USELOAD INCREASE...true?

CIRRUS ENHANCES SR20 AT NO EXTRA CHARGE

This coming from AOPA’s e-pilot email this mornings. I haven’t heard anything from Cirrus or seen any posts here. I think the meant to say 1050 instead of 950.

Don Rennie

Cirrus Design announced a 100-pound gross weight increase, to 3,000 pounds, for the SR20 aircraft. Company officials said the increase improves utility by bumping up the useful load to 950 pounds. The airplane will also have a new look with the installation of an ultrabright high-intensity discharge (HID) landing light, pioneered on the SR22, in the lower cowl. Other options include traffic information for the avionics system and some interior refinements. No change in price is anticipated. The company plans to offer retrofit kits for the 140 SR20s already delivered. See the Web site.

CIRRUS ENHANCES SR20 AT NO EXTRA CHARGE

This coming from AOPA’s e-pilot email this mornings. I haven’t heard anything from Cirrus or seen any posts here. I think the meant to say 1050 instead of 950.

Don Rennie

Cirrus Design announced a 100-pound gross weight increase, to 3,000 pounds, for the SR20 aircraft. Company officials said the increase improves utility by bumping up the useful load to 950 pounds. The airplane will also have a new look with the installation of an ultrabright high-intensity discharge (HID) landing light, pioneered on the SR22, in the lower cowl. Other options include traffic information for the avionics system and some interior refinements. No change in price is anticipated. The company plans to offer retrofit kits for the 140 SR20s already delivered. See the Web site.

Hi Don,

I believe this is the same gross weight increase announced several times now over the last year (in customer updates and on this forum, etc.) – that is, increasing max gross weight from 2900 to 3000 lbs.

I guess that would typically increase useful load to about 950 lbs though mine will only be 908 lbs.

(also, I think the “NO EXTRA CHARGE” in that headline means that they are not increasing the price of yet-to-be-delivered SR20s to reflect the higher gross weight. Current owners will still have to pay for the retrofit kit [though it’s not supposed to be very much money].)

Steve

CIRRUS ENHANCES SR20 AT NO EXTRA CHARGE

This coming from AOPA’s e-pilot email this mornings. I haven’t heard anything from Cirrus or seen any posts here. I think the meant to say 1050 instead of 950.

Don Rennie

It has been my understanding that this 100 lb. gross weight increase would increase the typical or “target” useful load of an SR20 in the “A” config to 950 lb., which is the figure that had been quoted in brochures and the POH. Aircraft in the “B” and “C” configs need to deduct the weight for the options as specified in the “Price List.” The reason the increase doesn’t bring it up to 1050, is that the basic empty weight of the SR20s have been coming in heavier than originally planned, partly due to FAA mandates that had to do with the composite manufacturing process. (i.e. more composite material had to be added to eliminate chance of air pockets weakening the air frame.) Along these lines, there are also individual variations in basic empty weight due to the fact that each plane is individually made with the composite material.

We are thrilled with the increase - 100 lbs meant a lot to us as far as utility.

CIRRUS ENHANCES SR20 AT NO EXTRA CHARGE

This coming from AOPA’s e-pilot email this mornings. I haven’t heard anything from Cirrus or seen any posts here. I think the meant to say 1050 instead of 950.

Don Rennie

Cirrus Design announced a 100-pound gross weight increase, to 3,000 pounds, for the SR20 aircraft. Company officials said the increase improves utility by bumping up the useful load to 950 pounds. The airplane will also have a new look with the installation of an ultrabright high-intensity discharge (HID) landing light, pioneered on the SR22, in the lower cowl. Other options include traffic information for the avionics system and some interior refinements. No change in price is anticipated. The company plans to offer retrofit kits for the 140 SR20s already delivered. See the Web site.

Hi Don,

I believe this is the same gross weight increase announced several times now over the last year (in customer updates and on this forum, etc.) – that is, increasing max gross weight from 2900 to 3000 lbs.

I guess that would typically increase useful load to about 950 lbs though mine will only be 908 lbs.

(also, I think the “NO EXTRA CHARGE” in that headline means that they are not increasing the price of yet-to-be-delivered SR20s to reflect the higher gross weight. Current owners will still have to pay for the retrofit kit [though it’s not supposed to be very much money].)

Steve

A glossy one page front and back flyer, handed out by Cirrus at Oshkosh, listed max. weight at 3,000lbs for the sr20. MIKE #396

A glossy one page front and back flyer, handed out by Cirrus at Oshkosh, listed max. weight at 3,000lbs for the sr20. MIKE #396

Alan K. and Ian said that the SR20a which is now all SR20s coming off the production line will have the 3000lb gross as published in that glossy slick, but all of us that have heavier 20s than published have to pay for a rudder bolt and hopefully that is all. I had heard that it could have meant bigger brakes, then bigger wheel pants, then etc. … Let’s hope that not much money is better than the cost of a new cowling to keep the oil temp and CHT in the green, which by the way was quoted at " more than $5 and less than $50,000.

I might add that Cirrus has more effectively managed the individual variations in empty weight, ending up with a more consistent empty weight from plane to plane. Making a composite aircraft is a little different than riveting and screwing a bunch of metal parts to make a spam can, the sum of which is the weight of the aircraft. Composite airplane manufacturing is by its nature somewhat of an art, as well as a science.

The reason the increase doesn’t bring it up to 1050, is that the basic empty weight of the SR20s have been coming in heavier than originally planned, partly due to FAA mandates that had to do with the composite manufacturing process. (i.e. more composite material had to be added to eliminate chance of air pockets weakening the air frame.) Along these lines, there are also individual variations in basic empty weight due to the fact that each plane is individually made with the composite material.

We are thrilled with the increase - 100 lbs meant a lot to us as far as utility.