The Lockheed JetStar was the jewel in the crown for Lockheed when it comes to private travel and one of the first aircraft of its type when it first flew in 1957, initially for the USAF in a bid to win a private contract. The USAF cancelled the project due to budget cuts but Lockheed proceeded with the manufacture for the business market. Later, the USAF did purchase 27 aircraft and operated it as the C-140A/B which served as VIP transport, including people such as Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon, with the Military Airlift Command right through to 2019.
The JetStar is an aircraft beloved by many, including Elvis Presley who owned two aircraft, one with a special livery and bespoke red velvet interior. The Lockheed JetStar is equipped with four turbofan engines which are rear-mounted to reduce the noise experienced by passengers. It can fly up to two passengers at Mach 0.8 over a distance of nearly 3,000 Miles up to a service ceiling of 43,000ft.
Big Radials has chosen to reproduce the JetStar I for MSFS which utilises PW JT12-8A engines each producing 3300lbs of thrust making it the fastest private jet at the time of its first flight. The team are currently working on a CIVA Inertial Navigation System which will utilise GPS System calls in the background but should sales and interest be high, Big Radials may build out full functionality for a later update. This will not be included in the early access of the aircraft, being INOP when shipped, but promises to bring a good level of immersion to the aircraft when implemented. The early access will include a single interior but more will be added in future updates, as well as an appearance from Elvis himself. The team mention that the aircraft is already in a great position with good handling at high and medium speed being able to fly .8 at 40,000ft, but with some work to do on low speed and stall characteristics. The sounds of the JetStar are also in a good place but work is still outstanding to fine tune and improve them.
You will only be able to purchase the Big Radials Lockheed JetStar in early access with a discount, directly from their store until the full release hits the Marketplace and other stores. The pricing is yet to be confirmed. The JetStar will also be released for MSFS 2024 but the team are yet to be in possession of the SDK so the timing of that will remain undisclosed until they understand the changes between platforms. The 2020 version will also be cheaper than the 2024 version as the team work with the SDK to make full use of the new features coming to the new platform. The team are considering an upgrade option for owners of the 2020 version of the JetStar that wish to use it in MSFS 2024 but more detail around this is yet to come.
