Cirrus SR20
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The Cirrus Design SR20 is a piston engine composite monoplane that seats four. The SR20 is noted for being the first production general aviation aircraft equipped with a parachute for spin recovery.
[edit] History
Certified by the FAA in 1998, hundreds of SR20s have been sold since the first was delivered in 1999 as of december 2006 over 2000 planes together with the SR22 has been made. One of the major selling points for the SR20 is that it has a fully digital avionics suite with one 10-inch Avidyne FlightMax primary flight display and one multi-function display. A pair of Garmin GNS430s provide GPS navigation, conventional radio navigation, and radio communications.
The SR20, like the faster SR22, is equipped with the Ballistic Recovery Systems Cirrus Aircraft Parachute System, a large parachute which can be deployed in an emergency to lower the entire aircraft to the ground safely.
On June 1, 2004, the SR20 became the first aircraft to achieve the new European Aviation Safety Agency certificate for aircraft imported into the European Union.
The Cirrus SRV is a marketing version of the SR20 that is optimized for the low-end private ownership and flight training market. As such it omits some standard equipment available on the SR20 such as wheel fairings.
[edit] Accidents and Safety
Despite the parachute system, there was a number of accidents resulting in fatalities when the parachute either didn't deploy correctly or deployed too late. Cirrus has made some changes to the system because of this.[citations needed]
- In the October 11, 2006 New York City plane crash, an SR20, owned by New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle, crashed into a residential building in New York City's Upper East Side neighborhood, on the west bank of the East River. Lidle and his flight instructor, Tyler Stanger, were killed.
- As of 2 December 2006, 15 people have died in accidents with the SR20.[citation needed]
[edit] Specifications (SR20-G2)
[edit] General characteristics
- Crew: one pilot
- Capacity: 3 passengers
- Length: 26 ft 0 in (9.33 m)
- Wingspan: 35 ft 7 in (10.84 m)
- Height: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
- Wing area: 135 ft² (9.5 m²)
- Empty: 2,070 lb ( 939 kg)
- Loaded: lb ( kg)
- Maximum takeoff: 3,000 lb ( 1361 kg)
- Powerplant: 1x Continental Motors IO-360-ES, 200 hp (149 kW)
- Maximum Landing Weight: 2,900 lb
[edit] Performance
- Maximum speed: 174 knots (370 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 156 knots (289 km/h)
- Range: 882 nautical miles (1,634 km)
- Service ceiling: 17500 ft ( 5334 m)
- Rate of climb (sea level): 900 ft/min (274 m/min)
- Wing loading: 22.22 lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
- Power/Mass:
[edit] References
- Comparison of SR20 and SRV powerplants accessed 20 Nov 2006
- Information on SR20 and SRV varient specs accessed 20 Nov 2006
