Cirrus Aircraft, approaching certification of its new SF50 Vision single-jet aircraft, has begun development of the first customer models. Work is under way on three production “pilot” units (P1, P2 and P3), said Pat Waddick, Cirrus' president of innovation and operations. The aircraft will be used to “prove out” the manufacturing sequence, he said. Cirrus plans to retain the first unit for its own use, with P2 and P3 to be delivered to customers. While plans call for deliveries to begin shortly after certification, Waddick stressed that Cirrus is more focused on having the correct processes in place than on sticking to a strict delivery schedule.

As the company plans to transition into to certification and delivery, it still has a number of key tests upcoming in the certification program. These include full deployment of the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), function and reliability testing and additional damage tolerance testing, Waddick said.

The company, which has been flying three conforming models since 2014, is now moving toward obtaining type inspection authorization, which will enable FAA “to sample our data,” he said. The company already has either completed or made significant progress a number of key tests, including natural ice testing, CAPS drop-load testing and wing static testing.

Cirrus also is continuing to refine features on the aircraft, including plans to “Cirrus-ize” the Garmin G3000 avionics panel. Details on those plans are anticipated in the upcoming weeks, Waddick said. Powered by a single Williams FJ33-5A engine, the $1.9 million jet will seat five passengers, fly at 300 ktas and have a range of more than 1,000 nm.