Cirrus SR22

The Cirrus SR22 is a single-engine four- or five-seat composite aircraft built since 2001 by Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minnesota, United States.

It is a development of the Cirrus SR20, with a larger wing, higher fuel capacity and more powerful, 310-horsepower (231 kW) engine, and a 315 hp (235 kW) engine for the turbocharged version of the aircraft. In the general aviation (GA) industry, it became the first light aircraft with a full glass cockpit.

The SR22 series has been the world's best-selling GA airplane every year since 2003. With 8,246 units delivered from 2001–24, and in combination with the SR20, a total of 10,178, it is the most-produced GA aircraft of the 21st century, and is the single most-produced aircraft made from composite material, accounting for nearly 50% of the entire piston aircraft market.

The Cirrus SR22 has a whole-plane emergency recovery parachute system: the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). This has contributed to its market success and has given it the nickname "the plane with the parachute".

Design and development

The SR22, certified in November 2000, is a more powerful version of the earlier SR20. Production of the aircraft started in 2001. The SR22 is a low-wing cantilever monoplane of composite construction, featuring fixed (non-retractable) tricycle landing gear with a castering nose wheel and steering via differential braking on the main wheels. It is powered by a nose-mounted 310 hp (231 kW) Continental IO-550-N piston engine. The four-seat cabin is accessed through doors on both sides of the fuselage.

The SR-series remains the only production airplane in its class to include side stick flight controls that combine aspects of a traditional yoke handle (referred to in the industry as a "side yoke").

The Cirrus SR22, like the SR20, is equipped with the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), which can lower the entire aircraft to the ground relatively gently in an emergency.

In 2004, the company introduced the SR22 G2 (Generation 2), and in 2007 the SR22 G3 (Generation 3). Both were defined by airframe modifications, G2 by fuselage, and G3 by modified wing and landing gear.

A 2012 '' Flying'' magazine review stated that the Cirrus SR22 "is the most sophisticated single-engine civilian airplane ever built and by a long shot."

In 2013, the manufacturer introduced the SR22 G5 (Generation 5) (there was no G4). Key changes were an increase in gross weight to and a standard five-seat cabin arrangement. The G5 received only minor changes for 2014, including integrated LED lighting and Beringer brakes.

In 2014, the SR22 and SR22T had been the best-selling four- to five-seat fixed-wing aircraft in the world for 12 years in a row.

In 2016, Cirrus introduced improvements to the SR Series, including Bluetooth wireless connectivity, remote keyless entry, a convenience lighting system, and an easy-access door latch.

In 2017, the company introduced the SR22 G6 (Generation 6), with several major upgrades to the avionics and new navigation lighting.

In September 2019, Cirrus unveiled the TRAC, a training-oriented version of the SR-series with a simplified interior, more durable seat material, backseat radio transmit switch to allow an observer to communicate with air traffic control, integrated engine indication and crew alerting/warning systems, and simulated retractable landing gear controls and position lights to allow cadets and instructors to feign landing gear operation and failures during instructional flights (the actual landing gear remains permanently fixed).

In January 2020, the company introduced a new mobile app for the SR Series, called "Cirrus IQ", which enables remote aircraft communication including access to pre-flight status information like fuel and oxygen levels, battery voltage, oil temperature, aircraft location and flight hours.

In October 2020, it was revealed that a 2003 SR22 would be displayed in the new general aviation exhibition "We All Fly" in the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, which opened in 2022.

In January 2022, Cirrus announced speed and aesthetic improvements to the G6 SR-series, with a increased cruise speed, upgrades to the mobile IQ app, USB-A and USB-C charging ports and more.

In January 2024, the company announced the SR22 G7 (Generation 7), with a major overhaul to the interior and avionics, making it more comparable to the cockpit of a Cirrus Vision Jet, as well as safety and engine-start improvements and an automatic fuel selection system. In May 2025, Cirrus introduced the G7+, which added its Safe Return emergency autoland system as the first piston aircraft with autoland.

