SyberJet SJ30

Last updated
SJ30-2
Sino Swearingen SJ30-2.jpg
A Sino Swearingen SJ30-2 seen at the 2007 Dubai Airshow.
General information
TypeLight business jet
National origin United States of America
Manufacturer SyberJet Aircraft
Designer
Number built8
History
Introduction dateNovember 1, 2006 [1]
First flight13 February 1991 (SJ30-1)
November 1996 (SJ30-2)

The SyberJet SJ30 is a light business jet built by American company SyberJet Aircraft. In October 1986, Ed Swearingen announced the new design, a 6 to 8 person aircraft powered by two Williams FJ44 turbofans. Initially backed by Gulfstream Aerospace from October 1988, the Jaffe Group took over in September 1989 and the first SJ-30 flew on February 13, 1991 but development halted afterwards. The Taiwan-based Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corporation rescued the program, the jet was stretched by 4.3 ft (1.3 m) into the SJ30-2 with a wingspan increased by six feet (1.8 m).

Contents

It made its first flight on November 8, 1996 and was certified by the FAA on October 27, 2005, before a first delivery by November 1, 2006. Dubai investors acquired Sino Swearingen in 2008, changing its name to Emivest, but production ceased in November 2009 and the company filed for bankruptcy on October 26, 2010. On April 7, 2011, assets were sold to its aft fuselage supplier Metalcraft Technologies, renaming the company SyberJet Aircraft and planning to restart production in 2019. With updated avionics and interior, the SJ30i made its maiden flight on October 9, 2019.

Development

An SJ30 prototype Sj30 prototype.jpg
An SJ30 prototype

Ed Swearingen announced a new design for a light twin business jet in October 1986, the SA-30 Fanjet. [2] The SA-30 was to be a 6 to 8 person aircraft powered by two Williams FJ44 turbofans and with a highly swept wing of relatively small area. It was planned to be more efficient than contemporary business jets, and to sell for $2 million. [3] In October 1988 an agreement was signed with Gulfstream Aerospace with the SA-30 to be manufactured and sold by Gulfstream as the Gulfstream Gulfjet. Gulfstream withdrew from the project in September 1989, causing Swearingen to get backing from the Jaffe Group of San Antonio, with the aircraft to be built in a factory next to Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. This resulted in the aircraft again being redesignated as the SJ-30 (later "SJ30-1").

The first SJ-30 flew on 13 February 1991, and was demonstrated at the 1991 Paris Air Show, but development ground to a halt when financial support from the state of Delaware was withdrawn. [3] The program was rescued by Lockheed, who arranged a joint venture between Swearingen and Taiwanese investors as part of the offset agreement for Taiwan's purchase of the F-16 fighters. The Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corporation was set up, with the aircraft now to be built at Martinsburg, West Virginia. [3]

1995-2008: Sino Swearingen

It was subsequently decided to modify the original design as the SJ30-2, with a 4 ft 4in (1.32 m) longer fuselage and wingspan increased by six feet (1.83 m). [4] This promised a significant increase in range. The prototype was modified and flew in the new configuration on 8 November 1996, and with the intended FJ44-2a engines on 4 September 1997. [3] Amidst construction delays caused by funding issues, two "as-designed" pre-production aircraft (serial numbers 002, performing the aerodynamics/stability & control testing; and 003, performing systems testing) were built and the design entered certification testing.

In 1996 Sino Swearingen petitioned to certify as a Commuter Category aircraft arguing that it was as safe, or safer than the current Part 23 Commuter Category aircraft. At the time only the Fairchild Metro 23 and the Beechcraft 1900D had been certified under these rules. Approval of this request allowed the SJ30 program to exceed the 12,500 lbs takeoff weight limit of Part 23 and paved the way for other companies to follow the SJ30 lead.

