AJI Hustler 500

[ChuckAnderson]

Hi Everyone!

One aircraft (unbuilt as far as I know) is the Gulfstream American (AJI) Hustler 500.
It's mixed power propulsion (a single turboprop forward and a single turbofan aft), and in my own opinion, quite an interesting aircraft.
Here's a colour illustration (as always, I hope it's sized correctly!)


Chuck

 

[Sentinel Chicken]

Actually the AJI Hustler did fly, but it didn't have tip tanks and it had a T-tail. If anyone has David Mondey's 1980 or so book "Encyclopedia of the World's Civil Aircraft" the AJI 500 has an entry in there complete with picture of the prototype.

 

[boxkite]

In only know pictures of the Hustler 400, but a Hustler 500 started for the maiden flight in February 1981. The Hustler 400 (with one PT6A-41 and one Williams WR19-3-1) had its first flight on 11 Jan 1978.

Air Progress December 1976:

The turbojet will be used with the turboprop for takeoff and then put on standby for the rest of the flight, to be used in the event of failure of the turboprop engine.

AJI changed into Gulfstream American. Instead of the Williams engine a JT15D-1 was used for the next step. It was necessary to lengthen/extend the forward fuselage by a 81 cm segment. So the door was new positioned in front of the wing. Wingtip tanks were added [!], and the position of the air intake for the jet engine was also changed. In April 1979 using of another turboprop engine was planned. Now the Garrett TPE331-501 powered the aircraft. This was a reason to call it Hustler 500 from now.

SOURCE: Flugzeuge von A bis Z volume 2

pic 1 -> Air Progress December 1976 (Credits: Tim Stone(?) )
pic 2 & 3 -> Flugzeuge '78 - Katalog Flugrevue
pic 4 -> Flugzeuge von A bis Z volume 2 (Credits: Gulfstream Aerospace)

 

[boxkite]

FLUG REVUE 4/1981 says that first flight of Hustler 500 was on 26 Jan 1981. Same magazine published a picture of the aircraft (photographed by Howard Levy).

Chuck, if you need dimensions etc of both variants, please send a PM to me.

 

[Sentinel Chicken]

That picture of N400AJ is the one in David Mondey's book from 1980. I didn't know there were two variants flying! Very cool. On another thread somewhere I had mentioned to Evan that Allen Paulson was the head of AJI when it bought Grumman's Gulfstream division and he stayed on as head of Gulfstream for a number of years.

 

[elmayerle]

If I remember correctly, the Hustler 500 with the turboprop removed served as the starting point for their Peregrine trainer.

 

[Jemiba]

You're right, here's an artist's impressio, shown in Aviation Week 1979 1-9 :

 

[hesham]

My dears,

the Hustler 400 was jet aircraft as six seat business aircraft
led to develope Peregrine 600,and it had not a propellers.

 

[Jemiba]

Following AIR Pictorial .8.83, there was an all-jet derivative of the
Peregrine, but that was designated Commander Fanjet 1500 ...

 

[hesham]

Yes dear Jemiba,

the picture shows the Hustler 400 after the AJI company acquire
by Gulfstream,so the aircraft redesign as Fanjet 500.

 

[boxkite]

... and FLUG REVUE 4/1985 gives us this artwork/montage as Peregrine. See the different air intake.

 

[boxkite]

Chuck, see here http://www.machdiamonds.com/peregrine.html

I like the picture from the passenger room inside ... 8)

 

[Sentinel Chicken]

Chuck, see here http://www.machdiamonds.com/peregrine.html

I like the picture from the passenger room inside ... 8)

Nice little site on the early history of VLJs!

 

[The Artist]

I found this drawing and 3-view of the Hustler 500 while looking through my folders. These came from an issue of Airline Quarterly - date unknown.

Mike

 

[fightingirish]

A trainer based on the Hustler 400.
From Flug-Revue 03/1976, page 10

 

[walter]

Think the brief history of the Hustler is:
Hustler 400: PoC/technology demonstrator. First flown 11 January 1978 and registered N400AJ. It seems it only had the P&W PT6A-41 nose engine and NEVER flew with a jet engine in the rear. N400AJ had a T-tail.
The Model 400A was the planned production model with PT6A-41 (nose) and Williams WR-19-3 in the tail
Hustler 500: The second aircraft (N501GA) with larger overall dimensions, low set tail plane and intended as the production version. TPE331-10-501 in nose and JT15D-1 in the tail. First flight 26 January 1981.

 

[flateric]

http://machdiamonds.com/hustlerbrochure.pdf

 

[hesham]

A trainer based on the Hustler 400.
From Flug-Revue 03/1976, page 10

And from Flieger Revue 6/1976.

 

[hesham]

From Aviation magazine 1976.

 

[Bedock5]

Hi Everyone!

One aircraft (unbuilt as far as I know) is the Gulfstream American (AJI) Hustler 500.
It's mixed power propulsion (a single turboprop forward and a single turbofan aft), and in my own opinion, quite an interesting aircraft.
Here's a colour illustration (as always, I hope it's sized correctly!)


Chuck

I have worked on both the peregrine and the hustler 500 with many skilled assemblers some from ww2 and Vietnam veterans and very picky pain in the butt
Engineers

 

[Bedock5]

If I remember correctly, the Hustler 500 with the turboprop removed served as the starting point for their Peregrine trainer.

 

[Bedock5]

If I remember correctly, the Hustler 500 with the turboprop removed served as the starting point for their Peregrine trainer.

If I remember correctly, the Hustler 500 with the turboprop removed served as the starting point for ,possibly correct

My dears,

the Hustler 400 was jet aircraft as six seat business aircraft
led to develope Peregrine 600,and it had not a propellers.

Worked on both wings of the peregrine and the hustler 500 and other parts specially the wings from may of 79 to end of 81 and my apologies that this has nothing to do with engineering just good memories Mike B