Cirrus Vision
Divulgação/Cirrus
Jet aircraft traditionally used for passenger transport are mostly equipped with two engines. It turns out that this aircraft model has some disadvantages related to operating cost, since it spends twice as much fuel and twice as much maintenance compared to a single-engine jet.
For this reason, the Cirrus SF50 Vision, manufactured in the United States by Cirrus Aicraft, has gained significant space in the executive aviation market, as it is a single-engine aircraft and, therefore, consumes less fuel and has less need maintenance, in addition to having a lower purchase price, since the turbofan engine is one of the elements that makes an aircraft more expensive.
The Cirrus SF50 Vision was the best-selling business jet in 2020, with a total of 73 units delivered, corresponding to 10.8% of all business aircraft delivered last year. according to the General Aviation Manufactures Association. The manufacturer has, since 2018, a total of 280 deliveries and 200 orders in the portfolio, a very unusual number in executive aviation in such a short period.
In Brazil, the aircraft is costing US$ 3.5 million (R$ 18.3 million). In an interview with CNN Business Brasil, Sérgio Beneditti, commercial director of Plane Aviation (official representative of Cirrus Aircraft in Brazil), says that “this amount already includes all Brazilian fees and taxes. It's an airplane that doesn't have any direct competitors yet. The options closest to it, a light twin-engine business jet like the Embraer Phenom 100 or HondaJet, cost almost twice as much. The buyer of this plane in Brazil is the businessman, mostly from agribusiness. It is an activity that uses a lot of executive and private planes, because they need to travel to places that are not served by airlines. In the United States this varies a little. There, it's common for owners to pilot the Vision themselves, that's why it's called 'Personal Jet'. Here in Brazil, for the time being, we have only one case like this”.
Currently, there are three copies of Vision in Brazil, according to Beneditti. “By the end of this year we will have seven devices flying in Brazil and in 2022 there will be 12 units. It's a plane with many orders, the current waiting list goes on until 2024”, he says.
There is a queue to buy Vision. To join the queue, an advance payment of US$ 100,000 (R$ 524 thousand) is required. Beneditti also states that “Cirrus also has a program where the customer receives the plane in advance, but first he must lease back to the manufacturer for four months. During this period, the aircraft is used as a demonstrator for other customers and then delivered to the buyer. But most prefer to wait and receive the 'zero km' plane”.
Despite the advantages presented by a single-engine jet, there are also some disadvantages. For example, in an aircraft that only has one engine, safety ends up being impaired, since, in the event of an engine failure, there is no other structure capable of sustaining the flight until it is possible to land safely, as in aircraft with two engines. For this reason, commercial aircraft must fly with two engines.
But this is not a required requirement in private aviation, and Cirrus Vision was the world's first aircraft certified to carry passengers (with a capacity for up to seven passengers).
Therefore, to solve the safety issue, Beneditti explains that “if the engine fails, the pilot or passengers can press a button on the panel that activates the parachute and the plane slowly descends to the ground. There hasn't been a single case of Vision's parachute being deployed, but this has already happened with other Cirrus planes.”
Beneditti, who is also a pilot, comments that "there is no price for you to have the peace of mind of flying a plane with a parachute system." Vision's parachute is located on top of the fuselage and, when triggered, a small explosion shoots the canopy out of the plane.
Another disadvantage of single-engine engines is speed. Vision's performance is reduced compared to twin-engine aircraft. The Cirrus Vision flies at a cruise speed of 575 km/h with a range of 1,800 km, while an Embraer Phenom 100, for example, flies at 750 km/h with a range of 2,185 km.
In addition to the Vision, there is another single-engine passenger aircraft on the way, the 716X competitor, from the US manufacturer Stratos Aircraft.
The 716X will be able to carry up to six people and will cost about $2.5 million. Despite not yet having a launch date, the aircraft already has significant advantages over the Vision: it will be faster and can exceed 700 km/h, thanks to its light weight. However, the manufacturer has not revealed whether it will be equipped with emergency parachutes.
The information is from CNN Brasil.
Gabriela Ramos
Gabriela is the latest addition to the editorial team of our website, having provided us with her solid background in editing, publishing and photography, and her interest and training in aviation history and historiography. His good taste and common sense and great cleverness and sagacity in the selection of themes and materials greatly enriched our vocabulary and narrative style. Gabriela brought unusual predicates and came to stay, helping to point the way of success of our portal.
   
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