SJ30 is back

[Flying Mechanic]

good news in the light jet market.....

SyberJet Aircraft has rebranded its revamped SJ30 business aircraft as the SJ30i, as well as launching a more powerful version of the light-cabin twinjet, dubbed the SJ30x.

The Cedar City, Utah-based airframer, which broke ground on 1 May at its completion and delivery centre, has named actor and SJ30 owner Morgan Freeman as launch customer for both aircraft, as well being a “brand ambassador” for SyberJet.

“Freeman has been operating his current SJ30 since 2009 amassing over 1,000 flight hours, [including] 12 transatlantic crossings,” says SyberJet, whose parent company, MSC Aerospace, purchased the assets of the former SJ30 owner, Emivest Aerospace in April 2011.

The start-up is planning to fly the SJ30i later this year, equipped with its Honeywell Primus Apex-based flightdeck called SyberVision. The SJ30i will also feature a new interior when it enters service in the second half of 2015.

The SJ30x is scheduled to enter service around two years later, featuring more powerful Williams International FJ44-3AP-25 engines and dual FADEC controls. “The SJ30x will offer more range, quicker time to climb, higher cruise speed at altitude, better hot-and-high performance, increased payload and single-point pressure refuelling,” says SyberJet.

[LGW Vulture]

Some people are very clever in selling to investors.

The basically flawed concept didn't work first time and it won't work now.

What's the betting on airframe sales? Less than 10 deliveries I'll hazard a guess. They'll probably announce 250 orders plus! :ugh::ugh:

[Booglebox]

Lighten up LGWV. This is great news for a surperb airplane! I can imagine it taking a chunk of CJ3/CJ4 marketshare.

[LGW Vulture]

Lighten up? Yeah right, tell the investors that in a few years time when their cash has gone to $hit!

Anyway come on tell me, why is it such good news for the light jet market?

[fairflyer]

Is this serious? What an extraordinarily easy way to lose a staggering amount of money. It was a great, innovative aircraft design twenty plus years ago when being developed but a re-launch, today, in this market!?! It's a tiny cabin pocket rocket that looks nice on the ramp, but really, you'd need your head examining if you paid money for that.

[Booglebox]

I have no dog in this fight but it's just an awesome plane (sea-level cabin to F450, speed, range), and now it has a modern flight deck!
Whichever way you cut it, it thrashes the competiton, except maybe the future PC-24... :cool:

[galaxy flyer]

booglebox

What color is the sky in Timbuktu?

GF

[Caboclo]

This thing has been bouncing from investor to investor forever. If it's so awesome, why hasn't it made someone a lot of money by now?

[stilton]

'Orphan' family of one. No name recognition, limited product support.


I'm sure it's a great aircraft but unless you are Morgan Freeman it's probably tough to keep it in the air.

[Booglebox]

GF: no idea, I haven't been outside in months :}

I bet you're all right, and that it's probably a lost cause, and not a good commercial endeavour or product to buy. But... it's still a cool plane. :cool:

[eelb]

This thing's been lurking around since the late 80's when Swearingen designed it.

Got that weird carrier based landing gear, like they salvaged it off an old F-8 Crusader. Looks like a Falcon 10 and a F-8 decided to have children.

Having Freeman as an "owner-pilot" for a spokesman, probably isn't the best of choices. He's pushing 80 years old, and I don't think he's had a medical certificate since an auto accident a few years back.

[what next]

Having Freeman as an "owner-pilot" for a spokesman...

I don't think they have a lot of owner-pilots (or owners, or pilots...) to choose from.

[tuna hp]

Is there some niche where this would be a perfect plane? Maybe something that routinely requires sending teams of just 1 or 2 people to distant cities, where the destinations usually have pretty long runways (after all, the cessnas and phenoms have shorter field requirements).

My hunch is that for most corporations and high net worth types, while they would appreciate the range and speed, they also appreciate the ability to carry more passengers. It looks like a fighter jet on the outside but it feels like a fighter jet on the inside too. not very impressive to guests like board members or potential clients.

[eelb]

The airplane appeals to the wealthy captives of pop culture, who want something unique with a lot of sex appeal. The same people who bought the Beech Starship and DeLorean automobile.

There are more practical ways to get that 2500 mile range. It simply involves paying a copilot, which is chicken feed when talking about an investment of this sort.

If you absolutely need 2500 miles single pilot, buy a 25 year old Citation II and stick some FJ-44's on it, along with the aft tank mod.

[EN48]

The airplane appeals to the wealthy captives of pop culture, who want something unique with a lot of sex appeal. The same people who bought the Beech Starship and DeLorean automobile.


