Technological Advances


Photo courtesy NASA
FJX-2 turbofan engine
Several technological advances in recent years have led to the current feasibility of the Small Aircraft Transportation System.

In 1996, NASA initiated the General Aviation Propulsion (GAP) program to encourage and advance the U.S. light-aircraft industry. The GAP program's main goal was to help develop more affordable propulsion systems, mainly engines. Williams International joined with NASA to develop the FJX-2 turbofan engine, the smallest commercial turbofan available at the time. It weighed less than 45.4 kg (100 lbs), with a thrust-to-weight ratio that would allow the development of a new class of lightweight aircraft. This technological breakthrough was a major step forward in the drive to create aircraft small enough to use local airports but sophisticated enough to meet the necessary speed, range, comfort and safety requirements of a commercial aircraft.

In 1998, during the development of the FJX-2 engine, Williams International's president and founder, Dr. Sam Williams, joined with entrepreneur Vern Raburn to form the Eclipse Aviation Corporation. Using first a commercial version of the FJX-2 engine, called the EJ22, and then choosing the PW610F turbine engine from Pratt & Whitney instead, Eclipse built the Eclipse 500 jet aircraft.


Photo courtesy Eclipse Aviation
Eclipse 500


Photo courtesy Eclipse Aviation
Eclipse 500 passenger cabin


Photo courtesy Eclipse Aviation
Eclipse 500 cockpit

The Eclipse 500 debuted in 2005, the first of a new family of aircraft, the very light jet (VLJ). The VLJ is a vital cog in the SATS wheel.

SATS Background
In 2001, NASA, partnering with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Consortium for Aviation Mobility (NCAM), set up the Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiment (AGATE) program. AGATE's goal was to help in the research and development of technology needed to support the SATS concept, namely enabling safe and affordable access to almost any runway in the United States. For five years, the SATS program went through a proof-of-concept period. It concluded with a demonstration in Danville, Virginia, on June 5-7, 2005, showing the viability of the SATS concept and the four operating capabilities that will enable this concept to become a reality:
  • Higher volume operations at airports that don't have control towers or terminal radar
  • Pilots to land safely in low-visibility conditions at minimally equipped airports
  • Increased single-pilot performance
  • SATS aircraft to integrate seamlessly into the complex national airspace
Source: NASA Langley Research Center: SATS