Table Of Content
- Check out the G6 and other fantastic single-engine airplanes in our latest Piston Singles Buyer’s Guide.
- Landing distance ground roll
- FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ICE
- Fly It for Less: Slow Down, Partner Up
- Cruise speed/endurance w/45-min rsv, std fuel (fuel consumption, ea engine) @ 75% power, best economy
- We Fly: Cirrus SR22 G6
- SR22-TRAC (Training Aircraft)
The greater span improves the climb rate, decreases stall speed, and gives the SR22 really nice landing characteristics. I found the SR22 to be easier to land than the SR20, partly because it seems more stable on approach, but mostly because the larger wing provides more opportunity in ground effect to finesse the landing. With the SR22, I felt as if I could work the airplane more in ground effect, getting it to the point where it would chirp, chirp onto the runway every time. The SR22, certified in November 2000, is a more powerful version of the earlier SR20. The SR22 is a low-wing cantilever monoplane of composite construction, featuring fixed (non-retractable) tricycle landing gear with a castering nose wheel and steering via differential braking on the main wheels.
Check out the G6 and other fantastic single-engine airplanes in our latest Piston Singles Buyer’s Guide.
The Garmin 1000NXi-based Cirrus Perspective+ flight deck has everything a pilot could want in terms of functionality in its standard setup, and additional systems can be added to elevate the user experience. The entire aircraft is electric and is run by two alternators and batteries that are all independent from each other for redundancy and safety. Like all Cirrus single-engine aircraft, the SR22 is powered by a horizontally opposed, air-cooled, fuel-injected Continental 550 engine that has a total displacement of 552 cubic inches (9.05 l). The SR22 features an IO-550-N, while the turbocharged SR22T is powered by the dual turbocharged TSIO-550-K. If that’s true, and Cirrus generally plays it straight with its numbers, then that’s a huge increase, on the order of 5% of the plane’s top speed.
Landing distance ground roll
The total fuel cost will translate to $45,675 per year based on an annual flight time of 450 hours. The Cirrus SR22-G6 is jam-packed with features in its standard configuration, but Cirrus is known for luxury aircraft that go the extra mile both for passengers and pilots. The manufacturer offers five optional packages that customers add to their aircraft to improve performance and the flying experience. Despite the sobering asking price, Cirrus delivers a lot of airplane to buyers with qualifying bank accounts.
FLIGHT INTO KNOWN ICE
Cirrus shaved some weight from the interior materials but the fit, finish and creature comforts have never been better, in our view. It’s also a quiet cabin with limited amounts of engine vibe and plenty of personal space for crew and rear-seaters alike. With all of the options loaded on the SR22 I flew first, the “Eight Grand” series promised to take the experience up a notch. So, a couple of weeks following my trip to Knoxville, McIver brought the hard-to-miss N225HL up to Hagerstown (KHGR), Maryland, so my introduction to the latest SR could be complete.
Fly It for Less: Slow Down, Partner Up
The elevator trim operation is just like in any other airplane you've ever flown. The aileron trim takes a bit more getting used to, but is soon another tool to simplify your flying. Of course, if the situation gets out of control and you're more than a few hundred feet above ground level, you have the option of popping the unique Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). As on the SR20, a pull of the T-handle on the cabin overhead deploys the SR22's rocket-powered parachute from the aft fuselage. The parachute lowers the aircraft at about 1,700 fpm — a rate likely to destroy the airplane, but save the passengers.
Cruise speed/endurance w/45-min rsv, std fuel (fuel consumption, ea engine) @ 75% power, best economy
The opportunity to fly both the normally aspirated G6 as well as the turbo model (which the 8,000-series airplanes are) for this report gave me the chance to directly compare performance metrics between the two. Improvements in composite manufacturing have shaved off pounds from the empty weight of the SR20 and SR22 along the way. The glass-panel generation began in 2003, with the Avidyne Entegra suite in the SR22 G1—and transitioned pilots to the concept of a large-scale primary flight display. When Cirrus went to the G2 in 2004, both the SR20 and SR22 were equipped with the Entegra. The same is true for the yaw damper, which automatically comes on and off at 200 feet agl on departure and arrival, obviating the need for a yaw damper button on the Garmin GFC 700 autopilot control panel. Thanks to the improved processors and extra computer memory, Perspective+ also boots up much faster, panning and zooming is effortless, and the displays are crisper and more vibrant.
