Motivated by his love of jets, ALW CEO Howie Hughes designed the SP-6000 to look like a jet and have the interior space of one but without all the added sophistication and specifications that necessitate the higher price tag.
“I always wanted a plane with an aisle,” Hughes chuckles.
“We want to keep the diameter of the fuselage as small as possible so it has the appeal of a small plane but when you get inside it’s a lot roomier.
“It literally does look like it wants to do 400 knots, but we’re building a mid-range speed plane capable of up to 160 knots.
"It’s a sleek piece of work, and that’s the idea.
"Viewed from 100 metres parked next to a Learjet, the SP-6000 won’t look that much different.”
With a 1.4m wide by 1.5m high cabin, the SP-6000 will boast room in spades for both pilot and passengers, and with a flexible internal arrangement it will be capable of performing a range of roles, from an airborne holiday camper to a small business jet.
The SP-6000 can feature three configurations – a very spacious two-seater with carrying capacity for camping gear, bikes etc; a four-seater; or a faster, turbine-powered six-seater.
It will initially be available in the two and four-seat configurations, with the six-seater to be pursued therafter as interest grows.
“I’ve always tried to apply car theories to aeroplanes,” Hughes explains.
“Taking that one weird step further, why shouldn’t you be able to get a Kombi van-styled aeroplane where you can chuck a lot of gear in the back if you want to?”
Adding to the uniqueness of the aircraft, the SP-6000 will only be available as an experimental kit aircraft.
The shape for the carbon fibre body is being milled on Australia’s largest CNC mill located in Cairns and the wings are being built using ALW’s own CNC design and machine centre.
Hughes hopes to have the first aircraft flying in 2011; it will then be available for purchase as a kit priced from $150,000 to $250,000.
Hughes also plans to add a live-in style builder assist program at the Ballina factory.
Keep an eye on www.lightwing.com.au for details as the project proceeds.
SEE BELOW FOR FURTHER COMPUTER-RENDERED IMAGES OF THE SP-6000.