Spectrum Aeronautical

{{Short description|American very light business jet developer (1995–2021)}}

{{Infobox company

|name = Spectrum Aeronautical, LLC

|logo = File:Spectrum Aeronautical.svg

|slogan =

|type = Private

|foundation = 1995

|location = Carlsbad, California, United States

|key_people = Linden Blue

|industry = aerospace

|products = very light jets

|revenue =

|operating_income =

|net_income =

|num_employees =

|parent =

|subsid =

|homepage = {{URL|https://web.archive.org/web/20240221222525/http://spectrum.aero/|spectrum.aero}}

|footnotes =

}}

Spectrum Aeronautical was a business jet developer based in Carlsbad, California, with its development center located in Spanish Fork, Utah. The company went out of business in January 2021.{{cite web|title= Spectrum Aeronautical Company Profile 2024: Valuation, Funding & Investors |website= PitchBook|url= https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/61035-94#overview|date= January 7, 2021|access-date= April 22, 2025}}

An engine failure while flying a single-engine Stinson Voyager over the jungles of Honduras in 1958 nearly killed Spectrum CEO Linden Blue. After this incident he started to design aircraft that had multiple engines.

Since approximately 2006, the company was involved in the development of two very light jets, the Spectrum S-33 "Independence" and the S-40 "Freedom", which were to be constructed with extensive use of composite materials. The twin-engined single pilot aircraft were planned to carry between five and nine passengers over distances between circa 3000 and 4000 kilometres, using about 40% less fuel than conventionally built planes. The certification dates of both planes were postponed on several occasions, more so after a setback in 2006, when the company's only prototype - a S-33 - crashed, killing its two pilots.S. Clayton Moore: [http://www.airportjournals.com/display.cfm/Dallas/0609013 Spectrum Mourns Losses in Wake of Jet Crash] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081008000909/http://airportjournals.com/display.cfm/Dallas/0609013 |date=2008-10-08 }}. Airport Journals, September 2006. Further, the Great Recession reduced demand for business jets.

The S-33, with an envisaged selling price of just under US-$ 4m, was scheduled to be certified 12 months after the S-40, which was to sell for below US-$ 7m. In recent years Spectrum had sought financing through banks, investors and joint ventures with other aircraft manufacturers. In May 2011 Spectrum president Austin Blue was quoted: "We are still trying to get the programmes advancing, but it is not easy".Kate Sarsfield: [http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/ebace-new-aircraft-in-the-works-356107/ EBACE: New aircraft in the works], Flightglobal, 10 May 2011.