SyberJet says SJ30-2 sets light jet transcontinental speed record

SyberJet Aircraft says one of its SJ30-2 light jets set a new transcontinental speed record on August 21, 2026, flying nonstop from Jacksonville, Florida, to San Diego, California. Pilot Gordon Bryan covered the route in roughly four hours and seven minutes, averaging about 505 mph, according to the company.

The claim falls under the FAI's C-1.f category, which covers powered landplanes weighing between 6,000 and 9,000 kilograms. SyberJet said the record still needs certification from the National Aeronautic Association and the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. That process is expected to take about 90 days.

The mark SyberJet is trying to beat dates to 2013, when an Embraer Phenom 300 flew from Melbourne, Florida, to Long Beach, California, with a refueling stop in El Paso, Texas. That trip took six hours and 38 minutes including the stop.

SyberJet chief executive Trevor Milton was aboard the SJ30-2 for the flight. Milton was convicted on fraud charges in 2022 tied to his earlier leadership of electric truck startup Nikola. He received a presidential pardon in 2025 and took control of SyberJet shortly afterward.

The SJ30 program has a long history behind it. Designer Ed Swearingen originated the aircraft concept in the 1980s, and the jet first flew in 1991, appearing that year at the Paris Air Show. Since then the program has passed through multiple owners and financial difficulties before reaching its current form under SyberJet.