In April 2003, S/N 002 crashed during flight testing, causing further delays in the certification program. The crash was attributed to "incomplete high-Mach design research, which resulted in the airplane becoming unstable and diverging into a lateral upset." [5] [6] After a series of additional design changes, S/N 004, originally slated as the functionality & maintainability (F & M) test article, took over the testing role of S/N 002 (with S/N 005 taking on the F & M role).

The SJ30-2 was certified by the FAA on October 27, 2005. [7] The first production SJ30, S/N 006, was delivered to its first customer by November 1, 2006. [1]

2008-2011: Emivest

Sino Swearingen was acquired by investors from Dubai in 2008. The Dubai-based company became the majority shareholder in Sino Swearingen, with the Taiwanese government and private investors taking minority stakes. The company name was changed to the Emivest Aerospace Corporation.

The order book for the $7.5 million aircraft was reported to be largely unaffected by the funding setbacks, with the tally reportedly exceeding 300 units including 159 from Action Aviation.

Production ceased in November 2009. [8] On October 26, 2010, Emivest filed for bankruptcy after being unable to find further funds to continue operations. [9]

Since 2011: Metalcraft

On April 7, 2011, a judge approved sale of Emivest assets to MT LLC of Utah, an ownership group affiliated with Metalcraft Technologies, Inc. of Cedar City, Utah, a parts supplier for the SJ30. According to a news article, Emivest vice president Mark Fairchild stated that according to his understanding, MT planned to maintain Emivest as a jet manufacturer, though he didn't know any details. [10]

As of June 15, 2011, Metalcraft Technologies, the Cedar City, Utah-based company that purchased Emivest out of bankruptcy, MT LC, announced that the new company name would be SyberJet Aircraft. [11] Metalcraft also owns the SJ30 type certificate. [12] [13] Metalcraft-owned SyberJet plans to restart production in 2019. [8]

Metalcraft Technologies was the aft fuselage supplier for the aircraft and its parent MTI made the acquisition in 2011. [14] The five incomplete jets acquired from Emivest will be offered as SJ30is, an upgraded SJ30-2 certificated in 2005 with four in service. SJ30i is FJ44-3AP-2A-powered, has new avionics based on Honeywell’s Primus Epic 2.0, and redesigned interior. [15] It is priced at $8.5 million. [16]

The SJ30i made its maiden flight on 9 October 2019 from San Antonio, Texas, starting an 18-month certification test program with deliveries planned for early 2021. [17] In January 2020, it completed a series of avionics tests (so-called aircraft control identification (ACID) tests), logging 55 hours in total. [18]

The $9 million SJ30x will be the new production from Serial number 15, with leaner and higher thrust FJ44-3AP-25s; certification and service entry are scheduled for 2023. [16]

Design

The SJ30 can seat up to six passengers plus one pilot. A unique feature of this aircraft is that it maintains a 'sea level cabin' (zero cabin altitude) up to 41,000 ft [19] (due to its 12 psi differential pressure) thereby reducing fatigue due to high cabin altitude on long journeys.

The SJ30 was the first aircraft designed around a 12 psi (0.83 bar) cabin for more comfort in the cabin. The 12 psi cabin results in a sea level cabin through 41,000 ft and less than a 1,800 ft cabin at its ceiling of 49,000 ft. The 12 psi cabin was first demonstrated in flight by company pilots on August 23, 2004.

Operational history

By 2023, only a single SJ-30 was flying. [20]

Records

The SJ30 holds the following world's records through the FAI/NAA:

In 2006, Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), the international umbrella organization of the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) awarded Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corporation's SJ30 the FAI Honorary Group Diploma.

