N280CJ Sees Light Under ALL Its Wheels

ANN REALTIME REPORTING 07.03.08 1130 EDT: The moment workers at a certain airplane manufacturer in Duluth, MN -- and dozens of prospective owners -- have been waiting for has arrived. Moments ago, Cirrus Design's "The-Jet" prototype touched down back at its home at DLH, completing its first successful test flight.

Aero-News had exclusive access during taxi trials for "The-Jet" over the past three days (including one earlier ground run where we SWEAR we saw a glimpse of light under ALL its wheels, not just its nosegear) and was the ONLY aviation news organization present as N280CJ lifted into the clear Northern Minnesota skies at 0945 CDT.

(SPECIAL NOTE: Our readers were kept in the loop, too... keeping tabs on "The-Jet's" progress via ANN's brand NEW Aero-Twitter feature, located on the left side of the homepage. This new features allows ANN to post REAL-TIME updates on ANY Breaking News item!)

Following what appears to have been an uneventful 45-minute test circuit, "The-Jet" flew a single pass over the runway at DLH, accompanied by Cirrus' L-39 chase plane. Both jets then came around the pattern for landing.

"The-Jet serves as a smarter, simpler and more efficient way to use transportation dollars," said Cirrus Chairman and CEO Alan Klapmeier. "Today’s first flight of The-Jet holds the unique promise of redefining general aviation. It provides an entirely new transportation option for personal and business travel."

First unveiled in mock-up form just over a year ago, "The-Jet" sports a v-tail empennage arrangement, to make room for the single FJ33 Williams turbofan carried atop the raked fuselage in a smoothly integrated fairing.

The lines of the fuselage carry forward to a bulbous roofline over the cockpit, which offers seating for a pilot and four adult passengers -- one in the right seat, and three behind.Seating is configurable for as many as seven passengers, including smaller seats for children, in a configuration Cirrus calls "five-plus." As with all Cirrus production aircraft, the plane also sports a whole-airplane parachute.

 Advanced Development Group Vice President Steve Serfling praised the organization for its efforts and the milestone achievement.

"This 'first flight' is a historically significant moment for Cirrus and the opening of a new chapter for all of aviation," he said. "Our customer partners can be proud of the team of more than 125 dedicated engineers and technicians that have worked tirelessly to ensure that this milestone was met in a safe and efficient manner. With this successful flight today, we initiate the next program phase that will support the more rigorous certification program."

Billed proudly by Cirrus as the "slowest, lowest, and cheapest jet available," "The-Jet" is expected to fly at close to 300 knots at FL250.

ANN will continuously post new images of "The-Jet"s' first flight, as well as other updated information. Stay tuned.

FMI: www.the-jet.com, www.cirrusdesign.com