Your fly over, everything is fine, until the engine quits. OK, don’t panic, these little airplanes glide for a lot of distance, but the lower parts look a little tough. With low cloud cover finding a suitable place to set up will be impossible. Time to hit the silk. With a little effort, the parachute opens and the whole plane descends to the ground under this large safe cover. All passengers are safe.
This mission mode can only be accomplished with one aircraft. Cirrus Design, the one and only manufacturer of small airplanes that have their own parachute case incorporated into the plane.
Their popular SR22 model is a single engine high performance four seater that has been the world’s best seller in its category for the past five years. The SR22 Turbo option allows the boat to descend even higher and faster, a true hot air rod.
Founded in 1984 in Baraboo, Wisconsin, brothers Alan and Dale Klapmeier started the business by producing the VK-30 kit plane. Cirrus now has its headquarters in Duluth, Minnesota. With facilities in Grand Forks North Dakota, and Bembridge England, Cirrus is a leader in small aircraft assembly.
With two certified designs under its belt, Cirrus is currently working on a Jet Propulsion model to address the higher end of its aircraft inventory. Wanting to capture as much of the market as possible, he even worked on a smaller, less expensive model that was reported to sell for somewhere around $100,000. The SR Sport, a two-seater, will be a partnership with the German company.
One thing that all models of Cirrus airplanes have in common is the CAPS (Cirrus Airframe Parachute System). This parachute system, when deployed, is designed to lower aircraft and population to the ground rate. about 1500 feet per minute. Not a soft port, but one that gives owners a better then average chance of survival.
Cirrus is well ahead of Cessna in sales when Cessna compares the SR22 to its equivalent 172. Now with competitor Columbia filing for bankruptcy, another occasion arises. Cessna has an offer on the table of $22 million. Cyrus is also considering making an offer to buy Columbia.
The development and certification cost of the SR22 is around $60 million, Columbia buying them will give them two certified designs at a fraction of the cost. Both the Cirrus and the Columbia were designed specifically for composites, something the Cessna community did not enjoy.
If the acquisition of Cirrus in Columbia is successful, they plan to continue manufacturing in Bend, Oregon. Columbia employs just over 400 people in 185 airplane buildings last year. With 1,300 employees, Cirrus produced 721 aircraft in 2006.
With many expansions already under its belt, the future of Cirrus Design looks bright. They far exceeded all expectations of the City of Duluth, since they did not have much in the way of original business plans. finally more than 10 years.
If you are interested in a detailed review from a pilot who personally owns a Cirrus SR20, be sure to visit this site.
www.phillip.greenspun.com/flying/cirrus-sr20
Phillip Greenspun provides a comprehensive review, addressing many of the finer points while discussing the unique characteristics of the aircraft in many situations.
www.duluthnewstribune.com
www.generalaviationnews.com
www.cirrusdesign.com
www.wikipedia.org
