New Cirrus Jet Prototype Set for Unveiling Soon

(B. Whitfield, 04/23/13, Flying) The first production-conforming version of the much-anticipated Cirrus Jet is slated to roll out by the end of this year, with flight testing to begin in 2014. Since the first Cirrus Jet prototype was unveiled in 2008, the program has completed more than 600 flight hours. Cirrus is currently building the newest prototype — the first of three production-conforming airplanes slated for testing — with data gleaned from those flight evaluations. Cirrus initially began accepting deposits for the Vision Jet in 2006, but the program struggled for funding in the years that followed as the financial downturn descended on general aviation. The CAIGA buyout of Cirrus in 2011 breathed new life into the program, providing needed financial resources as well as access to the burgeoning aviation market in China. Cirrus says more than 500 orders for the single-engine jet have poured in. A report in a Chinese newspaper cites Meng Xiangkai, chairman of CAIGA — the state-owned Chinese corporation that took ownership of Cirrus Aircraft in 2011 — as stating the price for early buyers of the Cirrus Jet has been set at $1.8 million, but that the cost could rise to $2 million as the jet nears delivery.

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I knew this was coming, a slide in the whole program. They may choose to certify the airplane using P&Ws or Williams off-the-shelf equipment to save face.

HA-420 HondaJet Engine Certification Delayed To Late 2014.

Flight International (5/8, Trimble) reports, "Honda Aircraft says today that certification of the HA-420 HondaJet is delayed by roughly one year to late-2014 as development of the light jet's all-new engine continues to fall behind schedule." The article notes that Honda would not explain what exactly caused the delay. The article also noted that because most companies develop a new airframe and propulsion system at different times, it was "ambitious" for Honda Aircraft to produce these simultaneously. Production has also been "particularly difficult" over the years as "the turbofan failed a critical ice slab test in a certification trial in February 2011, which delayed the project by one year already."


One of the first G3000 cockpits...
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Wings Mated on First Production Cessna Citation M2

(P. Bergqvist, 05/09/2013, Flying) Cessna employees in Independence, Kansas, had reason to celebrate this week as the first production Citation M2 fuselage was attached to its wings. “This is the moment when we can see an aircraft take shape, and we hope it is equally exciting for our customers who want to start flying their M2,” said Dick Friesen, Cessna value stream manager for the Mustang and M2. The next phase for the M2 is engine mounting and functional testing of the hydraulics, flight controls and Intrinzic Flight Deck, which includes Garmin’s touch-screen G3000 integrated avionics system. Cessna claims it is on target to achieve certification for the Citation M2 in the second half of this year and the first production airplane will likely be delivered shortly thereafter. With a starting price of $4.395 million, the M2 fills the slot between Cessna’s entry level jet — the Citation Mustang — and the Model 525 CJ2+, a slot previously occupied by the CJ1+, which was taken out of production in 2011...