Cirrus Aircraft today announced the arrival of a new era in personal transportation as the Cirrus Vision Jet - the world's first single engine Personal Jet - achieved FAA certification. With this milestone accomplishment, the Vision Jet ushers in a new category of aircraft that delivers an unrivaled pilot, passenger and operator experience, and certification paves the way for initial customer deliveries in 2016.

“What an amazing and impactful day for Cirrus Aircraft and the entire aviation and aerospace industry,” said Cirrus Aircraft co-founder, CEO and U.S. National Aviation Hall of Fame member Dale Klapmeier. “Just as the SR series of high-performance piston aircraft has forever changed aviation, the impact of the Vision Jet on personal and regional transportation is going to be even more profound. Never before has a turbine aircraft solution come along that rewrites the rules in so many ways - iconic design, ease of operation, smart economics, simplified ownership and more.”

Innovation: A New Category by Design

The Vision Jet defines the new single-engine Personal Jet category by its spacious, pilot and passenger-friendly cabin with expansive windows, reclining seats and comfortable legroom that can accommodate up to five adults and two children. The cabin is complemented by the proprietary Cirrus Perspective Touch by Garmin flight deck, which delivers a wide array of highly sophisticated, easy-to-use global navigation capabilities and safety features to the pilot at the touch of a finger. Powering the Flight-Into-Known-Ice (FIKI) approved Vision Jet is a single, smart FADEC-controlled Williams International FJ33-5A turbofan engine.

“The art of innovation is achieving elegance and simplicity while changing people's lives,” said Patrick Waddick, President of Innovation and Operations. “Not only did our development team deliver on that target, we put an exclamation point on it by designing a highly reliable airplane and going a step further by incorporating the life-saving Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAP).” Waddick continued, “Innovation, safety, ease of use, and comfort have always been hallmarks at Cirrus, and combining these with the performance of a strong, lightweight carbon fiber airframe and 300+ knot cruise speed over-delivers. This is not just a product, it's an experience.”

Ownership: World Class Customer Experience

“At Cirrus, the best seat has always been the front left seat, and that is more true today than ever with the Vision Jet,” said Todd Simmons, President of Customer Experience. “But what's really unique about this airplane is that we have stayed true to our ideals of recognizing the important relationship between the owner-pilot and friends, family and colleagues on board. Simply, we have taken the pilot and passenger in-flight experience to a new level with a wide range of innovative design elements and features.”

Cirrus Aircraft has also reimagined a personal turbine aircraft ownership experience that sets a new and world- class benchmark. Simmons explained, “We have thoughtfully planned every element of Vision Jet ownership: Training through our in-house Cirrus Approach type-rating program; Service at our new, world-class factory service center in North America and via a growing network of authorized service centers around the globe; Cirrus Direct best-in-class parts support availability and logistics; and comprehensive JetStreama Ownership Programs designed to deliver predictable operating costs that simplify owning and operating the Vision Jet.” Simmons concluded, “Taken altogether, the customer experience will be as transformational as the game-changing design of the Vision Jet itself.”

Brand: Building on Success

The Vision Jet joins Cirrus Aircraft's innovative product portfolio, which currently includes the SR-series of high-performance piston airplanes - the best-selling aircraft in the world for 13 consecutive years – with over 6,500 aircraft operating in over 60 countries. Cirrus is best known as “the plane with the parachute,” as the only General Aviation manufacturer that has incorporated a certified parachute designed to support the entire airplane as a standard safety feature in its aircraft. Known as the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, or CAPS, the most innovative safety system in GA has returned more than 140 people to their families following emergency situations. A version of CAPS will also be a standard safety feature in the Vision Jet.

Initial customer deliveries of the Vision Jet are scheduled to begin in 2016, with production ramping up throughout 2017. The Vision Jet, along with the world's best selling high-performance piston airplane, was on display at the NBAA Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition, 1-3 November in Orlando, FL.