Cirrus Aircraft has marked another milestone in the development of its Vision SF50 personal jet following the first flight late last month of its second production-conforming aircraft.
The third and final certification aircraft is being readied for first flight later in December.
The Duluth, Minnesota-based airframer flew the first SF50, C0, in March. Since then, the Williams International FJ33-powered type has notched up more than 150 flights and 220hof aerodynamic performance and handling testing. C0 will be used to test the SF50's emergency airframe parachute system.
"C1 will be used for an array of certification efforts, including flight into known icing and propulsion testing," Cirrus says. "C2 will be used for reliability and optional equipment testing.”
The seven-seat, carbonfibre SF50 is designed to fill the gap between high-performance piston singles – such as Cirrus' SR22 – and entry-level business jets like the Cessna Citation Mustang and Embraer Phenom 100. The $1.96 million, Garmin G3000-equipped aircraft has a range of1,200nm (2,220km), a stall speed of 61kt and a cruise speed of 300kt (556km/h).
Cirrus says it will shortly unveila dedicated training programme to enable its 500+ position holders to secure their Vision type rating.
Source: Flight International
