Cirrus is readying its Vision SF50 prototype for emergency parachute system testing – the last major certification milestone for the single-engined personal jet, which remains on target for service entry at the end of the year.
"We completed ultimate load testing last month," says SF50 product line manager Matthew Bergwall. "This enabled us to verify the strength of the aircraft's canopy."
The tailor-made Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) is now being fitted inside the nose of the second flight test aircraft, C-1. This will be the flying testbed for the system, although all the SF50 prototypes will eventually have the system installed.
“The CAPS is an integral part of the SF50, as it is with our SR20/22 piston singles,” says Bergwall. This feature – which is standard on all Cirrus aircraft – is designed to lower the aircraft safely to the ground after a loss of control, structural failure or mid-air collision. It has so far helped to save the lives of more than 100 people since its introduction on the SR20.
“The team has already spent a great deal of time developing the CAPS for the SF50,” Bergwall adds. “In-flight deployment tests will ensure that everything is in full working order.”
Three aircraft in the SF50 flight test campaign have notched up around 600h to date and Cirrus says the programme is on target to receive US certification in the fourth quarter.
The first Williams International FJ33-powered SF50, designated C-0, entered service in March last year and has notched up 400 flying hours during aerodynamics, performance and stability testing. C-1 joined the programme in November and has undergone 120h of natural ice testing. C2 – the final flying prototype – has flown around 100h since entering service in December. This aircraft has been used for high-intensity radiated fuel and systems testing,
Construction of the first production SF50, designated P1, is almost complete, and the aircraft will join the flight test programme early in the fourth quarter. It will be used for function and reliability testing and eventually as a company demonstrator, according to Bergwall.
“There are three production aircraft in various stages of assembly,” says Bergwall. “We plan to deliver a small number this year, building up to around 70 in 2016 and 100+ the following year.”
Cirrus currently has a backlog of 550 orders for the $1.96 million Garmin G3000-equipped aircraft, mainly from current SR20/22 owners. However, the Duluth, Minnesota-based airframer expects special mission, commercial and corporate operators to eventually account for a sizeable share of the orderbook. “The SR22 [piston-single] is already widely accepted [in the US] as a low-cost charter aircraft. We expect demand for the SF50 will be even greater,” says Bergwall.
The US market represents around 70% of the order tally, followed by Europe with around 10%. “We are working in parallel with EASA and hope to have their approval no more than six months after US certification,” says Bergwall.
Source: Flight International
