Cirrus Design’s step up into a new market will no longer be called ‘the-jet’. Instead, it’s called Cirrus Vision SJ50 – and it made its first 45-minute flight on July 3.
Cirrus has issued performance estimates for the new aircraft The SJ50 is likely to have a cruise speed of 300kt and a maximum altitude of 25,000ft, with its Williams FJ33-4A-19 engine mounted above its V-tail.
About 460 orders have been placed in the year since its debut, and more are expected at this week’s annual Cirrus owner fly-in at the company's Duluth Headquarters, and at AirVenture in Oshkosh from July 28-August 3.
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Owner-operators and families are targeted customers, with sliding and hidden seats giving between four and seven seats. Cirrus has not specified the price except to say it’s between $1 million and $1.3m.
Cirrus CEO Alan Klapmeier is hoping the Vision SJ50 will have the same access capabilityas its top-selling SR22 and SR20 four-sear pistons - he says the new jet could yet take off from grass runways. “We're going to give up high end to get a very comfortable low end,” he says.
Cirrus has also just announced the opening of its Cirrus Greece sales center, and that Integrated Training and Services will serve as the facility for Cirrus Malaysia, the first Cirrus sales center in both countries.
Source: Flight International
