Nearly six years after it was announced and after multiple schedule slippages, the Polish Flaris LAR1 single-engine personal jet made its first flight on April 5 at Babimost Airport in Zielona Gora under the command of test pilot Wieslaw Cena.
The $1.5 million five-seat jet is powered by a single 1,900-pound-thrust Williams FJ33-5A turbofan, has a targeted top speed of 380 knots, stall speed of 62 knots, estimated maximum range of 1,400 nm, and ceiling of 45,000 feet. On the initial test flight, Cena checked the jet single's optimal takeoff and landing configurations, as well as its control and stability. Wind conditions during the first flight were reported as gusty and there was a cross-wind component. Altogether, 26 takeoffs and landings were conducted during the initial flight. Flight test leader Rafal Ladzinski called the conditions "difficult.”
Flaris features rear-hinged main cabin doors reminiscent of 1960s Lincoln Continental cars, detachable wings and stabilizers, a fuselage fuel tank, electric deicing, an in-the-nose whole-aircraft ballistic parachute, and Garmin G600 avionics. The aircraft is being built by Metal-Master and is partially funded by the European Union.
