Why not? Cirrus SR22 > Cirrus Jet?
Cirrus Aircraft triggers very long memories for me. I think the whole Cirrus story is phenomenal, quite honestly. I won't go into the entire story, but once upon a time I had a business trip (unrelated to aviation) one week up in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, many years ago. I used to work in Enterprise Software as a Systems Engineer. On my way back home, I stopped off in Oregon, which is where Lancair HQ was back then (don't know where it is today). Of course, back then, my interest was in "aircraft ownership" and being an engineer, I thought it would be a neat thing to build a kit. So, I took the company tour and the intro flight in company's demo aircraft (I think it was N199L at that time). It was by far the most interesting GA aircraft I had ever been in, hands down. A very impressive little airplane that could do some pretty nice things - including cruising at 280kts. Well, that experience kinda changed the game for me.
This was one of those instances in my life where I was ready to return to GA, restart my flight training and possibly set myself up for a professional flying career. One thing led to another and I ended up beginning research on a new business model which took up almost my spare time. However, I restarted my flight training within walking distance from where I worked. Within 4-5 lessons the company I was working for decided to relocate my unit to a different part of the State where I lived. Around about that same time, I began having some preliminary discussions with an aeronautical engineer and aircraft designer who lived up in the Washington State area. We met on a Kit Builder forum back then. I was doing research on the Lancair Legacy 2000 and the Glasair III (which later led me to the Turbine Legend, ViperJet and the ATG Javelin Jet). We eventually met at his office up in Washington State, on the weekend after another business trip I had to Canada. What took place at that meeting is what caused me to get interested in Jet ownership some day. However, back then it was not just any jet that interested me.
He showed me a concept he had been working. It was a twin engine ducted fan, twin vertical stabilizer contemporary aircraft design with in tandem seating. It looked like a cross between an F-18 Hornet and Lancair Legacy 2000. So, just use your imagination and visualize those two aircraft having offspring. I took one look at it on his computer and immediately called it a Personal Tactical Jet, without the jet engines. He said, "hmmmm." I then asked him if he had considered the design using turbofan jet engines. He said that he had considered it, but never did any work on it. It was about the size of a Piper Navajo in his original concept design.
About a week later, I got a phone call from him asking if I had checked my email that day. I did and was absolutely blown away. He changed the design to include two turbofans. The aircraft in concept went from the size of a Navajo, to the size of a King Air 200, roughly. Conventional mechanical flight controls with electric augmentation and a hybrid Glass/Conventional avionics panel. It used two (2) Williams FJ44 turbofans and was specified to have a climb rate of 8,000fpm with a max cruise of 450kts and econo-cruise of 415kts. The planned range was 2,100nm. We continued discussions for quite some time about this aircraft concept including possible FAA certification or Canadian Aircraft Certification. We had informal discussions about where such an aircraft would fit in the pantheon of GA aircraft already on the market and concluded that it would indeed create a brand new market within GA.
We began deepening our discussions to include topic from how to get the aircraft certified, type and kind of facilities necessary to begin prototype development and eventually production. We talked about the possibility for a smaller and lower performance version of the aircraft using the original ducted fans as powerplants. And, we talked about the same aircraft design in a variant that used a single engine Pusher Prop as the powerplant. In total, we discussed extensively three (3) different versions of the same concept and how it would or could impact GA. Unfortunately, he died just a few years later, which of course put an end to what we had dubbed: The Arrow Project.
Eventually, I left the corporate scene to establish my business and did so successfully. However, doing so took my mind and body far away from aviation. However, I still retained the dream of owning a jet, which was something that had moved far afield from the Lancair Legacy 2000, which ignited it all for me. When you mention Cirrus, I can't help but think about all those other failed aircraft designs that I've personally witnessed over the years that never came to market. Many designs on the drawing boards that people in GA never knew existed. When I think about Cirrus, Diamond and Eclipse (say what you want about Eclipse), it reminds of just how difficult and challenging it is to push a new aircraft concept through FAA Certification and then successfully bring it to market. It is no easy task.
In the past, I've had phone conversations with the FAA, Canadian government and the government of Finland, all involving Aircraft Certification Standards and Process. The cost involved is the one thing that kills so many GA concepts and prevents them from ever coming to market. If you are Honda, then you have enormous built-in resources to leverage. So, what Cirrus has done over the years is something I highly respect, because I understand what challenges they had in a way that few do. While I love the Cirrus design concept, I am not a particular fan of Left Side Mounted Flight Controls. And, for my purposes, the Cirrus Jet, which is a phenomenal accomplishment and achievement, is simply not sized to meet my needs.
I'm not anti-Cirrus. If things had gone differently in life, I would have been a friendly competitor to Cirrus. I'm a big fan of Cirrus, but not for reasons that necessarily have to do with their aircraft. I wish them nothing but continued success in the future, however.
