Safire Aircraft has announced new specifications and details for its new personal jet and full particulars on the programme. The original S-26 design will not be produced. Camilo Salomon, ceo, first announced that Safire moved from West Palm Beach to Miami’s Opa Locka Airport in March.

He said: “Opa Locka is an ideal location for development and assembly of the prototypes. The offices are directly adjacent to 30,000 square feet of hangar space where

the assembly of two flying and two static prototypes will soon begin. Everything is running smoothly towards first flight early next year.”

To speed up certification and allow a more flexible ramp-up to higher rates of production, Safire has elected to become a ‘final assembly only’ facility, rather than producing compon-

ents and subassemblies themselves.

Salomon noted that the selection of the Williams FJ33-4 engine announced last month came after many months of intensive investigations with Williams, Pratt & Whitney and Honeywell. He said: “In the final analysis, it became very clear that the FJ33-4 is the only engine sufficiently developed to power the first generation of these jets. One thing for sure, the new Safire Personal Jet with these engines will have very zippy performance.”

The most important advances are a 50-knot faster speed, an increase in NBAA IFR range, and a larger cabin that permits, as standard equipment, an enclosed aft lavatory with a

hard partition.

With in excess of 720 deposits for the aircraft, a spokesman said: “All depositors will have access to the new aircraft at a target price of $1,295,000 and will keep their original delivery position. All new depositors will be offered a target price of $1,395,000.”

With regard to competitor aircraft, Salomon said: “We know that we are developing a great new aircraft. It will outperform the $2.6 million dollar Cessna Mustang and will fly as fast and as high as the seven-seat,

$3.9 million dollar Citation CJ1.

“We are pleased to note that, at $1.295 million in 2003 dollars, the preliminary target price of the new Safire Jet will be three times lower than that of the CJ1 and its direct operating costs will be substantially lower. The Safire Jet will barely cost more than the Eclipse 500, now quoted at $1.175 million in 2000 dollars. The Eclipse has much smaller cabin, smaller engines, no private lavatory, 400lbs less thrust, only five standard seats and tip tanks.”