Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corp., of San Antonio, Texas, announced last week it has launched a second copy of its SJ30-2 twinjet as part of its FAA flight-test certification program. Sino Swearingen says the SJ30-2 seven-seat twinjet will have a range of up to 2,500 nautical miles, cruise speeds in excess of Mach .80, a maximum certified altitude of 49,000 feet, and will be certified for single-pilot operation. During last week’s flight, several tests were conducted, including handling, stability, control, powering each engine back to idle, turns, banks and general maneuvering. The company said all the tests went well. CEO Carl Chen said, “Today’s flight is another huge boost to the company and the FAA certification program. In a short time we will have a third aircraft flying …. We are also installing ground-to-air telemetry to help complete the FAA flight testing in a substantially shorter time.” The jet is expected to sell for about $5.5 million.
