At $2M, this jet is nearly a steal
Vision SF50 could change the industry
By the time I started to move the joystick — and the plane banked in response — I was hooked.
The only thing that stopped me from ordering this personal jet were the little matters of being untrained as a pilot and not having the $2 million it lists for.
That’s cheap for a personal jet. Cirrus Aircraft, based in Duluth, Minn., is marketing the new Vision SF50 as the most affordable personal jet on the market. By comparison, the Eclipse Canada, another competitor in the very light jet, or VLJ, category, is priced at $3.7 million.
As a result, the Vision Jet is the kind of plane that Cirrus says could have a big impact on the aviation market — bringing a jet much closer to the affordability range of many pilots who now opt for turboprop or piston planes.
With seating for five adults and two kids, the Vision Jet is on the small side as private jets go, but it still has impressive capability. It has a top speed of 345 mph. Maximum range is 1,380 miles, putting city pairs such as Denver to Atlanta within non-stop reach.
On a test flight over Los Angeles, the Vision Jet proves stable, roomy and fast. The single Williams International FJ33-5A engine, capable of producing 1,800 pounds of thrust, has us cruising at 300 mph at 14,000 feet, halfway to the maximum ceiling. By comparison, a plane such as the Piper Seneca, powered by two propellers, cruises at about 186 mph (and costs about half as much, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association).
On the tarmac at Santa Monica Airport, past Los Angeles’ western edge, the Vision Jet certainly looked small for a jet. With cherry-red accents on its clean white fuselage, the plane stands 10 feet high and is about 30 feet long — a toy-like stature dwarfed by the 50-foot jets around the airfield.
Cirrus executive Ben Kowalski, who joined us on the flight, touted the plane’s “ramp appeal.” Other pilots and casual passersby flash a thumbs-up and even ask to take pictures with the plane on the ground.
Once inside, the plane feels bigger than it appears — spacious, even. With a cabin that’s 4.1 feet tall and 5.1 feet wide, the experience is not unlike being in a roomy SUV, a feeling supported by the plane’s smooth leather seats. Yet inside it’s possible to stretch out your legs fully without bumping into anyone. Though there is no fridge and a bathroom is optional, the Vision Jet has cupholders, satellite radio and USB charging ports.
The Vision was designed for a single pilot, usually an owner, with no professional pilot required at the controls. Buyers must have a pilot’s license to add their name to the order list, but the plane has safety features that allow even an unskilled novice to briefly take the joystick. During my test flight, the Garmin Perspective Touch electronic navigation system kept the plane on course.
And in a worst-case scenario, there’s always Cirrus’ wholeplane parachute, which unfolds from the nose of the jet and brings the aircraft gently to the ground. Cirrus credits the system for saving up to 90 lives since its inception.