Variants

SJ30-1 (flown, but never certified)
Prototype (S/N 001) later modified to SJ30-2 standard.
SJ30-2 (certified in 2005)
Stretched production variant.
Sino Swearingen Aircraft manufactured: Flight test articles (S/N's 002, 003, and 004); Production aircraft (S/N's 005, 006, and 007).
Emivest Aerospace manufactured: S/N's 008 and 010.
SJ30i, by SyberJet Aircraft; scheduled to be certified by 2021
SJ30-2 with new SyberVision avionics and new Jason Castriota Interior (S/N's 005, 009, 011, 012, 013, and 014); Retrofits (S/N 005).
SJ30x; planned for 2023
SJ30i powered by Williams International FJ44-3AP-25 engines. Begins at S/N 015.

Specifications (SJ30i)

Data from Business & Commercial Aviation [21]

General characteristics

Performance

Avionics

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embraer Phenom 100</span> Very light business jet

The Embraer EMB-500 Phenom 100 is a very light (VLJ) business jet designed and produced by the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer. Announced in November 2005, it made its first flight on 26 July 2007 and was awarded a type certificate in December 2008; the first aircraft was delivered the same month. The Phenom 100 has been stretched into the larger Embraer Phenom 300. Powered by two rear-mounted Pratt & Whitney Canada PW600 turbofans, it can transport four to seven passengers, with a range of 1,178 nautical miles [nmi] with four occupants. As of April 2023, 401 had been delivered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawker 400</span> Twinjet business aircraft

The Hawker 400 is a light business jet. Initially designed and built by Mitsubishi, it has been further developed and updated by the Beech Aircraft Company, now part of Textron Aviation. A military version, the T-1 Jayhawk was also produced. In total, over 900 Hawker 400s have been delivered. In 2017, Hawker began to offer a manufacturer supported upgrade package known as the Hawker 400XPR. The new modifications are intended to reduce fuel consumption and improve range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cessna Citation family</span> Business jet family

The Cessna Citation is a family of business jets by Cessna that started in 1972 with the entry into service of the first model. In the fifty years following the 1969 first flight, more than 7,500 Citations were delivered, forming the largest business jet fleet. Deliveries reached 8,000 by 2022, while logging over 41 million flight hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulfstream G100</span> Business jet

The Gulfstream G100, formerly known as the IAI Astra SPX, is an Israel Aerospace Industries-manufactured twin-engine business jet, that was produced for Gulfstream Aerospace. Deliveries began in 1986. The United States Navy employs the aircraft as the C-38A Courier. A later derivative known as the G150 was launched in 2002. Gulfstream announced the final sale of the G150 in September 2016 and the last delivery by mid-2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beechcraft Premier I</span> American light business jet

The Beechcraft Premier I is a light business jet aircraft manufactured by the Beechcraft division of Hawker Beechcraft. The aircraft was designed to compete with the Cessna CitationJet series of aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piper PA-47 PiperJet</span> American prototype VLJ

The Piper PA-47 "PiperJet" was a single-engined very light jet (VLJ) that was intended to be developed and built by Piper Aircraft. However, following a change of ownership at Piper, it was decided to redesign the aircraft as the PiperJet Altaire. Despite being technically successful, the Altaire project was canceled in October 2011 due to economic conditions. The aircraft is the first proposed single-engined civilian aircraft with a podded engine located on the tail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cirrus Vision SF50</span> Very light business jet

The Cirrus Vision SF50, also known as the Vision Jet, is a single-engine very light jet designed and produced by Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minnesota, United States.

SyberJet Aircraft (SJA) is an American aircraft manufacturer. The company's headquarters is in Cedar City, Utah adjacent to the Cedar City Regional Airport with additional engineering offices and manufacturing, service, repair and fatigue test facilities near and on the San Antonio International Airport in San Antonio, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cessna CitationJet/M2</span> Light business jet

