CEO Jack Braly

"Maybe you all are starting to believe it's really going to happen," Braly commented. He said he's confident that the certification program can be completed in 12 months after first flight because of the 300+ hours of flight test accumulated in the SJ30 proof-of-concept aircraft.

"Hundreds and thousands of parts now are coming together" for the first of three flight test aircraft, Braly continued. Two other aircraft, for a total of five test articles, will be built and dedicated to static and fatigue testing. The fuselage nose section for the first aircraft, built by Gamesa in Spain, has been delivered to Sino Swearingen's development and flight test facility in San Antonio. The rest of the fuselage will be received later this month.

Gamesa will have the first shipset of wings completed in December 1999.

Braly foresees no "major problems" that would lengthen the flight test program, but he acknowledged the scope of the task. "This is the first time in 35 years, actually since the Lear Jet, that somebody started a new company and certified a twin-engine jet airplane," he said.

This takes confidence on the part of investors, Braly said. "But, after you go through all this agony and when you're successful, you're able to build that product for 30 years." He cited the Raytheon Bonanza and Boeing 737 as just such products. In the SJ30-2, "we have that kind of airplane," Braly claimed.

Production airplanes, for which Sino Swearingen has 158 non-refundable deposit orders, will be built at the firm's Martinsburg, VA factory. The orders represent a backlog of $680 million, said marketing chief Chester Schickling. Braly said the JAA recently requested the company to submit a request for a waiver to the 12,500 pound weight limit imposed by JAR 23 certification regulations. A waiver would allow JAR 23 certification of the SJ30-2 at a 13,200 pound MTOW, similar to the FAR 23 waiver in place for the aircraft.

Without the waiver, FAR 23-certified aircraft would only be able to carry the pilot with full fuel, according to Braly. The waiver would eliminate the need to apply for individual certification in many European countries and enhance the new aircraft's chances for market success.

Sino Swearingen also disclosed a 20-year contract with FlightSafety International for training services. FSI will build a Level D capable SJ30-2 simulator. And Sino Swearingen disclosed the appointment of Columbia, MO-based Central Missouri Aviation, Australian Air Affairs Pty and CDC Aviation Jet Aircraft in South Africa as SJ30-2 distributors. The three firms have added 17 orders to the overall SJ30-2 backlog.

The SJ30-2 will be capable of flying 2,500 nmi at .78 Mach and 2,300 nmi at .80 Mach, Sino Swearingen says. Braly said he's flown the proof-of-concept aircraft to .84 Mach, giving him confidence that production aircraft will be as fast as projected.