the company initially projected, she said. 'Yes, we are very serious about this aircraft and it's on the path to being really built.' The next three years will be critical for JetZero. The company is weeks away from unveiling a 1,000-acre site for its main factory — comparable in size to Boeing's complex north of Seattle or four golf courses, said Tom O'Leary, a Tesla veteran who is the fledgling company's chief executive officer. He's also lining up industrial partners and funding, counting on a boost as the plane concept gets closer to reality. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. O'Leary described his vision for 2028: To have a plane in the air and a factory taking shape on the ground. 'These are things that are going to happen,' he said in an interview. The company has won early commitments from Delta Air Lines Inc., United Airlines Holdings Inc. — and a $235 million grant from the US Air Force — for a concept aimed at replacing the traditional tube-and-wing design that's dominated air travel for decades. The goal is to fast-track the effort at a time when Boeing and Airbus are working through record order backlogs and aren't planning to introduce any all-new designs until the mid- to late-2030s. But bringing its radical design to market is a daunting task given the billions required to stand up manufacturing and a supply chain, and the delays that long-established jet families from Boeing and Gulfstream face in gaining certification from the Federal Aviation Administration. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Aviation is littered with companies that have tried to take on the planemaker duopoly, most recently Bombardier Inc.'s C-Series aircraft. The effort nearly bankrupted the Canadian manufacturer, which unloaded a controlling stake to Airbus SE for a token $1 sum. JetZero has hired an engineering team and advisors who helped steer the Bombardier jet through certification. Still, it has encountered hiccups, including losing a jet model at 12.5% of the final version's scale to a battery fire after an initial test, executives said. JetZero team members, using concepts honed during their time at Boeing and McDonnell Douglas, are creating an aircraft that would seat about 250 people in a triangular-shaped jet cabin that's wider than conventional jets and boasts a shorter fuselage that contributes lift and fuel-savings. Gone is the tail, with two engines piggybacked onto the rear in its place to provide both power and stability. 'We're not saying it's a cake walk, but we have people who've done this before,' said Bethany Davis, a former Gulfstream executive who is JetZero's head of systems and certification. 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Business Times
03-05-2025
- Business
- Business Times
JetZero's triangle-shaped jet on track to fly by late 2027
[LOS ANGELES] JetZero, the startup aiming to take on planemakers Airbus and Boeing, is on track to fly the first full-scale model of its manta ray-shaped jetliner by late 2027, executives said on Friday (May 2). The company is about halfway through the key milestones in its development process for the so-called 'demonstrator aircraft', and is already laying plans to manufacture and certify the first commercial versions, Florentina Viscotchi, JetZero's head of engineering, told reporters at its Long Beach, California, headquarters. Executives 'feel very confident' they're on the path to first flight by the end of 2027, as the company initially projected, she said. 'Yes, we are very serious about this aircraft and it's on the path to being really built.' The next three years will be critical for JetZero. The company is weeks away from unveiling a 1,000-acre (405 ha) site for its main factory – comparable in size to Boeing's complex north of Seattle or four golf courses, said Tom O'Leary, a Tesla veteran who is the fledgling company's chief executive. He's also lining up industrial partners and funding, counting on a boost as the plane concept gets closer to reality. O'Leary described his vision for 2028: To have a plane in the air and a factory taking shape on the ground. 'These are things that are going to happen,' he said in an interview. The company has won early commitments from Delta Air Lines, United Airlines – and a US$235 million grant from the US Air Force – for a concept aimed at replacing the traditional tube-and-wing design that's dominated air travel for decades. The goal is to fast-track the effort at a time when Boeing and Airbus are working through record order backlogs and aren't planning to introduce any all-new designs until the mid- to late-2030s. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up But bringing its radical design to market is a daunting task given the billions required to stand up manufacturing and a supply chain, and the delays that long-established jet families from Boeing and Gulfstream face in gaining certification from the Federal Aviation Administration. Aviation is littered with companies that have tried to take on the planemaker duopoly, most recently Bombardier's C-Series aircraft. The effort nearly bankrupted the Canadian manufacturer, which unloaded a controlling stake to Airbus for a token US$1 sum. JetZero has hired an engineering team and advisers who helped steer the Bombardier jet through certification. Still, it has encountered hiccups, including losing a jet model at 12.5 per cent of the final version's scale to a battery fire after an initial test, executives said. JetZero team members, using concepts honed during their time at Boeing and McDonnell Douglas, are creating an aircraft that would seat about 250 people in a triangular-shaped jet cabin that's wider than conventional jets and boasts a shorter fuselage that contributes lift and fuel-savings. Gone is the tail, with two engines piggybacked onto the rear in its place to provide both power and stability. 'We're not saying it's a cake walk, but we have people who've done this before,' said Bethany David, a former Gulfstream executive who is JetZero's head of systems and certification. BLOOMBERG
