Maybe he called himself Low&Slow Jet.




Anthony, how did you know? Did he call himself "Vision Jet" on the radio? Or "Cirrus Jet" or ??

Called himself Vision Jet. There wasn't anyone else on freq so controller let us talk for a sec.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N994 ... /KAPA/KSAN


I'll look up the winds aloft and see if that checks out.

Mike C.

Passing Flagstaff, his groundspeed was 262 knots average per the Flightaware log. He passed there about Apr 13 2045Z.

The Apr 13 1200Z soundings at Flagstaff were:

Pressure alt (hPa), temp(C), wind(deg), wind (knots)

344.0, -35.1, 235, 25 (reading)
323.0, -39.3, 232, 24 (reading)

329.3, -38.0, 233, 24 (interpolating to FL280)

Apr 14 0000Z soundings:

388.8, -27.0, 245, 38 (reading)
312.6, -40.0, 255, 31 (reading)

329.3, -37.2, 253, 33 (interpolating to FL280)

Interpolating for time (1200Z - 2045Z - 0000Z):

329.3, -37.4, 249, 31

It was essentially all headwind (Cirrus heading 241, wind 249, headwind component 99% of wind speed)).

True airspeed = ground speed of 262 + headwind of 31 = 293 knots.

He wasn't doing 315, that appears to be about a 20+ knot exaggeration.

Temperature at that point in the flight was ISA+3 (ISA would be -40.5C at FL280).

Mike C.

N219MA (MU2 out of KBJC headed east) took off 1821Z, reached FL280 at 1843Z.

N9943H (SF50 out of KAPA headed west) took off at 1858Z, reached FL280 at 1921Z.

At 1921Z, when both planes reached FL280, you guys were about 300 nm apart. He was well into the CO mountains, you are well into KS.

There's no way you two were in the same ATC sector when both of you were FL280, and you certainly could not have talked to each other directly. This suggests the conversation happened when the SF50 was very early in the flight, not at altitude.

The pilot of the SF50 wasn't reporting a speed he was getting right then, but a brag number.

Mike C.

I'll bet that SF guy is reading this thread.

Not the same vision jet. I was flying BJC SOP When I encountered him. I had been at the wrong alt heading east and I can't remember if I saw him right before or right after atc mad me step down (so I may have been at 270 when I spoke to him). I am thinking I was somewhere over TN.

As he checked in with ATC at fl280, I will assume he was in fact at 280. If u can find him on FlightAware let me know. I couldn't.

Looks like the climb performance on the Vision is better than some here expected. Over 1,000fpm avg up to 280.

I'm seeing more and more HondaJets. We'll see if I start seeing more and more Cirrus Jets. I guess they're out there.

Before you know it, they'll be 'darkening the sky'. The VLJ revolution 10 years delayed.

That would put it decidedly in the "lame" category for a jet.

The Eclipse, with LESS thrust to weight ratio, climbs twice as fast as that.

Mike C.

"Lame" argument.

Got a tail number?

It seemed like the only choice was the one I found. During your flight:

#0002, N250CV, local flight around KDLH
#0003, N251CV, at KDLH
#0004, N252CV, three 20+ minute flights at KDLH
#0005, N253CV, KUGN to KDLH
#0006, N1WA, not flying, near Arkansas last seen
#0007, N9943H, the one out of KAPA I analyzed
#0008, N730FA, was in TN, but only to FL250
#0009, N17CX, tracking blocked
#0010, N52CV, at KDLH

That's all of them in the registry. Where are the 3 more they delivered?

N730FA is the best fit. You were both in KY around 2135, close enough to be in the same sector. You at FL270, he at FL250. But that's not FL280 as reported.


Your step down was 2036Z to 2040Z, about 50 nm west of STL.


Nothing fits that is trackable. N730FA wrong altitude. N17CX tracking blocked. Nothing else on the registry.

Mike C.

Can you imagine if someone built a competitor to the Bonanza that had the same engine power, same gross weight, but climbed half as fast?

Yup, that would be lame.

Mike C.

Define competitor.

I define that by price, which negates and reverses your argument.