Manufacturer: SIPA

Model: S.500

Name: Vedette

Type: Small jet airliner

Date:

Status: Demonstrator

Country: France

Service: Commercial

Designation: none

The French SIPA (Société Industrielle Pour l'Aviation) imagined in 1955 a small twin-jet business aircraft called the S.500 Vedette and developed from the smaller S.300 turbojet-powered basic trainer.

The only prototype flew for the first time on June 16, 1956 and showed promising enough for SIPA to start promoting it with several potential customers. However, the Vedette, despite its being a clean and pleasant design, was not looked upon favorably because of its high estimated operating cost and also because of the crash of the S.300 prototype a few months before, so that the project was brought to an abrupt end in February 1957.

The Sipa Vedette was a complete reworking of the S.300 which is shown below right. Only the wings and engine remained unchanged.

• As a claustrophobic... I shudder to think of the lavatory space in the S.500    (RussC)
• Outstanding! You nearly had me looking that up for more information!   (PR19_Kit)

Then I'm glad!!!

RussC, LOL!!! You are right! This might be the undocumented reason for the prototype's not attracting any customers!