Turbocharged models

Cirrus introduced the SR22 Turbo in 2006, with a Tornado Alley turbonormalizing upgrade kit that is factory installed under a Supplemental Type Certificate. It included twin turbonormalizers and twin intercoolers. The conversion includes built-in oxygen and a Hartzell three-blade (later four-blade as optional) lightweight composite propeller. The weight of the conversion reduces the SR22's useful load. Air conditioning is available with the SR22 Turbo, but this further reduces the useful load. The turbo version has a certified ceiling of , a maximum cruise speed of 211 knots (391 km/h), and a top speed of .

In 2010, Cirrus introduced the SR22T. This used a new engine, the Continental TSIO-550K, which produces with a 7.5:1 compression ratio and can run on 94 octane fuel.

Glass cockpit

SR22s and SR20s built before 2003 were equipped with traditional analog instruments and a 10" (later 12") Multi-function display (MFD). In February 2003, Cirrus began offering SR22s with the Avidyne Entegra primary flight display (PFD), making the plane the first of its kind to come with a glass cockpit. Later that year, this instrumentation became standard equipment on all SR-series aircraft and sparked a major transition in general aviation, whereby over 90% of all new light aircraft by the year 2006 were equipped with glass cockpits. Retrofits are available for the older SR aircraft that replace the analog instrument panels with one that includes a PFD, a new MFD and the installation of back-up mechanical instruments.

On 22 May 2008, Cirrus revealed the "Cirrus Perspective" glass cockpit (by Garmin). Both cockpits were available for several months (the Avidyne cockpit was initially standard equipment) and after 2008 the SR22 was sold with only the Perspective panel.

In 2009, the third-generation Cirrus SR22 GTS came equipped with a new enhanced vision system (EVS), a sophisticated dual-wavelength instrument that offers both infrared and synthetic vision.

At the 2010 EAA AirVenture, Cirrus announced its plans to certify Garmin's ESP system (Electronic Stability and Protection, similar to ESPs in automobiles) on the Cirrus SR22. It included advanced flight envelope protection that could stabilize the aircraft with the push of a button, to avoid spiral from developing.

The Cirrus Perspective-Plus avionics flight deck was introduced in 2017, with a faster processing speed, animated datalink weather, payload management, visual approach capabilities, wireless database uploads, glass back-up instruments, and more.

In 2020, the Perspective-Plus flight deck included a new stabilized approach advisory system that provides alerts to the pilot of unstable conditions during approach.

In 2024, the seventh generation of the SR22 introduced the Cirrus Perspective Touch+ flight deck, the "first-ever piston aircraft to incorporate dual Garmin Touch Controllers”, including taxiway routing and a contextualized 3D taxi guide, improved flight envelope protection, a 35% larger MFD and PFD, a calibrated airspeed-linked checklist scroll wheel, and other upgrades to the instrument panel. In 2025, Cirrus added its "Safe Return" emergency autoland system to the flight deck.

Flight into known icing

Cirrus completed testing for flight into known icing conditions (FIKI) on 12 January 2009. The equipment change involved installing a larger fluid tank for the TKS Ice Protection System and protecting more areas of the aircraft. The FAA approved the new installation in April 2009.

Operational history

For several years, the largest fleet of Cirrus SR22s was operated by ImagineAir, which was in operation from 2007–2018. Previously to this, the largest fleet had been operated by SATSair with 26 aircraft. It began operations in 2004 and went out of business in 2009. The largest European operator is Fly Aeolus, a Belgian fractional ownership company established in 2009 that operates 13 SR22s. In May 2022, California-based air taxi company Joby Aviation received Part 135 air service certification from the FAA to operate a fleet of SR22s, pending certification of its eVTOL aircraft.

Australian pilot Ryan Campbell used an SR22 to become the youngest pilot to fly solo around the world (a title which he held for nearly a year), at age nineteen. He completed his trip on 7 September 2013 in Wollongong. His SR22, ''Spirit of the Sapphire Coast,'' was modified by removing three seats and adding a fuselage tank for a total of usable.

The French Air and Space Force uses six SR22s as training aircraft, and the Royal Saudi Air Force acquired 25 SR22s in 2013, replacing Cessna 172

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases