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SyberJet SJ30
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SyberJet SJ30
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).
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.
Ed Swearingen announced a new design for a light twin business jet in October 1986, the SA-30 Fanjet. 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. 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at the 1991 Paris Air Show, but development ground to a halt when financial support from the state of Delaware was withdrawn. 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.
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). 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. 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." 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. The first production SJ30, S/N 006, was delivered to its first customer by November 1, 2006.
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SyberJet SJ30
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).
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.
Ed Swearingen announced a new design for a light twin business jet in October 1986, the SA-30 Fanjet. 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. 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. 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.
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). 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. 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." 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. The first production SJ30, S/N 006, was delivered to its first customer by November 1, 2006.
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