Air & Space Magazine takes a look back at small, inexpensive personal jets that were commercial failures. According to the article, the cost of fuel kept them out of the sky. Seen here is the SIPA200 Minijet:
First flown in France in 1952, the two-seat Minijet was designed around the world's first practical small turbojet engine, the 330-pound-thrust Turbomeca Palas. With a gross weight of 1,675 pounds, the Minijet was seriously underpowered on takeoff, but could still manage a top speed of 250 mph. The thirst of the little Palas engine, however, limited the airplane's range to 350 miles. Of the seven Minijets built, only two are still flying, one of them in the United States.
