US aircraft manufacturer Cirrus celebrated the delivery of 500 Vision Jet SF50 aircraft on October 16. To mark the milestone, the company produced a special edition of the jet with up to seven seats.
The best-selling business jet in the world, the SF50 entered service in 2016 and has increased the number of deliveries over the years.
The aircraft differs from super light executive jets by the single FJ33-5 engine, supplied by Williams International and which is installed on the back of the fuselage.
In addition to being light and affordable, the Vision Jet brings some unusual features in the segment such as the CAPS system (Cirrus Airframe Parachute System), an emergency parachute that can be deployed in flight in the event of a breakdown.
The executive jet is also equipped with the Safe Return system, automatic emergency landing and even a simplified flight management application, Cirrus IQ.
While it is much slower than a Phenom 100 (311 knots versus 370 knots cruising speed), the SF50 has a respectable range, 950 nautical miles on average.
More affordable than competitors
The good market reception for the aircraft can be seen in sales in recent years. In 2022, for example, Cirrus delivered 90 Vision Jets while Textron delivered 33 Cessna Citation M2 Gen2s and Embraer just seven Phenom 100s.
One of the attractions is its price, which would be around US$3 million while a new Phenom 100 would cost around US$4.5 million.
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It is worth noting, however, that Cessna and Embraer are already established manufacturers with a broad customer base.
Cirrus, although relevant in the piston aircraft segment, is a newcomer among private jets, which shows that the Vision Jet has good arguments to lead the market.
