It's touted as the first of the super-midsize business jets and one of its big selling points is speed: said to be capable of sustained cruise at .82 Mach, or 470 knots, the Galaxy promises to beat a path from New York to Los Angeles an hour quicker than its competitors.

Galaxy Aerospace is this week making its first NBAA appearance since wrapping up its move into a new, $12 million heaquarters at the Alliance Airport in Fort Worth this past spring. A gala Grand Opening was held late last month.

The firm offers the big (up to 18 passengers) Galaxy for $18.2 million and the SPX for $12.1 million. Both, Galaxy claims, have that quick, 470-knot cruise capability.

Galaxy production will be brought to 24 aircraft per year in 2000, the company says. SPX production is to remain at the 12-per-year level.

Like its aircraft, Galaxy's progress has been, well, fast. "The company has made dramatic strides," a spokesman says.

Galaxy was formed in February 1997 with IAI bringing not only its Astra but the design for the Galaxy jet, which would establish the super-mid as a new business aircraft category. In just over two and a half years the firm has racked up an order backlog apporaching $1 billion.

IAI was responsible for the Galaxy flight test program and certification, which was achieved in the U.S. and Israel late last year (first flight was December 1997, less than a year after Galaxy Aerospace was formed). Galaxy funds development and production, and has set up a worldwide service network.

The company is headquartered now at Alliance, where its new, 165,000-square-foot facility houses Galaxy corporate functions, including worldwide marketing and customer relations. There's also a factory service center, completion center, and parts distribution center.

The Galaxy and SPX are built in Tel Aviv and flown green to Alliance for completion. There are some 200 employees there.
Service is a big part of the Galaxy equation, as the company works to reverse admitted customer support failings dating from the earlier days of the Astra. "We have an organization in place that just didn't exist two years ago," says Galaxy publicity chief Jeff Miller. The new Galaxy is supported, as are the SPX and older Astras, and the Westwind Astra predecessor, for a total of more than 400 aircraft.

The six- to nine-passenger Astra SPX has twin TFE 731-40R-200G engines from AlliedSignal, giving it a maximum NBAA IFR range of 2,949 nmi. More than 100 Astras including 30 SPX aircraft are in service.

The flagship Galaxy has Pratt & Whitney Canada PW306A engines. Its cabin is six feet, three inches tall and seven feet, two inches wide, allowing the company to promise an interior cross section comparable to traditional large-category business jets. Besides the aircraft's speed, Galaxy makes a big point of the operating cost of $850 an hourlower than most smaller midsize jets.

Galaxy customers are said to like the aircraft for its long legs as well. Galaxy cites an NBAA IFR maximum range of 3,620 nmi with four passengers and maximum fuel. The Galaxy can be configured as an 18-passenger executive shuttle, too.

The first production Galaxy, serial number 005, made its debut at the Paris Air Show early this past summer. It had an eight-place interior from Alliance. The owner is the Zurich-based charter carrier Lions Air, which leased the jet back to Galaxy to be used as demonstrator through June 2000. Lions signed a contract to buy a second SPX in Paris, too.

Galaxy investment partners besides IAI include Chicago's well-heeled Pritzker family.