Avtek 400 > Avtek 9000T

[Stargazer]

A very original and elegant general aircraft type that unfortunately didn't go past the prototype phase was the Avtek 400. There was an attempt a few years ago to revive the type as the Avtek 9000T for production, but nothing came of it, it seems.

Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avtek_400

An online history of Avtek and the Model 400: http://www.avtekair.com/history.htm

The Avtek 400 still exists today, as evidenced by this link which shows it on a Google Earth photograph:
http://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/avtek-400-at-camarillo-airport/

 

[Stargazer]

Nice image found on Flickr:

 

[RAP]

AVTEX 400 Brochure

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Avtek-400-Rare-Aircraft-Brochure/263448507517?hash=item3d56c1347d:g:upAAAOSw8i9aYpU4

 

[Stargazer]

Amazing: the Avtek 400 prototype was for sale a few months ago for only $5,000... More amazing still, a single aviation enthusiast campaigned to raise that money in order to save the aircraft for a museum, and two weeks into the fundraiser, it was done!

The Avtek 400 is a historical airplane, not just because it represents a unique approach to aircraft design, but also because in its final, revised form (as the Avtek 400A) it represented the great Al Mooney's final contribution to the world of aviation! $5,000 dollars is not even the cost of a market entry second-hand car, and that's what it went for!

Here's a recap of the fundraising campaign and how it went, from enthusiast (and Textron employee) Jason McDowell's Facebook page (I believe he is also on Instagram as cessnateur):​

29 January 2025
The one and only Avtek 400A is officially for sale - for only $5,000! Let’s find it a good home!
For decades, the little 1980s prototype turboprop has been sitting out in the elements at Camarillo, California.
It lacks engines and will never fly again, but the local @EAA chapter has apparently taken possession of it and is selling it to raise money for their operation.
This is good news, because there’s a good chance it will be preserved rather than scrapped or simply left to rot.
If any of you can help find it a good, permanent home in a museum somewhere, that would be amazing. Whether it’s reaching out to museums or maybe finding a company willing to donate their time to help with the transport, it would be great to see this cool piece of aviation history properly preserved in a museum rather than in someone’s backyard.
You can learn about the Avtek’s history by Googling “Avtek 400” and visiting the @flyingmagazine link that appears near the top.
To find the listing itself, you unfortunately must enter the cesspool that is Facebook and search Marketplace near Camarillo, California.
Alternatively, you can visit the chapter I assume is selling it at eaa723.org, though no mention of the Avtek appears on their site.
Here’s hoping the Avtek can find its way to a museum so it can be properly preserved and shared with future aviation enthusiasts!

28 February 2025
Please help me save the one and only Avtek 400 and get it to a museum! The unique turboprop has been abandoned on the ramp at Camarillo, CA since the 1980s and was recently listed for sale by the local @eaa chapter.
One very generous follower has pleged to cover the $5,000 asking price so long as I can find a way to get it to a museum.
I reached out to the @evergreenmuseum and they would love to give it a home next to their Rutan Quickie and @beechcraft Starship.
There’s only one step remaining - raise the necessary $6,000 to pay for it to be carefully disassembled and transported the 950 miles to a place where future generations of aviation enthusiasts can see and appreciate it.
My fear is that if this fundraiser is unsuccessful, the #avtek will wind up rotting away in someone’s backyard or worse, scrapped.
You can read more about this project and donate to the GoFundMe via the link in my bio - and if you google “Avtek 400,” the article I wrote about it for @flyingmagazine should be one of the first linnks.
Together, I hope we can prevent the all-too-common occurrence throughout aviation history of the last example of an aircraft type being lost forever.
Thanks in advance for any support you can provide!

3 March 2025
Only three days after starting the fundraiser to save the #Avtek and get it to a museum, we’re already halfway to the goal!
In case you missed it, the rare Avtek 400 was posted for sale a couple of months ago for $5,000 - a generous follower pleged to cover that cost if I could figure out how to transport it to a museum.
The @evergreen museum in Oregon loves the idea of giving it a home next to their Rutan Quickie and Beechcraft Starship, so I’ve spent the past month or so buried in messages and emails, trying to figure out how to make it happen.
I finally found the perfect shipper - an A&P who can disassemble the thing enough to transport it up to the museum, and now it’s just a matter of raising the funds to cover that.
Thanks so much to everyone who has donated - with $3k to go, I think this just might happen!
To see the whole story and video from the Avtek’s appearance on the Airwolf TV series, you can tap the link in my bio and see all the details in the GoFundMe.

8 March 2025
Honestly, I’m stunned. When I started organizing this effort last month, I wasn’t optimistic we’d ever raise the necessary funds to save the Avtek from being scrapped or left to rot in some rando’s backyard.
But through the generosity of you wonderful people, we’re going to preserve this unique chapter of aviation history and put it on public display at the @evergreenmuseum !
There, the efforts of the #avtek designers and engineers will be seen and appreciated by many, and with any luck, some youngsters will be inspired to leverage their talents and creativity to pursue careers in aviation and aerospace.
Huge thanks and special recognition to @roberto_navaja , who fronted the $5,000 necessary to acquire the aircraft itself.
I spoke to him earlier, and we laughed at the reality that the first airplane he’s ever purchased will be one he’ll never even get to fly.
And a huge thanks to everyone else who donated - the funds you donated will preserve the Avtek and its story for future generations, and that’s something to be proud of.
Thank you so much - I’ll update you all with news of the transport from Camarillo to Oregon, which should occur in about 3-4 weeks!

​

 

[hesham]

From Technika Lotnicza 1987.

 

[hesham]

From JAWA 1991-1992,

there was also Avtek 419.