Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet on Las Vegas flight line

Paul Sallach, All in Aviation owner at North Las Vegas Airport, said he envisioned the perfect customer as someone who was already familiar with the Cirrus line but wanted to “go faster, farther, and higher” than they could in an SR22 propeller-driven aircraft. “They want pressurization and they want to go places.”

He said the current waiting list for the $2 million personal jet makes it difficult for many potential owners to “get their hands on the controls” because of the high demand. Sallach emphasized that his facility doesn’t do type ratings; however, “if you come to Las Vegas, we’ll have a CFII in the right seat and you can get your hands on the controls” to learn about the handling, performance, and advanced features available in the jet.

Sallach was a corporate demo pilot for Cirrus and has a wealth of experience behind the controls of the manufacturer's propeller-driven SR models. He said the jet had the same feel one would expect while moving up within the company's models. “The flight controls are in the same place, most of the switches are in the same place, the parachute is in same place,” and it’s “more of a natural progression of an airplane” for pilots familiar with Cirrus’s systems. “The company designed the jet with the idea that propeller-driven aircraft owners would move up” rather than jump to a different aircraft manufacturer. “A Pilatus or a Socata TBM single-engine turboprop would be a big jump for most pilots,” he noted.

Cirrus SR22T owner Jon Kinney, who trains at the FBO, purchased the jet for leaseback and to get jet-flying experience. Sallach said he was happy to put the aircraft on the flight line for Kinney, who was “the exact customer that Cirrus wanted to retain” with the Vision Jet. The Las Vegas location makes it convenient for pilots in the San Francisco area to the west and Denver to the east, but “there are mountains in both instances,” Sallach continued. “The SR22 is certainly capable, but getting another 8,000 feet is definitely worth something,” especially when factoring in mountain weather.

“I’m not the only one doing this in the country,” he said, explaining that the FBO is following in the footsteps of FBOs and flight schools in Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Seattle that have introduced similar programs. “AeroAtlanta has been doing this for a year and a half, but we wanted to capture the Southwest market. For international customers, Vegas is kind of a destination city,” he said. “Why not come to Vegas, do a couple of hours, and really put this airplane to the test and see if it’s something pilots want to purchase before flying back over the pond.”

The Vision Jet has a maximum takeoff weight of 6,000 pounds and is powered by a single Williams International FJ33-5A turbofan engine developing 1,800 pounds of thrust. Since its 2016 debut, the parachute-protected 300-knot aircraft has garnered rave reviews and brought Cirrus its second Collier Trophy award, presented to CEO and co-founder Dale Klapmeier during a June dinner reception in Washington, D.C.