The four engined JetStar was initially designed as a private venture but was also selected to fulfil a US Air Force requirement for a multi engined light transport and crew trainer.
The first civil configured JetStar was delivered in early 1961 and so the JetStar was the first business jet to enter service. Meanwhile the JetStar entered service with the USAF in 1962 as the C140 navaid calibration aircraft and the VC140 VIP transport in late 1961.
The turbojet powered JetStar remained in production until mid 1973, by which time development of the turbofan powered JetStar II had been announced. The JetStar II differs from the earlier aircraft primarily in its four Garrett (previously AiResearch and now AlliedSignal) TFE731 turbofans with their significantly improved fuel consumption, resulting in substantial improvements in operating costs, range and lower noise levels, while more power allows a higher maximum takeoff weight.
The first JetStar II flew on August 18 1976, with certification following in December that year. The II remained in production until 1979.
AiResearch meanwhile had already flown its own TFE731 powered conversion of the JetStar in July 1974. The first production AiResearch 731 JetStar conversion flew in March 1976.
Powerplants
JetStar - Four 14.7kN (3300lb) Pratt & Whitney JT12A6 turbojets. JetStar II - Four 16.5kN (3700lb) Garrett TFE7313 turbofans.
Performance
JetStar - Max speed 920km/h (498kt), max cruising speed 823km/h (445kt). Range with a 910kg (2000lb) payload and reserves 4585km (2476nm). JetStar II - Max cruising speed 880km/h (475kt), economical cruising speed 817km/h (440kt). Max initial rate of climb 4200ft. Service ceiling 36,000ft. Range with max fuel and reserves 5132km (2770nm), range with max payload and reserves 4818km (2600nm).
Weights
JetStar - Empty 8376kg (18,450lb), max takeoff 17,678kg (38,940lb). JetStar II - Operating empty 10,967kg (24,178lb), max takeoff 19,844kg (44,500lb).
Dimensions
JetStar & JetStar II - Wing span 16.60m (54ft 5in), length 18.42m (60ft 5in), height 6.23m (20ft 5in). Wing area 50.4m2 (542.5sq ft).
Capacity
Flightcrew of two. Typical seating for eight to 10 passengers.
Production
164 turbojet powered JetStars built by mid 1973. Lockheed built 40 new build turbofan powered JetStar IIs from 1976, while Garrett converted an additional 61 to JetStar 731 configuration. Approx 29 JT12 powered JetStars, 39 JetStar IIs and 48 Garrett converted JetStars in service at late 1998.
LOCKHEED JETSTAR: The corporate-size jetliner with stand-up, walk-around, stretch-out room
You won’t feel cramped or hemmed in aboard the JetStar. Even on long trips, big active men find plenty of room for comfort on this largest of corporate jets. There’s space, too, for the tables, desks and lounge furnishings you choose, or for 10 airline-type passenger seats. And more room for galley, private lavatory, separate pilot’s flight deck and a generous amount of baggage.
With all this space, with the smoothest pressurization and all-climate air-conditioning, you might forget that the JetStar still is a compact jetliner. Yet emphatically it is. It lands at hundreds of U.S. airports where the big jets can’t—uses over 1,100 terminals in this country, hundreds more abroad. So name your destination. JetStar wings you closer to it at speeds up to 550 mph.
You’ll find that peace of mind has been designed into the JetStar: four-engine power and security, a 2,250-mile range, and all of the airline safety features. Remember, the JetStar is not a paper airplane. Its perfor- mance has been proved by 26 million miles of flying. Its eight-year reliability record is unmatched.
Obviously, the JetStar costs more than smaller jets. But a lot more goes into it. No wonder the few resales made so far have brought more than their original purchase price.
Only the JetStar has all these airline-jet features for your safety and comfort: Four engines • Dual wheels ? Antiskid braking • Thrust reversers • Double and triple backup operating systems • Six-foot headroom • Unlimited life design ? Pressurized, air-conditioned cabin
LOCKHEED
JETSTAR: Fully certificated, made in America, in production at Lockheed-Georgia Company, Marietta, Georgia, U.S.A.
Design
Lockheed VC-140B. The bare metal on the fin at the trim hinge is easily visible here.
The JetStar has a fairly typical business jet layout, with a swept wing and a cruciform tail. The wing has a 30° sweepback and features large fuel tanks at about half-span, extending some distance in front and behind the wing. The wings hold 10,000 pounds of fuel, and each slipper tank holds 4,000 pounds of fuel for a total fuel load when topped off of 18,000 pounds. The wing also includes slats along the front of the wing outboard of the tanks (these leading edge slats reduces the stalling speed by an additional three knots), while double-slotted trailing-edge flaps span the entire rear surface, inboard of the ailerons
Sukesha Mishra
Marketing Trannie at AeroSoft
