First Look: Seven thousand and climbing

“Buying an airplane that you’re going to fly in with your family is much more than a financial transaction,” said Jill “Ivy” McIver, Cirrus product manager for piston-driven SR20s and SR22s. “There’s emotion in it. There’s excitement. And there’s a commitment to continuing education. To us, welcoming new owners to the Cirrus family is more than a marketing slogan.”

Milestone Cirrus aircraft used to be all white with an accent stripe, special N number, and perhaps a decal on the tail. That changed with the company’s 5,000th delivery, and now, the seven are multicolored SR22Ts with aggressive paint schemes, Alcantara seats, carbon fiber interior panels, and Garmin Perspective avionics suites patterned after the company’s SF50 Vision Jet.

SR20s and 22s still account for the bulk of Cirrus sales, and sales revenue, but that’s changing. The company delivered 355 SRs last year and anticipates building “that many or more” in 2018. Cirrus also is on track to deliver 50 or more SF50s in 2018, and, at $2 million apiece, the jet is the cornerstone of the company’s financial future—and its identity. Cirrus has devoted a decade and a half to designing, certifying, and now building and delivering SF50s, and the jet has required an extraordinary amount of the China-owned company’s resources.

But McIver insists the jet helps SR sales; it doesn’t hinder them.

“The SR is the gateway to the Vision Jet,” she said. “It’s not a big leap for pilots who know the SR22T to transition to a Vision Jet. The two airplanes are closely aligned, and that helps SR22 sales. You can see it in the production numbers.”

The SR22T and Vision Jet have similar avionics suites, approach speeds, and can fly at nearly the same altitudes. (The SR22T ceiling is 25,000 feet and the non-RVSM SF50 is 28,000.) Software upgrades on 2018 SR22Ts make frequency changes, descent planning, and airspeed symbols identical to the SF50.

Textron’s recent decision to end Cessna TTx production also eliminates the SR22’s closest competitor. The two fixed-gear, low-wing, composite airplanes were introduced the same year and were close in price and performance, but Cirrus dominated sales. Cessna sold about 25 TTx models last year, less than one-tenth the SR total.

But McIver says she and her colleagues aren’t celebrating the demise of the TTx.

“Competition is good for the industry and we welcome it,” she said. “If you’re looking to buy a fast, new, composite piston single, we don’t have a direct competitor anymore. Cessna’s website listed a side-by-side comparison between the TTx and an SR22T and I thought it was great because they reached some potential customers that, perhaps, we didn’t.”

McIver credits the Cirrus sales force, its community of owners and pilots, and the Cirrus airframe parachute for the fact that it far outsold the TTx. Cirrus prices start at $440,000 for a new SR20 and rise to $610,000 for a SR22 and $710,000 for a SR22T, not including options.

McIver said she intends to focus on the ownership experience and “intangibles” going forward. That means getting more and better flight training for buyers of both new and used airplanes, providing “worry-free maintenance” through expanded warranty programs, and emphasizing fun. Company executives will lead several high-end Cirrus Life flying excursions to Alaska, Europe, and New England this summer and fall. The company also hosts an RV campground for Cirrus owners at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh that includes catered dinners and social events.

Last year, Cirrus accounted for 38 percent of the market for new, FAA-certified, single-engine piston aircraft. (The SR22T is its top-selling model.)

“I know that owning and flying an airplane improves the quality of my life,” McIver said. “Making flying and aircraft ownership more enjoyable and less stressful is foremost in my mind. It’s what we’re all about at Cirrus. It’s in our DNA.”

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