The brand-new Hawker 4000, is first plane to offer big-jet safety and technology features at a midsized-jet price reports CNN. Priced at $21 million, it has a range of 3,280 nautical miles - that's coast to coast or New York to London nonstop.
The 4000 boasts cutting-edge avionics, auto throttle, and multiple duplicate systems (for safety) unavailable in comparable-size jets. Hawker Beechcraft is also the first manufacturer to certify a composite-body jet with the FAA. "It was six steps back to do composite," says chairman and CEO Jim Schuster of the 20-year, $1 billion development process. But the resulting body is 70% stronger than aluminum, doesn't corrode, is easier to repair, and has no life limit.
