I have been considering an aircraft upgrade candidate for some time now, but I believe I am a bit closer to making a decision than I have in the past.  From the moment I started flying my current plane, a Cirrus SR20, it became abundantly clear, that though a superb plane, it is not the most optimized plane for cross country travel.  My major issues with the plane are climb rate, range, and full fuel payload.  I suppose those complaints describe the deficits on many planes since there is always going to be a better one available.  Ultimately my objective is to find a pressurized, FIKI (flight into known icing), turbine (turbofan, turboprop) able to accommodate 5+ passengers with full fuel.  In addition, given the nature of my domestic circumstance (wife), I am limited in my choice to a plane with a parachute system.  A close second would be a twin turbine of some variety, but I never like the costs associated with operating and maintaining them.  My wife likes to point out that two engines will not benefit her in the event of pilot incapacitation for which is have no good answer.

I am still a fan of what companies like Eclipse are trying to achieve with the Eclipse 500 though I am troubled by what I perceive may be over promising and under delivering.  I am always optimistic about any company interested in innovating, and there is no question that Eclipse has done so.  I would very much like to see them work out avionics issues, and most importantly compromised payload and CG issues that are currently crippling the initial customer deliveries.  There is much to be elaborated on with respect to Eclipse, but for now suffice it to say that I am going to pass for now on the Eclipse 500 as the next upgrade candidate.  I have considered the Diamond D-Jet, but I d not think I will pursue the D-Jet primarily due to a lack of experience in implementing the BRS (parachute) system particularly with the much more complicated nature of high altitude high airspeed deployments in the flight levels. A secondary concern is what may be an underpowered power plant for a single engine Jet.  It is still a very worthy VLJ to consider, however.  

Though I do not think it is widely known, Cirrus the maker of my SR20 and the more prevalent SR22, have announced their intention to produce a single engine Jet dubbed simply “the Jet.”  Very little is known about “the Jet” currently, but what is known is very attractive.  Cirrus has announced the use of the Williams FJ33 engine with 1900 pounds of thrust, certified to FL250, parachute, and the implication of at least 5 seats, a 1000+ mile range, and 300+ knots.  The one very small rub is that is the extent of the information released by Cirrus with the expectation that a $100,000 deposit will be placed by prospective position holders.  This is a non-escrowed deposit with absolutely no guarantee of ever seeing the money again.  Sound outrageous?  Probably so, but consider a company that arguably brought the first truly glass panel cockpit to general aviation.  Consider a company that was 15 years in the development of an aircraft that was unequalled in innovative technology at the time of release.  That company was Cirrus Design, bringing the SR20 to market in 1998 after 15 years of painstaking engineering and fundraising.  The bottom line is how one perceives the company heritage.  To be continued….