Business & GA

EBACE 2008: Cirrus targets owner-pilots with The-Jet

Cirrus is showcasing ‘The-Jet’ with a full-size mock-up here at EBACE, along with an SR-22 on the static.

The-Jet is already selling well. With, no final price established, nor an announced timeline for certification, the company holds at least 468 deposits for the aircraft.

But what sort of people are buying The-Jet? Nick Tarratt, director of Cirrus UK, believes customers are similar to its SEP customers. “Typically there are two types of customer. One is the business owner who is a keen aviator and has a requirement to get around the country quickly and efficiently. Most of this type of customer have already flown light aircraft. On the other side are the people who have sold their business or are financially robust and are likely to just use it for leisure.

Alan Klapmeier "It is a simple aircraft"

“It’s also something that can complement a bigger jet. An owned business jet may require three hours’ notice to the crew, and for short intra-country flights this can add significantly to the time. An owner-flown SR22 can do that much quicker,” he adds.

Tarratt says: “The-Jet is the next aircraft up the Cirrus evolution scale. It’s not a VLJ like the Eclipse or the other scaled-down Learjets. “A business jet is sold the person who is going to sit in the back. The-Jet is designed around that front-left seat.

“If he’s already an SR22 Turbo owner, he is used to flying at 25,000ft at 220kt. The-Jet is not a huge step up, yet it offers greater range and it’s pressurised. Because of this it is not a step into a different league, just a step up the ladder,” explains Tarratt.

TheJet will be easy to maintain, according to Alan Klapmeier, Cirrus’ president. Speaking at the show today he said: “It is a simple aircraft and has retained many of the systems of the SR-22. We already have a service centre network and are talking to other providers.”

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