![]() ![]() The RPM is handled by a cable-and-cam arrangement that sets the RPM at either 2700 RPM for takeoff or 2500 RPM for cruise. Its smoother, a bit more economical and doesnt have the altitude-compensating fuel pump that can be a maintenance nuisance in the SR20s.Ĭirrus pioneered the two-lever control so the SR22 has a throttle and mixture lever, but no prop control. The IO-550-N brought some improvement to the front end. It had a 310-HP Continental IO-500-N, one of Continentals best-ever powerplants, a three-blade prop and more payload, although the basic airframe is largely the same. Although the SR20 was no slouch, its 150-ish cruise and limited payload left some buyers wanting. Two years later, for the 2001 model year, Cirrus announced the SR22 step-up model and immediately hit pay dirt. By modern standards, this would barely rise to the level of rudimentary, but a decade ago, it did the job, even if the display wasnt as impressive as the Garmin GNS430s that drove it.īut going in, Cirrus knew what Cessna, Piper, Beech and others have always known: If you dont have a follow-on model, your success will be shortlived. It also gave buyers their first look at largescreen displays in an aircraft, ARNAVs ICDS 2000. At about $197,000 equipped, the airplane was a good buy and proved a strong seller. The companys first product was the SR20, which appeared in 1999, powered by a 200-HP Continental IO-360ES. And if you got over your head, you wouldnt have to die for your mistake the BRS parachute would pull your fat out of the fire. ![]() Anyone could do it with the right airplane. On a variation of Cessnas famed “drive it up and drive it down” campaign of the 1970s, the Klapmeiers launched the company on the premise that it didnt take special DNA to be a pilot. By the mid-1990s, Cirrus principles Alan and Dale Klapmeier developed a new vision, reasoning that the time was right for a high-performance, composite fixed-gear single that anyone could fly. “The parachute is what sells the wife on the airplane,” one commenter said.Īmong homebuilders, Cirrus was well-known during the 1990s for its VK30 pusher kit, an innovative composite design that gained some traction but wasnt a major player in the field. Perhaps the parachute is the pot sweetener that pushes buyers considering something else into the Cirrus camp. Only a third of respondents said it was, but we think that understates the case. In a poll we conducted shortly after the SR22 appeared, we asked if the parachute was a driver in the purchase decision. The whole-plane parachute, which Cirrus pioneered as a signature marketing feature, has been a factor. Moreover, they offer the right combination of cutting-edge equipment and construction methods without becoming so weird or quirky that buyers are put off. The airplanes perform well and generally deliver on the claim of being easy to fly for people new to the aviation game. What explains it? We think there are several reasons. Iterations have proven hot sellers and good performers, with unusually loyal customers. Photo by Andrzej Rutkowski/Przeglad Lotniczy ![]() ![]() Since the company first morphed from a quirky kit supplier to a full-blown aircraft manufacturer in 1998, it has consistently proven that it got the vision thing right. The Cinderella general aviation success story of the 2000s must be Cirrus aircraft in general, and the SR22 specifically. ![]()
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