Duluth, Minn. - November 30, 2000 - Cirrus Design Corporation today received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for its new Cirrus SR22 aircraft. The certification of Cirrus Design’s newest model comes just 14 months after engineering development began and only nine months after the company submitted its application to the FAA.
“The SR22 represents a natural next step for our company,” says Alan Klapmeier, Cirrus President and CEO. “This airplane is ideal for those pilots looking for additional utility at a reasonable price.” The SR22 is the second in a line of aircraft the company plans to build.
The SR22, with a 310-hp Teledyne Continental IO-550-N engine, cruises at 180 knots at 75% power, climbs at 1,400 feet per minute at sea level, has a long-range cruise of more than 1,000 nautical miles and a useful load of 1,150 pounds. The all-electric (dual alternator/dual battery) aircraft does not require a vacuum system and includes the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), the popular airframe recovery device found on the SR20.
“The first customer SR22 should be coming off the line by the end of the year,” said Klapmeier. “The SR22 will be incorporated into the SR20 production line in Duluth, which will soon be building one aircraft per day.”
The price for the SR20 begins at $188,300 and with options, tops out at $240,000. The base price for an SR22, with leather interior and a 3-bladed propeller as standard, is $276,600.
While the SR22 is based on the SR20, there are a number of improvements. In fact, everything from the firewall forward is new including a strengthened nose gear and a repositioned landing light, which is now in the lower cowling. The SR22 wing structure has been modified to increase its span and fuel capacity.
Officially, the SR22 is a second model under the Type Certificate originally issued for the SR20 aircraft in 1998. The SR22 certification basis includes Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) Part 23 through Amendment 53. And although certification was approved within nine months, Cirrus engineers had a number of issues to address. Because of the SR22’s additional weight and speed, the greatest challenge was the successful demonstration of occupant safety during an aircraft touchdown following a deployment of CAPS. The crew seat design performance was significantly improved, far exceeding normal dynamic seat requirement, to assist with energy during this type of event.
Much of the work on the SR22 has contributed to Cirrus Design’s commitment to ongoing product development and improvement. Some of these advancements include the SR22’s stronger wing structure, improved interior and color schemes and a gross weight increase for the SR20. Upcoming flight tests and structural substantiation are necessary before an SR20 gross weight increase is approved in 2001.
Cirrus Design Corporation is based in Duluth, Minn. The company designs, manufactures and markets general aviation composite aircraft, incorporating advanced technologies that result in high levels of performance, comfort and safety.