Better, Faster, Stronger. We Have The Technology--New
Safire Jet Is On Track
With its much-revised Safire Jet program now making real progress,
Safire Aircraft says it holds about 300 orders for the new design
and that sufficient financing is in place to take the aircraft
through certification. According to president and CEO Camilo Saloman,
the original S-26 jet concept had garnered about 700 orders when
Safire decided to drop the design and embark on today's larger,
heavier and re-engined Safire Jet. "Three hundred of those
customers have transferred their orders, about 100 have canceled
and around 300 are undecided right now, but we expect to have
a two-year backlog when we start deliveries in 2006," said
Saloman.
At what was the company's first-ever press conference (along
with its first formal appearance at NBAA) Saloman stated that
Safire expects to win one-third of the emerging but very significant
market for smaller personal microjets. The company says it offers
the performance and comfort of a $2 million aircraft with a $1.4
million price tag.
Questions of financing have swirled around all the various
start-up firms that, with varying degrees of success, are trying
to break into this market. Discussing the state of his company's
bank balance, all Saloman would say was, "We are very pleased
with our success in attracting finance. We have recently received
another round of financing to take us through to certification,
but as we are a private company, we don't disclose financial details."
Safire is predicting a production rate of between 250 and 500 aircraft
per year starting from 2006. The first flight of the "new generation"
Safire Jet is planned for summer 2004. Saloman said his firm was
in discussion with the Opa Locka local authorities about establishing
Safire's fully fledged production facility there, alongside the
existing development and flight test center. "Work on major
assemblies is already under way [and] we will have the capability
to quickly ramp up production if the market requires it," said
Saloman.
