Cirrus Aircraft’s [SF50 personal jet] Vision becoming reality

(02/28/13, General Aviation News, J. Wood) After years of stagnation, development of Cirrus Aircraft’s Vision SF50 jet is full steam ahead. Introduced at AirVenture in Oshkosh in 2006, the jet’s first flight was in 2008. Then came the economic collapse and the company’s search for new capital, resulting in the sale of Cirrus to China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA). With backing from its new owners, the company was able to revive the Vision SF50 program, setting it on a path towards certification “before the end of 2015,” according to Dale Klapmeier, the company’s co-founder and CEO. “This has been a long, long program,” he acknowledged recently. “I like to say we’ve been going at the speed of cash.” He admits it’s “not as fast as I’d like,” but reports the company is making progress on the $1.9 million jet, touted as a personal jet designed to fill a niche between piston singles and twins and the Very Light Jet (VLJ). The V-tail jet, which will offer seating for up to five adults and two children, will be powered by a Williams International FJ33 engine and will feature a Garmin glass panel. Other standard features include air conditioning, reclining seats, a pilot “quick-don” emergency oxygen system, and a Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). A new ballistic parachute system is being developed for the jet, building off the improved parachute system just debuted in the company’s Generation 5 models...

 

It isn't reality until its actually on the market......look at the piper jet, diamond jet......eclipse is sorta there

 

I think they're pretty serious about this airplane and I was contacted about a flight test desk job for it. Problem is I am chasing other rainbows or I would be there now. I suspect it will be an excellent airplane for light aircraft pilots to use to transition into jets. The idea of a single engine jet is a bit debatable though, I saw some SETP symposium lectures given by a senior Piper test pilot on the PiperJet who made it sound workable, but thrust line was an issue. PiperJet had an issue with some things like nose down moments, this one seems to have worked it out pretty well.

 

I can't 'splain it but the PiperJet looks good to me, even if it's in an ugly duckling kind of way. Of course single engine jet is forever debatable.

 

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...

 

Flanker----Pride Air

 

Glad to see this sticking point (Honda's turbine engine) is finally near completion. They were looking at an interim solution of hanging Pratts on these airplanes, so it looks like the GE-Honda engine is more likely to be the sole powerplant. Honda is and always has been primarily an engine company, so this is appropriate considering their colorful history in that field.
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HondaJet Engine Closing in on Certification

(P. Bergqvist, 10/22/13, Flying) The much much anticipated HondaJet, which has been trudging toward certification since it first flew nearly a decade ago, is finally getting to the home stretch as the HF120 engine that will power the twinjet is nearing certification. With an emphasis on the word "all," Terry Sharp, president of GE Honda Aero Engines, announced that all certification testing has been completed, all reports have been submitted to the FAA and that the company has "line of sight to type certification by the end of the year."

Honda Aircraft HF120 Turbofan Gains FAA Part 33 Engine Certification.

Flightglobal (12/13, Trimble) reported that the FAA has given Part 33 certification to the Honda Aircraft HF120 turbofan engine, allowing the company to “accelerate efforts” with its HA-420 HondaJet program. Now the project is moving toward FAA type inspection authorization, which would set the “baseline” for its future airworthiness certification. The first production model is now expected to enter service late next year.

 

Eclipse 550 Auto Throttle, Anti-Skid Brake Systems Receive FAA STC

(02/15/2014, Aero News) The First Auto Throttle System In GA FAR Part 23 Aircraft Now Approved And Ready For Flight. The FAA has granted Supplemental Type Certification (STC) to Eclipse Aerospace for both the Auto Throttle and Anti-Skid Brake (ASB) systems for the Eclipse 550 twin-engine jet. The Auto Throttle, developed in partnership with Innovative Solutions & Support, is a first for FAR Part 23 aircraft. The lightweight ASB system is the only ASB in general aviation that does not require a complex aircraft hydraulic system, thereby reducing maintenance and allowing for simple operation with very few components. With the addition of auto throttle system, Eclipse 550 pilots will be able to select the appropriate airspeed for the autopilot to maintain and the autopilot will automatically adjust the engine's power settings in various phases of flight. Along with overspeed and underspeed protection, this new feature will greatly reduce the pilot's workload, and increase the overall safety of flight...

Cirrus Flies First Conforming Vision SF50 Jet

(S. Pope, Flying, 03/25/14) In subfreezing temperatures and buffeting winds, a Cirrus Aircraft test pilot yesterday flew the first production conforming Vision SF50 jet, taking off from Duluth International Airport at around 5 p.m. for the one-hour shakedown test. "The Vision Jet handled and performed very well and all systems functioned properly – just what you want in a first flight," said Cirrus chief test pilot Mike Stevens.

 

$9M for a single VLJ? Did they forget the conversion factor or something?
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Pilatus VLJ unveiled

(B. Whitfield, Flying, 08/052014) The Pilatus PC-24 made its initial appearance this week across the pond with the unveiling of the first twinjet prototype at Buochs Airport in Switzerland. Pilatus took the wraps off its newest creation in a fanfare-filled ceremony that included a fly-by of all the Pilatus aircraft that ever reached production in the company's 75-year history. The PC-24 prototype is the first of three to be completed and is slated to make its maiden flight in spring of next year. Powered by dual Williams FJ44-4A engines and equipped as standard with a cargo door, the PC-24 aims to deliver the versatility and ruggedness Pilatus is known for in jet form. The midsize airplane is expected to have a range of 1,800 nm and a top cruise speed of 425 knots. Orders for the $8.9 million jet have already started rolling in, with the company taking 84 orders alone at the European Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition in Geneva this spring. Pilatus reps say they expect to achieve certification of the jet and begin deliveries in 2017.

 

The PC-24 is by no means a VLJ. Judging by the pics, I'd guess capable of maybe eight pax, and at least 10000# empty.