Graham Warwick/ATLANTA
SINO SWEARINGEN Aircraft (SSAC) has completed bird-strike testing for the SJ30 light business-jet. Tests were conducted at windshield manufacturer PPG in Huntsville, Alabama, and SSAC says "...the metal cockpit structure required no repairs after the 320kt [590km/h], 4lb [1.8kg] bird strikes."
The first US Federal Aviation Administration certification type board meeting was conducted at SSAC's San Antonio, Texas, headquarters in late November 1995 to familiarise the FAA with the design. US certification of the SJ30 is scheduled for the first quarter of 1998, says SSAC.
Final assembly and flight testing of the first four aircraft will take place at San Antonio. Production aircraft will be assembled at SSAC's planned factory in Martinsburg, West Virginia. The company expects to select suppliers of the SJ30's wing, fuselage and tail in mid-January.
SSAC intends to develop two versions concurrently, the original SJ30-1 and the increased-performance SJ30-2 (Flight International, 4-10 October, 1995, P18). The $3 million SJ30-1 will be powered by two 8kN (1,800lb)-thrust Williams-Rolls FJ44-1As and will have a 3,700km (2,000nm) range at Mach 0.77. Powered by 10kN FJ44-2Cs, the $3.5 million SJ30-2 will cover 5,550km at M0.83.
Source: Flight International
