SyberJet Aircraft acquired the rights to the SJ30 light twinjet aircraft in 2011 and moved production to Utah. Honeywell agreed to provide the upgraded avionics and production is set to get moving again.
Honeywell’s new avionics system will include SmartView flight display and moving map plus dual FMS with many additional features including graphical flight planning, weather radar charts and maps and electronic checklists.
The system will support FANS/1A, controller pilot (CPDLC) and High Frequency Data Link (HFDL) operations as customer-specifications, in addition to SATCOM, flight data and cockpit voice recorder.
An SJ30 test aircraft will be outfitted with the new avionics and SyberJet expect it to make its first flight in early 2014 with a view to certification being attained by the end of next year. The jet will feature a new interior, currently being worked upon, to include extra seating, while reducing weight even further.
The Jet, which may be marketed for $7.25 million, will be equipped with passenger cabin services for in-flight entertainment and an information system that will allow access from personal devices, such as Smartphones or iPads.
SyberJet General Manager Mark Fairchild said “Our new management is very conservative,” he said. “We want to under-promise and over-deliver,” when asked about delivery schedules.
The SJ30 was originally the GulfJet and was designed by Ed Swearingen in the late 1980’s. Since its certification in 2005, the SJ30 has been owned by several companies before being acquired in 2011 by SyberJet.
As most of the aviation world looks to satellite communications, let’s spare a thought for High Frequency Data Link, commonly known as HFDL. Primarily used for long-haul and trans-oceanic flights, when VHF line of sight communications is insufficient, HFDL is a HF data link protocol, operated by ARINC as a GLOBALink ACARS service via a ground network of HF stations, whose coverage spans much of the Earth’s surface.
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