Cirrus announced April 21 that it won approval on its known-ice package for the SR22, just a few months after the product was announced. The manufacturer also said at its Sun ’n Fun press conference that all research and development work is now being directed toward the SF50 Vision jet, effectively halting the development of the SRS light sport aircraft.
Certification on the known-ice package had been expected for some time. The package is a clean-sheet design, and not just the addition of more fluid and ice lights, a company representative said. A known-ice-certified SR22 can fly up to 2.5 hours in normal icing conditions and around 35 minutes at max flow.
Cirrus President and CEO Brent Wouters gave an update on the SF50 jet program, saying that development is on schedule. If and when capital financing becomes an issue, the company will reevaluate, Wouters said. But he went on to say that it hasn’t been a problem yet. To try and keep things on track while preserving capital, Wouters said the Cirrus SRS, a light sport aircraft the company had in development, is at least temporarily canceled as a result. “We don’t know when we’ll be able to restart it,” he said. The company may do so in the future, but the decision has yet to be determined, Wouters said.
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