Cirrus Aircraft has ramped-up production of the SF50 Vision Jet to 1.5 aircraft a week, as it seeks to clear the 600-strong order backlog it has for the single-engined personal jet.
Since the six-seat aircraft entered service in December 2016, the airframer has been producing units at a low rate while seeking to iron out any snags in the manufacturing process, says Matt Bergwall, director of the Vision Jet production line. The company is also taking feedback from current owners to help improve the “operational experience”, says Bergwall.
Cirrus Aircraft
“Cirrus has built its success on producing quality products, so every aircraft that rolls off our production line must be in perfect condition,” he says.
Composite parts for the Vision Jet are built at Cirrus’ facility in Grand Forks, North Dakota and then shipped to its headquarters in Duluth, Minnesota, for final assembly.
“We will deliver our 13th aircraft in the first week of October and hope to have 30 jets in customer hands by the end of the year,” says Bergwall.
Production will ramp-up again in the third quarter of 2018 to two aircraft a week. “We hope to be fully up-and-running once we have reached the 100th unit,” says Bergwall. “Then we should be producing between 2.5 and three units a week.”
Source: Flight International