Pretty much says it all. Unless and until they can offer support at the Citation or Gulfstream level, this thing is toast. :eek:

[AdamFrisch]

I wish it the best of luck and am rooting for it. It's still the prettiest little single pilot jet ever made, in my opinion. Ed Swearingen always designed pretty planes.

http://www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/5/0/6/1512605.jpg

[His dudeness]

It's still the prettiest little single pilot jet ever made

I think its fuggin ugly.

[what next]

Ed Swearingen always designed pretty planes.

Have you ever seen a Metroliner? :}

[EN48]

Have you ever seen a Metroliner?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder! :eek: I'd have to agree that the SJ30 is a nice looking aircraft. But even more important, there is so much more to owning and operating an aircraft than how it looks or how fast it flies.

[HyFlyer]

His Dudeness's eyesight is clearly failing........any opticians in the house?

It's last chance for this machine to make it. It surely has a niche as a fast long range light jet. If the support is established efficiently then it is a cost effective aircraft.

If it's about business.....then the SJ30 clearly can still establish itself. The operating numbers are still impressive, even today.

However, they need to have 30-50 of these flying and being supported before the mainstream buyers are goingto start pony'ing up the big bucks for fleet orders.

If they can get past this threshold and taken seriously then other ideas from a creative team could be very interesting for the industry.

[chuks]

It would be a very risky investment, pretty or not. If you can get something close to that from Cessna, say, then you would be looking at a lot less risk when it came to getting your money back.

Another thing: A big company such as Cessna has so much more depth to its engineering and support. Imagine you are grounded someplace far, far away, when you need a knurled flange bracket "yesterday." Who are you going to want to call for that, the big company, or a tiny one?

[hookster]

SyberJet Debuts Racy SJ30 Flight Deck as Company Presses On | : Aviation International News (http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/nbaa-convention-news/2014-10-23/syberjet-debuts-racy-sj30-flight-deck-company-presses)

[Dufo]

I wonder who will be first, SJ30 in production, Fokker NG rolled out or Virgin Galactic in space.

[Caboclo]

Nope, Aerion's SSBJ will beat them all. :}

[Global_Global]

No I bet it will be the $1 million Eclipse :} (Not that $2 mil one that they currently sell)

[AdamFrisch]

It will have a market simply because of one simple fact: There is no SP jet that can even come close to its range.

You want to do NY to LA nonstop against winter headwinds? LA to Hawaii? Rome to Dubai? Forget it as SP - no CJ3/4, Phenom, PC12, TBM can do it. This is the only game in town.

[LGW Vulture]

Oh my goodness - a troll or a fool. Make your choice.:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[fairflyer]

The SJ30 is a beautiful design but it's 30 years old (launched in 1986)! It's tiny inside, really cramped cabin, it's too expensive at around US$9m and there simply isn't the vast sums of money behind it to sustain production, support it globally, evolve and update it through production. It's day has been and gone. Yes, it has amazing performance, still, but the chances of it surviving are minimal where it only fits a very niche, very small corner of the market, great for the rich owner-flyer pilot enthusiast sitting at the front end, but not so great for the family in the back.

The industry has seen a multitude of startup jet designs, and the odd turboprop too, of which the vast majority fall by the wayside. The sums of money required to maintain production, certification, product support, product improvement and upgrades, modernisation etc. are simply staggering. The cash will run out in a blink of an eye, ask Bombardier how much you need.

[Booglebox]

it's 30 years old (launched in 1986)


CJ and Lear 45 series are nearly 25 years old...


LA to Hawaii?


I just ran this and if you climb to FL470 halfway through the flight, with no alternate and no taxi fuel, you land with 610lbs. I've seen a CJ classic land with 600lbs in the tanks once but that was deliberate because it was before maintenance, VFR, with airfields everywhere.


The SJ30 is an impressive aircraft though and if I had $9m to spare and they had made a dozen more of them, I would consider it over the CJ4 which is similarly priced.

[ksjc]

Sure it looks do-able on paper..and it sells jets...but not a viable option for Hawaii. Not by those numbers. Wet footprint. Contingency planning for S/E drift down or loss of cabin pressure at ETP would be a no-go for any prudent pilot.

I've been making the California-Hawaii run since 1990 in various types of bizjets...some more capable than others but would never launch with a wet footprint.

Having said that I have seen, through the years, Lear 36, Sabreliner, WW2 and HS 125 on the ramps in Hawaii...this is a 2200nm crossing with no diversion alternative but to turn back. Throw caution to the wind and anything is possible I suppose.