Cirrus introduces new turbocharged model

Cirrus Aircraft told its owners group June 18 that it will offer an SR22T with a 315 hp Continental twin-turbocharged TSIO-550-K engine. Deliveries start this month. (See “ Cirrus amps its turbo line,” July issue of AOPA Pilot.)

The SR22T carries a base price of $475,000, and a well-equipped price of $525,900.

The engine installation was co-developed by Continental and Cirrus Aircraft engineers, and is not currently available in any other production aircraft.

The SR22T also features new environmental control system hardware that supports up to 50 degrees of additional cabin heating capability at all altitudes. The company claims improved takeoff and climb, quieter takeoff and climb noise levels, higher useful load, and better deceleration from high-speed.

Cirrus continues to offer the SR22 Turbo with the twin turbo-normalized “Tornado Alley Turbo” STC. Depending on a customer’s personal priorities and preferences, Cirrus offers a choice of either aircraft with essentially equal performance.

Cirrus France Director Regis Masson crossed the Atlantic with the SR22T in May. “I have just crossed the North Atlantic from Duluth to Paris in a new SR22T in 22 hours. It climbs like a rocket to 25,000 feet and a few times I had to reduce power for others to keep up.”

Cirrus also announced to its owners that until the end of July, any new order for either an X or Xi model personalized SR22 will include air conditioning as part of the package at no additional cost. Second, for owners in the U.S. selling their current Cirrus and upgrading to a new model, when brokered through Cirrus Certified with a new order placed by July 31, Cirrus will apply the normal 4.9 percent brokerage fee as a credit on the new airplane purchase.

Finally, Cirrus said it has a retractable gear simulator for SR20 and SR22 aircraft used in training. (The gear remains fixed.)

Instructor pilots can simulate landing gear system failures such as “right gear unsafe” and learn appropriate procedures to troubleshoot or solve the problem while actually flying an aircraft. The Cirrus SR20 and SR22 fixed landing gear allows these learning scenarios without risk to the aircraft.

The system consists of the pilot interface panel, the instructor fault select panel, a warning horn, a warning horn push button and an independent circuit breaker for the system. The Cirrus Landing Gear Simulator installation is available for installation on new Cirrus aircraft or can be added to an aircraft later. It has already been installed on aircraft in the fleet.