SyberJet Aircraft has completed high-power engine runs on its new SJ30i light jet, has initiated power on taxi testing, and anticipates first flight next week from its San Antonio, Texas flight-test facility, the company announced this week. The test aircraft, N50SJ, is a modified 2005-model SJ30-2.

The SJ30i will feature a new interior and an upgraded “Sybervision” avionics suite powered by the Honeywell Primus Apex 2.0 system with 12-inch displays. The interior and avionics are lighter than their progenitors and take an estimated 200 pounds out of the airplane.

A follow-on aircraft, the SJ30x, will feature uprated Williams International FJ44-3AP-25 engines with dual Fadec controls and is expected to provide a variety of performance benefits including higher cruise speed at altitude, faster climb, more payload, and better high and hot performance. It will also feature single-point refueling.

The SJ30 program began in the late 1980s and the SJ30-2 finally received FAA certification in 2005. Since then, the company has had several different corporate owners and only eight examples of the Mach 0.83, 2,500-nm, seven-seat jet have been produced. SyberJet’s current owner, Metalcraft Technologies, bought the company out of bankruptcy in 2011. SyberJet plans to transfer manufacturing to its new facility at Cedar City (Utah) Regional Airport, with the first production aircraft planned to come off that line in 2020.

The aircraft holds three world records for speed and distance. It is designed with a 30-degree swept wing for high speed and efficient cruising and with leading-edge slats and flaps that are optimized for low speed approaches. The SJ30 has a service ceiling of 49,000 feet, maintains a sea level cabin to 41,000 feet, and is approved for single-pilot operations.