Undertaking the development of a light jet is a project “not for the faint of heart,” Cirrus CEO Brent Wouters said at AOPA’s Aviation Summit on Thursday, but he assured the press who had gathered for his update that Cirrus is up to the task. “We are making progress,” he said. The team working on the Vision Jet is smaller than it was, and progress is less dramatic now that they are out of the flight-test phase and focused on detailed internal and structural design. He said the project is “capital constrained,” and unless new investment is found soon, it’s “highly unlikely” that a timeline for deliveries in 2012 will be possible, and he declined to project a new date. “Progress will depend entirely on access to capital,” he said. “We’re working hard to find that capital, but it’s just not available today.” Wouter also announced that Avidyne’s Entegra Release 9 integrated flight deck system is now available as a factory-installed option on selected new SR20 and SR22 aircraft.
Release 9 features an innovative page-and-tab user interface that the company says makes it easier to access data than the standard hierarchical menus and pop-up windows. The system aims to reduce complexity and head-down time while providing redundancy and safety. AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli took a look at the system when it was introduced in December, click here for his video report.
