| SR20 | |
|---|---|
| 2005 Cirrus SR20 | |
| Role | Civil utility aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Cirrus Design |
| First flight | 21 March 1995 |
| Produced | 1999-Present |
| Variants | Cirrus SR22 |
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 designed to lower the aircraft safely to the ground after loss of control or structural failure.
The SR20 was first flown on 21 March 1995.[1] FAA certification was achieved on 23 October 1998.[2] Hundreds of SR20s have been sold since the first was delivered in 1999. As of December 2006 over 2000 Cirrus aircraft had been delivered.
One of the major selling points for the SR20 is that it has a fully digital avionics suite with one 10-inch (250 mm) 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.[2]
On 1 June 2004, the SR20 became the first aircraft to achieve the new European Aviation Safety Agency certificate for aircraft imported into the European Union.
In 2007 Cirrus introduced an updated model of the SR20 that incorporates changes from the SR22 G3 airframe, including installing the new lighter SR22 wing which has a greater wing area than the previous SR20 wing. The installation of the larger wing increased the SR20's cruise speed by 6–7 knots (11–13 km/h).[3]
This improved model is called the SR20 G3 for "Generation 3". The new model includes:[4]
The Cirrus SRV was a VFR-only version of the SR20 that was optimized for the low-end private ownership and flight training market. As such it omitted some standard equipment available on the SR20 such as wheel fairings.[6] For 2008 the SRV model was updated to G3 configuration, with the SR22 wing.[7] Cirrus discontinued the SRV for the 2010 model year and no longer offers an aircraft with analog instruments.[8]
In 2011, the SR20 was selected for flight training at the United States Air Force Academy as the T-53A. Twenty-five examples will be purchased to replace the Academy's current stock of 20 leased T-52As by May 2012.[9]
The Cirrus aircraft are supported by an aircraft type club, the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association (COPA).[10]
The SR20 is popular with many flying schools and is operated by private individuals and companies. The largest operators are Delta Connection Academy which operates 34, Western Michigan University which has 28 and Purdue University with a fleet of 16.[11][12][13]
In 2011 the accident record of the SR20 and 22 was the subject of a detailed examination by Aviation Consumer magazine. The review concluded that the series has an overall accident record that is better than average for light aircraft, exceeded only by the Diamond DA40 and DA42. However its fatal accident rate is much worse at 1.6/100,000 hours, placing it higher than the US general aviation rate of 1.2 and higher than the Diamond DA40 (.35), Cessna 172 (.45), Diamond DA42 (.54), Cessna 182 (.69) and the Cessna 400 (1.0), despite the Cirrus's full aircraft parachute system.[14]
Data from Cirrus SR20 Specifications Webpage[7]
General characteristics
Performance
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