Bend, Ore.-based Stratos Aircraft on Tuesday began taking refundable escrowed $50,000 deposits for its single-engine Stratos 714 very light jet. Company chief technology officer Carsten Sundin told AIN that the first 25 aircraft will be sold for $2 million each, after which there will be a modest, but as-yet-undetermined, price increase. According to Sundin, first flight of the Model 714 is planned for the fourth quarter of 2010, with certification and first deliveries expected to follow two years later. Currently, the four-place design is still being refined on computers, though a full-scale wind-tunnel test is planned before first flight, Sundin said. Funding for the program remains a concern, he said, but one investor is already backing the Stratos 714 and the company is close to completing funding that will allow the prototype to be built and flown. Crucially, Stratos also needs a “larger funding round” for certification efforts. Meanwhile, the company will be displaying a full-scale cabin mockup at EAA AirVenture next week in Oshkosh, Wis., as well as at the NBAA Convention this October in Orlando, Fla. The company’s goal for the Williams FJ44-3AP-powered Stratos 714 is to fly 1,400 nm at 400 knots and with four passengers.