Sino Swearingen is Back on Track With New Taiwanese Funding

With funding firmly in place, production under way of its first customer-bound aircraft and flight tests of the prototype going well, Sino Swearingen is on track for certification of its entry level SJ30-2 twin-engined business jet late next year.

That's the message Sino Swearingen president Jack Braly is sending loud and clear at EBACE. The company is exhibiting here at Booth 7034.

The long, drawn out program-which is the first time a brand new company has attempted to certify a new business jet design since the original Lear Jet-has had its ups and downs. A redesign of the SJ30, and a funding crunch last year were both show-stoppers. But a fresh cash infusion from its Taiwanese investors has allowed Sino Swearingen to build a new factory at Martinsburg, W.Va., and to begin work on the first production aircraft.

"We're about a year away from finally getting the SJ30-2 into the hands of customers," said spokesman Mike Potts.

Martinsburg workers are beginning to manufacture the fuselage and wing for the first production aircraft, S/N-005. They will build a total of three fuselages and wing sets in Martinsburg this year. The contract was formerly with Gamesa in Spain.

Meanwhile, certification of the seven-place jet is continuing in San Antonio, Texas. A second aircraft is expected to join the flight test program in July, and a third in the third quarter. Both these aircraft will be to production configuration, and will eventually be delivered to customers.

Orders for the SJ30-2 stand at 155 aircraft at a list price of $4.3 million.