Great Machines: Aircraft: Training Wings

Jan Morgan

06/01/2006

By appealing especially to new pilots, Cirrus Design has become the world’s largest manufacturer of personal aircraft in only a decade. The company delivered 400 planes in 2005, and continues to ramp up production with an ever-expanding order book. Its most popular model—and its fastest—is the SR22, a fixed-landing-gear, four-seat composite airframe, with large windows and a spacious cabin.

What differentiates the SR22 from older aircraft designs is its warm interior environment. The seats are comfortable, and the control panels lack the usual clutter of arcane “steam gauges.” Instead, the SR22 features three straightforward display panels that rely on digital readouts, simple graphs, and plain language. Navigation, for instance, is depicted on an easy-to-read moving map. In addition to standard instrument flight rules (IFR) equipment, the SR22-G2 aircraft comes equipped with all available options, including an autopilot/flight director; SkyWatch air traffic avoidance; C Max instrument approach plate display; XM Satellite Weather display and StormScope; comprehensive fuel and engine monitoring; and aural situational warnings.

The SR22 comes with a standard six-cylinder 310 hp Continental 550 engine that gives the plane a real-life cruise speed of 213 mph (185 knots). Cirrus simplified engine management by employing a single power lever and eliminating the prop controller from the throttle quadrant. The big Continental rewards a push of the power lever on takeoff with a short ground roll, and a healthy initial climb rate of 1,400 feet per minute at the SR22’s maximum weight. With full fuel, the SR22 can transport passengers, weighing up to 640 pounds collectively, 700 nautical miles (about 800 statute miles) in less than four hours—a fine achievement for a fast fixed-gear single. (Click image to enlarge)

The Cirrus possesses a friendly flying performance with its benign stall and crisp low-speed handling. The roll rate is pleasantly quick, and the side stick controller requires low effort. Pitch and roll forces are easily trimmed out with the control stick–mounted thumb button. Cirrus’ safety innovations include multiple warning systems to enhance a pilot’s situational awareness and airbag seat belts. Unique to Cirrus aircraft is the revolutionary Cirrus Airframe Parachute System. This 55-foot-diameter airframe parachute can be deployed during an in-flight emergency, lowering the entire aircraft to the ground and sparing passengers from an uncontrolled collision with terra firma.

The SR22 has undeniable appeal for those who are just entering aviation: a comfortable environment that has more in common with an automobile than a conventional aircraft, reliable cockpit displays that have a familiar design, and an ingenious parachute for passenger safety. It is only natural that such an innovative approach would attract new pilots to the convenience and freedom of personal aircraft ownership.