The Cessna CitationJet/CJ/M2 are a series of light business jets built by Cessna, and are part of the Citation family. Launched in October 1989, the first flight of the Model 525 was on April 29, 1991. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification was awarded on October 16, 1992, and the first aircraft was delivered on March 30, 1993. The CJ series are powered by two Williams FJ44 engines; the design uses the Citation II's forward fuselage with a new carry-through section wing and a T-tail. The original CitationJet model has been updated into the CJ1/CJ1+/M2 variants; additionally, the CJ1 was stretched into the CJ2/CJ2+ which was built between 2000 and 2016. The design was then further developed into the CJ3/CJ3+, built from December 2004 to present, and finally into the CJ4 which has been built since 2010. By June 2017, 2,000 of all variants had been delivered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulfstream G650/G700/G800</span> Executive jet aircraft

The Gulfstream G650 is a large business jet produced by Gulfstream Aerospace. The model is designated Gulfstream GVI in its type certificate. The aircraft can be configured to carry from 11 to 18 passengers over a range of 7,000 nautical miles [nmi] at a top speed of Mach 0.925. The aircraft is powered by two Rolls-Royce BR725 turbofans, mounted on the rear fuselage. Gulfstream began the G650 program in 2005 and revealed it to the public in 2008. The G650ER is an extended-range version of the G650, adding about 500 nmi by modifying the fuel system, an upgrade offered for existing G650 aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulfstream G400/G500/G600</span> Executive transport aircraft family

The Gulfstream G400, G500, and G600 (GVII) are American twin-engine business jets designed and produced by Gulfstream Aerospace. The aircraft are designated Gulfstream GVII-G500 and GVII-G600 in their type certificate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grob G180 SPn</span> Type of aircraft

The Grob G180 SPn is a low-wing twin-engined composite corporate jet designed and built by German aircraft manufacturer Grob Aerospace. Development was suspended during 2008 in response to the Grob's insolvency; since then, multiple efforts have been made to re-launch the programme. Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) has bought the Intellectual Property rights of the aircraft and will manufacture it in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bombardier Global 7500</span> Business jet

The Bombardier Global 7500 and Global 8000 are ultra long-range business jets developed by Bombardier Aviation and remain the largest business jets in the world. Announced in October 2010, the program was delayed by two years due to a wing redesign. The 7500, originally named the 7000, made its first flight on November 4, 2016, was type certified by Transport Canada on September 28, 2018, and entered service on 20 December 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VisionAire Vantage</span> Type of aircraft

The VisionAire VA-10 Vantage is a prototype single-engined light business-jet designed and developed by the American company VisionAire Jets Corporation. Originally planned for production in the late 1990s, the original VisionAire Corporation failed in 2003. The project was acquired by Eviation Jets, which planned to produce it as the redesigned EV-20 Vantage Jet. Eviation also failed, and in 2012 the design was relaunched by a revived VisionAire under its original design.

Nextant Aerospace is a United States–based company specializing in the remanufacturing of business jets. Founded in 2007, Nextant is the first company to introduce the concept of aircraft remanufacturing to the business jet market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Learjet 70/75</span> Type of aircraft

The Learjet 70/75 is a mid-sized business jet airplane manufactured by the Learjet division of Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace. With production ending in 2022, it is the last Learjet model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cessna Citation Longitude</span> Super-midsize American business jet first flown in 2016

The Cessna Citation Longitude is a business jet produced by Cessna, part of the Cessna Citation family. It remains the largest business jet by Cessna. Announced at the May 2012 EBACE, the Model 700 made its first flight on October 8, 2016, with certification obtained in September 2019. The aluminum airframe has the fuselage cross-section of the Citation Latitude, stretched by a seat row. Powered by Honeywell HTF7000 turbofans, it has a new ~28° swept wing and a T-tail for a 3,500 nmi (6,500 km) range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilatus PC-24</span> Twin-engine business jet by Pilatus Aircraft

The Pilatus PC-24 is a light business jet produced by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. Following the success of the PC-12 single engine turboprop, work on the twin engine jet began in 2007 for greater range and speed, keeping the rugged airfield capability. The aircraft was introduced on 21 May 2013 and rolled out on 1 August 2014, with the maiden flight on 11 May 2015. The PC-24 received EASA and FAA type certification on 7 December 2017 and the first customer delivery was on 7 February 2018. Powered by two Williams FJ44 turbofans, it competes with the Embraer Phenom 300 and the Cessna Citation CJ4.

