Cirrus said at Aero Friedrichshafen that it is on track to certificate and deliver its SF-50 Vision in 2012 and 2013 respectively and has secured 70% of suppliers for the personal jet, including risk-sharing partner Williams International and landing-gear provider Triumph. The first FJ33-4A-19-powered test aircraft has chalked up around 250h to date and is expected to complete icing testing next month at the airframer's Duluth, Minnesota facility. "In early 2011 we plan to build enough tooling to allow us to build the two conforming prototypes, the first of which we plan to fly in the middle of the year," says Cirrus vice-president and managing director for International sales Ian Bentley. He says the aircraft will be built in Duluth, "but we may consider a second line in Latin America or Asia".
Cirrus has 425 orders for the $1.71 million Vision. "The recession has led to around 60 cancellations," Bentley says, " but we have taken around the same number of fresh orders".
Bentley also said at the show that Cirrus and former supplier L-3 have resolved their issues over claims that the avionics maker had been spreading incorrect information about the financial status of the airframer. "Cirrus is not going bankrupt; Cirrus was never going bankrupt," he said.
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Source: Flight International
