To date, 542 firm orders have been received for the SR20. Nineteen airplanes have been produced, including five in February, and Cirrus employment now tops 423 workers at its three facilities.
To date, 542 firm orders have been received for the SR20. Nineteen airplanes have been produced, including five in February, and Cirrus employment now tops 423 workers at its three facilities.
The chute can be successfully deployed as low as 800 feet above the ground.
“It’s only to be used in catastrophic situations,” Loynachan said. “Nobody wants to have a mid-air, but they do happen. With a Cirrus, it (chute) will place you safely on the ground.”
While the plane will incur damage, the occupants will be protected, Loynachan said.
Parachutes were first used on ultralight aircraft. Currently, 12,000 to 13,000 ultralight parachutes have been sold.
“In Germany, any home-built or experimental airplane has to have a parachute, or it can’t be flown,” Loynachan said.
Another safety feature is the stall cuffs on the leading edge of the wings of the Cirrus SR20.
“Leading edge cuffs on the outer 25 percent of the wing were shown by NASA to essentially eliminate loss of control and the resulting spins,” said Ole Sindberg, pilot and flight instructor at Blue Skies, located at the Lake in the Hills Airport.
“It does this by keeping the aileron (movable flaps on the wings) effective, even when the inboard 75 percent of the wing is stalled.”
Inside the SR20, a 10 1/2-inch, full color, moving map also displays airports and towers. A pull-down menu contains radio frequencies, IFR charts, and pre-flight, starting, and emergency checklists. A dual GPS (global positioning system) assists with navigation. And, all this data is upgraded every 28 days.
“Everything that an airline pilot carries in his flight bag is in a chip 1 1/2 inches by 1 inch by 1/4 inch,” Loynachan said.
The SR20’s windows offer a wide view, increasing situational awareness while flying. The seats are able to withstand forces at 26 times the pull of gravity. Four-point harnesses keep occupants secure in their seats, and the seat cushions are energy absorbing, to minimize turbulence and impact.
The idea for the SR20 dates back to 1980, when brothers Alan and Dale Klapmeier discontinued the kit plane they designed and sold in favor of a production plane - the Cirrus SR20.
In development for five years with an investment of more than $60 million, the FAA certified it on Oct. 23, 1998. Nineteen of the approximately $180,000 planes have been delivered. There are 509 confirmed orders. Collins was one of the order holders.
“The production rate is one per week,” said Loynachan. “In March, it will increase to one every four days. We will deliver 150 by Dec. 31, 2000, and the production rate will be one a day by then, too.”
Are you quoting from a direct conversation you had with Mr. Loynachan, or (as I suspect) are you taking the quote from some press release or a newspaper/magazine article? If so, could you please cite the source?!
Are you quoting from a direct conversation you had with Mr. Loynachan, or (as I suspect) are you taking the quote from some press release or a newspaper/magazine article? If so, could you please cite the source?!
sure…
Aviation company has designs on safety
Carol Thompson Daily Herald Correspondent
03/04/2000
Chicago Daily Herald
McHenry,Fox Valley
Page 1
(Copyright 2000)
Are you quoting from a direct conversation you had with Mr. Loynachan, or (as I suspect) are you taking the quote from some press release or a newspaper/magazine article? If so, could you please cite the source?!
sure…
Aviation company has designs on safety
Carol Thompson Daily Herald Correspondent
03/04/2000
Chicago Daily Herald
McHenry,Fox Valley
Page 1
(Copyright 2000)
Loynachan is regional sales rep for Cirrus…