Cirrus is celebrating the recent delivery of the 500th SF50 Vision Jet by creating a special-edition range of five designs, with styling applied to both exterior and interior. This includes 500th Limited Edition branding throughout. At the same time, pilot type ratings issued for the SF50 surpassed 1,000.
The delivery milestone is significant for an aircraft program that went through uncertain times in its early days. Now, however, the world’s first single-engine personal jet has carved out a class-defining niche for itself and has been the best-selling private jet for five years in a row.
Orders continue to grow, with many customers coming from the piston-engine Cirrus SR community, as well as first-time pilots and those who had previously flown other types. Cirrus is building just under two SF50s per week, for an annual rate of around 90. The rate is increasing as demand grows.
Parts are manufactured in Grand Forks, North Dakota, before being trucked to Duluth, Minnesota, for final assembly and completion. Customer delivery is handled at the Cirrus facility in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Knoxville is also home to the Cirrus training center, where there is better weather than Minnesota, especially in the winter. Training is tailored to customer requirements, including a PPL course conducted on SR aircraft. Type rating training in the SF50 full flight simulator takes around two weeks, with the Vision Jet sharing similar avionics and procedures with the SR.
Cirrus has continually improved the SF50, adding new technologies and capabilities. In 2019, the G2 was introduced with autothrottle and increased payload, while RVSM certification enabled the aircraft to attain an altitude of FL310. Based on its Garmin avionics, Safe Return Autoland was introduced in 2020, and the SF50 became the first jet to be certified with this capability.
The G2+ Vision Jet appeared in 2021, with Gogo air-to-ground connectivity and a 25 percent jump in takeoff performance, unlocking 40 percent more airfields in hot and high conditions.
This year, Cirrus introduced the Cirrus IQ mobile aircraft readiness checking app and Garmin Auto Radar, which provides a detailed picture of hazardous weather. Safety is also enhanced: the aircraft is equipped with the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). To date, there have been two CAPS deployments with the SF50, saving four occupants.
A robust support network is in place, based largely on that of the popular SR series. Cirrus also manages the Vision Pilots and Owners organization, which provides a rapid way to share important safety information and also a channel through which owners can help shape future updates.