Cirrus breaks the unbreakable price mark for an entry-level jet, and produced one of the most remarkable aircraft in decades in the process

by Matt Scanlon

A $2 million expenditure is an extraordinary sum of money under almost any circumstances, but in the personal jet marketplace, it actually marks a remarkably thrifty entry point. Consider that, until last year, the typical starter fee for ultra-small jets was $3.7 million for the HA-420 Honda Jet and $2.7 million for the Cessna Citation Mustang. (There have been rumblings for years about a $1.2 million Sport Jet II from Sport Jet Limited and the almost incredibly affordable $1 million Epic Victory from Aviation Industry Corporation of China, but neither maker currently has models available for purchase.) So, when Cirrus Aircraft’s SF50 Vision, after seven years of development, was given FAA certification in October of last year, its $1.97 million price tag was a thunder strike to the industry. By July of that year, the company had already registered 600 orders, and the first delivered aircraft arrived in December.

At just 6,000 pounds maximum gross weight (including fuel) and powered by a single Williams FJ33-5A turbofan outputting 1,800 lbs. of thrust, the Vision has a remarkable six-passenger capacity, can cruise at 345 mph, and its range of just under 700 miles is sufficient for most short-hop business and recreational flights. Among its pilot assets is the Cirrus Perspective Touch by Garmin flight deck, which delivers an array of sophisticated, easy-to-use global navigation capabilities and safety features at the touch of a finger.

The SF50 will achieve a flight level of 28,000 feet in a cool 20 minutes, and perhaps most notably, its stall speed of 67 mph is the result of an airframe so forgiving and cleverly conceived that we simply can’t think of a better way for prop aircraft pilots accustomed to Cessna 172s and the like to find a faster, higher purpose in life.

Cirrus SF50
Cirrus Aircraft, c/o Million Air, 136 Tower Road Hangar M, West Harrison, NY
Sales contact: Eric Sanderman / 914.319.4684