Sino Swearingen Aircraft has begun flight testing a second conforming prototype of the SJ30-2 light business jet. The San Antonio, Texas-based, Taiwan-backed firm says it will announce a certification date after first flight of the third conforming prototype, which is expected "shortly".
The second prototype, aircraft 0003, will be used for hot and cold weather testing, flight into known icing, and testing of pressurisation, systems, avionics and auto- pilot. Aircraft 0004 will be used for avionics and systems testing. Aircraft 0002 is being used for aerodynamic and handling qualities testing and has logged 300h, reaching a maximum operating Mach number of 0.83 and 49,000ft (15,000m) altitude.
Construction of the first customer aircraft, 0005, is under way at the company's Martinsburg, West Virginia, plant. Fuselages and wings for production aircraft will be manufactured in Martinsburg, while empennage fabrication and aircraft final assembly and flight test will take place in San Antonio.
Source: Flight International