Third Conforming Cirrus Jet Flies

Cirrus Aircraft now has its full fleet of three test aircraft flying to complete the certification regime for the Vision SF50 personal jet, the company announced this week. The initial flight of the third jet marks a “significant milestone” for the jet program, according to the company’s news release.

Cirrus Aircraft now has its full fleet of three test aircraft flying to complete the certification regime for the Vision SF50 personal jet, the company announced this week. The initial flight of the third jet marks a "significant milestone" for the jet program, according to the company's news release. The first flight-test article, which flew in March, has performed a range of aerodynamic performance and handling tests. This airplane will also be used for in-flight testing of the full-airplane parachute recovery system in the near future, the company said. A second jet launched in November, with its primary focus on Flight Into Known Icing (FIKI) certification. The third jet will be used for reliability and optional equipment testing, and will also be used for flight standards and training evaluations.

All three aircraft combined have logged more than 250 flight hours over 177 flights, Cirrus said. The next aircraft to be built will be the first production aircraft. It is scheduled to roll off the production line in the second half of 2015, with customer deliveries to start in the fourth quarter of 2015.The company says it has more than 500 orders for the jet, which sells for $1.96 million. Performance specs include a high-end cruise speed of 300 knots and a range of about 1,200 nm. The cabin seats up to five adults and two smaller passengers.