The short answer

25 hours as PIC in the Vision Jet under the direct observation of a pilot holding the SF50 type rating without limitations (14 CFR 61.64(g)), each flight attested in writing → administrative removal, no checkride. For most owners, the mentor time your insurer already required doubles as the SOE — if the logbook wording is right.

The SF50 SOE, in plain English

The SF50 is the type rating for the Cirrus Vision Jet — G1, G2, and G2+ all ride the same rating. It is the definitive step-up jet: most Vision Jet pilots arrive from an SR22 or another piston, which means almost nobody walks in with the 14 CFR 61.64(b) experience outs (a prior unrestricted turbojet type, 1,000 hours in two turbojets, 500 hours in the type itself). So when the practical test is completed in the simulator, the rating prints with the Supervised Operating Experience limitation under 61.64(f)(2). Until it's removed, you act as PIC of the jet only under the direct observation of a pilot who holds the SF50 without limitations.

With the fleet past five hundred aircraft and growing, a fresh batch of SF50 ratings — and SOE limitations — is minted every month. The good news: once the hours exist, the fix is paperwork, not performance.

The Vision Jet mentor math

Your insurer almost certainly required mentor time in the jet anyway, and those flights can double as your SOE. Two catches, both fixable on day one. First, the supervising pilot must hold the SF50 type rating without limitations (§61.64(g)(1)) — a mentor who is a great instructor but carries his own SOE, or holds only CJ or Phenom ratings, does not qualify. Second, every flight must be attested in writing in your logbook (§61.64(g)(2)); mentor-CFIs logging "dual given" is the classic miss, because dual given and supervised PIC are different things. Use the sample attestation wording (PDF) from the first flight and the paperwork stays clean.

One more Vision Jet quirk worth knowing: not every SF50 practical test is a sim ride — some are flown in the airplane, and an in-aircraft checkride issues the rating without the SOE limitation. Check the limitations block on your certificate before assuming. If the line is printed there, this page is the fix; if it isn't, you're already unrestricted.

Why owners knock this out promptly

The whole point of the Vision Jet is going places alone, on your schedule, out of your own hangar. Until the SOE comes off, every flight legally requires a qualified observer aboard — which means booking around a mentor's calendar and usually paying a day rate on top of your insurance minimums. At typical owner utilization the 25 hours are done in a season, and the removal itself is 20 minutes of video call. It's the same administrative machinery as the CFI-side SOE limitation removal — an examiner verifies the evidence and reissues the certificate, nothing more. We verify your logbook against the reg before the appointment, free, so removal day is a formality. The full regulatory walkthrough lives in our 61.64(g) guide.

What removal requires

Common tripwires we see in Vision Jet logbooks: mentor flights logged as instruction instead of attested supervised PIC time, attestations missing the mentor's certificate number, and G1-to-G2 owners assuming a model change restarted anything (it didn't — one rating, one limitation, one removal). Send your documents ahead — you'll get a checklist after the contact form — and we verify everything before the appointment. If something's short, you'll know before you've paid a dime.

How the appointment runs

  1. Identity verification (valid, unexpired photo ID)
  2. Certificate + logbook review — 25 SOE hours and attestations verified against §61.64(g)
  3. IACRA application signed live
  4. Temporary certificate without the limitation issued on the call

About 20 minutes, from anywhere with a stable connection — FBO, hangar office, layover hotel. 24-hour advance notice required for FAA DMS oversight entry.

Pricing — $200 flat

No travel fees, no rescheduling fees, no charge if you're determined not eligible during the appointment. Details → Pricing

Related

Type Rating SOE Removal (all types)

Citation, Phenom, HondaJet, or any other type carrying the SOE limitation — same process.

HA-420 (HondaJet) SOE Removal

The other owner-flown single-pilot jet — same limitation, same 20-minute fix.

CE-510S (Citation Mustang) SOE Removal

The jet that defined the owner-flown category — and its own thin mentor pool.

25 hours in the book? You're one video call from unrestricted.

Submit the contact form and you'll get a document checklist within 24 hours. $200 flat.

Schedule your SF50 SOE removal →

Frequently asked

Why does my certificate say "THE SF50 IS SUBJECT TO PILOT-IN-COMMAND LIMITATION(S)"?
Because your SF50 type rating practical test was completed in a simulator and you didn't meet one of the 14 CFR 61.64(b) experience outs — which almost no owner stepping up from an SR22 or other piston does. Until it's removed you act as PIC of the Vision Jet only under the direct observation of a pilot who holds the SF50 type rating without limitations.
How do I remove the SF50 SOE limitation?
Log 25 hours in the Vision Jet while performing the duties of PIC under the direct observation of a pilot holding the SF50 rating without limitations, with each flight attested in writing in your logbook, then present the evidence to an examiner for a purely administrative IACRA action. No checkride, no sim session. Daytona DPE processes it in a 20-minute video call for $200 flat.
Does my insurance mentor time count toward the SF50 SOE?
Usually yes — if the mentor holds an unrestricted SF50 type rating and each flight is attested in writing in your logbook. Mentor time that satisfies the insurer but was never attested per 61.64(g)(2) does not satisfy the FAA. Use proper attestation wording from the first flight.
My SF50 practical test was flown in the airplane, not the sim — do I have an SOE limitation?
Check the back of your certificate. The SOE limitation attaches to simulator-based practical tests under 14 CFR 61.64; a type rating earned entirely in the aircraft is issued without it. If your certificate carries no "subject to pilot in command limitations" line, there is nothing to remove.
What does it cost and how long does it take?
$200 flat — no travel fees, no charge if you're found not eligible during the appointment. The video appointment runs about 20 minutes; total turnaround from inquiry to unrestricted temporary certificate is typically 3-5 business days, with 24-hour advance notice required for FAA DMS oversight.