The Stratos 714 is an American very light jet aircraft under development by Stratos Aircraft of Redmond, Oregon. The project was announced in July 2008, a prototype first flew on 21 November 2016, although Stratos currently lacks the funding to complete type certification. Predominantly made of carbon composite, the single turbofan aircraft would seat four to six at 400 kn (740 km/h) over up to 1,500 nmi (2,800 km).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dassault Falcon 6X</span> French business jet

The Dassault Falcon 6X is a large, long-range business jet developed by Dassault Aviation in France. Its precursor, the Falcon 5X twinjet, was launched in 2013, rolled-out in 2015 and made its first flight on July 5, 2017, but its development was frozen as its Safran Silvercrest engine failed to meet performance objectives. In December 2017, the Falcon 6X was launched as a stretched version with PW812D turbofans, made its first flight on 10 March 2021, and entered service on 30 November 2023.

References

  1. 1 2 "Sino Swearingen Delivers First Production SJ30 Jet" (Press release). Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corporation. November 1, 2006 – via business wire.
  2. ↑ Taylor, John W. R. (1987). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1987–88. London: Jane's Publishing. p. 525.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Rupertson, Francis (November 2000). "Farther, Faster and Higher, For Less". Air International . pp. 285–292. ISSN   0306-5634.
  4. ↑ Lambert, Mark (1994). Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1993–94. Couldson, UK: Jane's Data Division. p. 574. ISBN   0-7106-1066-1.
  5. ↑ "N138BF". ASN.
  6. ↑ "National Transportation Safety Board Aviation Accident Final Report" (PDF).
  7. ↑ "Type Certificate Data Sheet No. A00001AC" (PDF). FAA. January 16, 2013.
  8. 1 2 Chad Trautvetter (July 19, 2018). "SyberJet To Fly SJ30i with New Avionics in Coming Weeks". AIN online.
  9. ↑ "Aircraft manufacturer Emivest files for bankruptcy". San Antonio Business Journal. Oct 27, 2010.
  10. ↑ William Pack (Apr 7, 2011). "Emivest sale to Utah firm approved". my San Antonio.
  11. ↑ William Pack (June 15, 2011). "Will Emivest now take flight?". my San Antonio.
  12. ↑ Alton K. Marsh (July 20, 2012). "Swearingen SJ30 prepares for comeback". AOPA.
  13. ↑ "In The Pipeline" . Aviation Week & Space Technology. 14 October 2013. p. 71.
  14. ↑ Kate Sarsfield (9 Oct 2018). "Business jets programmes in the works". Flightglobal.
  15. 1 2 Kate Sarsfield (9 Jan 2019). "SyberJet SJ30i poised for maiden flight". Flightglobal. Archived from the original on 10 January 2019.
  16. 1 2 Kate Sarsfield (28 Jan 2020). "SyberJet SJ30i completes key tests as approval set for early 2021".
  17. ↑ Kate Sarsfield (11 Oct 2019). "SyberJet launches SJ30i flight-test campaign". Flightglobal.
  18. ↑ Kate Sarsfield (Jan 28, 2020). "SyberJet SJ30i completes key tests as approval set for early 2021".
  19. ↑ Gerzanics, Mike (27 April 2010), "FLIGHT TEST: Embraer Phenom 300", Flightglobal , Reed Business Information, retrieved 28 March 2015
  20. ↑ Horne, Thomas A. (3 May 2023). "Living Legend". AOPA. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  21. ↑ "Purchase Planning Handbook" (PDF). Business & Commercial Aviation. Aviation Week Network. June 2019.
  22. 1 2 3 4 "SJ30". SyberJet. Retrieved Jul 5, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.