The Barron Killer

This week Cirrus Design announced their new Cirrus Jet. This was a closely guarded secret development project. I visited Cirrus’s headquarters and factory last year. No one would talk about the jet then, but you could just feel that it was there somewhere. Last fall at the NBAA trade show there was a scheduled press conference at the Cirrus booth where most expected the jet announcement, but again no mention of a jet. NBAA took place only days after the tragic accident when a Cirrus prop plane crashed into a building in Manhattan with New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle as one of the pilots. Cirrus Design was not looking for attention until they could sort out what happened. (It appears it was pilot error – a poorly planned 180 degree turn over the East River.)

Cirrus is a very credible company and builds great small single engine propeller air planes. In only a few years they out produced and out sold Cessna’s single engine line, which had dominated the industry for years. The Cirrus Jet should not be lumped into the class known as very light jets (VLJs) like the Eclipse, Honda Jet, Embraer Phenom, etc. We have written earlier about the VLJs – most recently Very Light Jets: A Reality Check for Eclipse, and last summer I posed the question, The Eclipse of the Eclipse?. However I predict the Cirrus jet will be a success; but there are bumps in the road ahead.

The Cirrus Jet is a personal airplane and will be owned and flown by individuals. It has a price point at $1 million that makes it comparable to a Beech Barron. If fact it might be the Barron killer. What red blooded pilot who can afford a Barron would not want to go higher, faster, and maybe father than the two engine version of the 60 year old Bonanza? More than 180 of these high testosterone pilots have stroked a check for a $100,000 deposit to make their dream come true.

Certification of a jet is different than certifying a non-pressurized piston engine powered aircraft. However, Cirrus Design has a lot of experience in certifying new and sometimes radical designs.

The silver lining or dark cloud, depending on where you stand, is the airline implosion this summer with delayed and cancelled flights. The traveling public is looking for any alternative to using the unreliable airlines. This mess will certainly sell more general aviation airplanes, and clog our highways and trains. Mix all this in with an antiquated air traffic control system, along with record high fuel prices, and we have a formula that spells trouble for all if corrections are not made.