birth to the Eclipse very light twin-jet and the
Diamond and Piper single-engine jets.
Cirrus had made its name with the SR20 and SR22
single-engine piston aircraft, so a single-engine
turbofan was an easy choice. The OEM had also
pioneered a whole airframe parachute, for use in dire
emergency. So that, too, was also a no-brainer.
“With the SR we started selling a plane,” Matt
Bergwall, director of the Vision Jet product line
explains, “but we got people into aviation. People
understood the utility of aviation. The Vision Jet was
made to be the next step up.”
Space was another prime objective. Using
composites for the airframe freed Cirrus from the
tyranny of the tube-shaped fuselages resulting from
using aluminium alloy. The ensuing broad, tadpole-
like shape, with space for up to five adults and two
children in three rows, could also do away with the
divide between cockpit and cabin common in
most jets.
This means that if it’s a family travelling together,
they are all in the same space, rather than the
pilot/parent being isolated at the front. “It’s more like
a station wagon than a limousine,” adds Bergwall.Powering Up
Starting up the turbofan is no more complicated
than starting a family automobile’s engine, either.
The turn of a switch, the push of a button, and the
automated systems make sure nothing goes wrong.
That’s an example of the over-arching design
philosophy – take all the functions that are routine or
capable of automation and offer at least the option
of having the aircraft do them by itself. As an
example, once a destination is fed into Cirrus’
Perspective Touch avionics (customized from
Garmin’s G3000 system), the schedule of cabin
pressure changes is handled automatically.
Feeding in power is also simplicity itself – lined
up on the runway I push the single power lever
through the maximum continuous power détente
and unleash the Williams FJ33-5A engine’s
1,836lbst.
At the aircraft’s maximum takeoff weight of
6,000lbs, I don’t expect acceleration to be earth-
shattering, but with only two of us on board it is
sprightly enough. (Even at maximum weight, take-
off distance to clear 50ft is 3,192ft, and climb rate is
up to 2,500ft per minute.) Advertising Enquiries see Page 12 http://www.AVBUYER.com July 2018 – AVBUYERMAGAZINE 79“It’s more like a
station wagon
than a limousine...”
- Matt Bergwall,
Director, Vision Jet
Product Line
Rohit Jaggi holds airplane and helicopter
licenses and frequently conducts flight
tests of airplanes and helicopters for print
and video. He held a number of news edit-
ing and reporting posts with the Financial
Times before becoming a freelance writer.
Find out more via [email protected]Pilot Report.qxp_Finance 19/06/2018 12:13 Page 2