SIPA S.200 Minijet, a 2-seat Personal Jet
SIPA, Société Industrielle Pour l’Aéronautique is a French aircraft manufacturer. The company dates back to 1938 and it was found by Émile Dewoitine. At it’s early years, between 1938 and 1940, the company mostly manufactured aircraft parts for different french companies. Later on they started to develop trainers for the French Air Force which they started after WWII. Trainers are planes that are designed to educate and train pilots and crew which have additional safety features, simplified controls and forgiving flight characteristics. In the 1940s the company started to build a broader range of designs which were not just for the airforce but for personal use too. One of the most recognized designs of the company was the S.200 Minijet, it was the first jet powered light touring aircraft in the world. I was also the world’s first all metal 2-seater light jet. The reason for the hype it brought was that it was the James Bond like fantasy of jetting off to destinations with a personal jet. It was as if the flying car fantasy came true. Another reason is that, at the time the closest form of a personal jets were mass-production 6-seater jets like Cessna Citation Mustang, Embraer Phenom 100, Hondajet and Eclipse 500 which not very compact and all had club seating. The main reason there weren’t any other small personal jets and a big disadvantage for the minijet too are the turbine-category fuel and maintenance costs. Also the aircraft wasn’t very powerful compared to its weight but still top speed was enough. Unfortunately minijet was also a failed project because of these downsides. Even though the technology was advanced enough to make personal jets for individuals cost of the product prevented it to be a reality. It can be said that not every technology will necessarily come down to consumer grade.