Flight Test: Cirrus SR-22 GTS G6 - Pilot Magazine
Flight Test: Cirrus SR-22 GTS G6.
Posted: Tue, 23 Jan 2018 08:00:00 GMT [source]
It is powered by a nose-mounted 310 hp (231 kW) Continental IO-550-N piston engine. The four-seat cabin is accessed through doors on both sides of the fuselage. To save some space, Cirrus designed a more compact and modern ignition system that’s fired via redundant electronic circuits. You can now pull that handle at 140 knots, increased from an old 133-knot deployment speed. The whole-airplane parachutes are still provided by BRS (Ballistic Recovery Systems) and require a mandatory 10-year repack interval. To accommodate the new gross weight increase, Cirrus beefed up the main spar, strengthened the landing gear and added extra layers of composites to the airframe.
The company does say, however, that “the new model’s ice panel transition seams are smoothed and wheel pant tolerances tightened to reduce drag.” Interference drag is low-hanging fruit, so good for them. The SR22T is certified to 25,000 feet, where it cruises at 213 knots true. After one brief level off, we climbed directly to 19,000 feet—where time-to-climb was approximately 40 minutes.
SR22-TRAC (Training Aircraft)
Cirrus has delivered seven SR22s and expects that about a third of the 650 aircraft in its backlog will end up as SR22s. The Wrights may have uncovered all of the important aeronautical magic, but with the SR22, the Cirrus team has brewed a powerful potion — one that appeals to pilots' desires to fly something that looks good and goes fast. The SR22 does both and in a level of comfort seldom seen in general aviation.
I opted for the latter to give me the chance to try out another new feature in Perspective+, the ability to select a visual approach to any runway from the procedures menu. A few button presses later and I was receiving ILS-like guidance cues that took us all the way to the runway threshold. Cirrus achieved the goal of finishing one airplane a day in December 2000.
Powered headset jacks and lighted USB-C ports at each passenger seat keep everyone connected and entertained while reducing cabin clutter. Graceful accent lights, illuminated cupholders, and clever storage create a convenient environment for everyone on board. Certified Flight into Known Ice (FIKI) is available on the leading edges of the wings and tail, providing the freedom to fly throughout the seasons. Perspective Touch+ touchscreen controllers provide quick access to every function. Cirrus also offers the Vision Inspired package, with tri-color paint work and other swagger that recognizes the Vision Jet that’s currently in development. Buy one of these special SR22 models and you’re recognized as a special member of the Cirrus family—earning a discount on a Vision Jet order slot—a project we’re watching closely.
I found it interesting to learn that the lights come on automatically when you press the key fob to unlock the doors and stay on until after takeoff passing through 200 feet agl. The lights then turn on automatically on descent for landing at 200 feet. Also included with the lighting package are courtesy lights in the baggage compartment and a downwash light on each step behind the wing. My introduction to the G6 SR22 included a half-dozen flights over the span of three days in mid-December. By now the secret is out and the G6 is the talk of the Cirrus-owner community — but at that time flying the new model required stealth since it was among the most closely guarded secrets in all of general aviation.
The rear baggage area can accommodate 130 pounds of whatever you can stuff in. To be sure, this overall utility is unmatched by few if any other four-place singles. I contemplated the complexity that the underlying system required in order to create a simple power interface that reduces workload. And yet, Cirrus made the decision to give the pilot the task of actually adjusting the mixture. I’ve concluded that it’s because pilots just need something to fiddle with, rather than for any big performance or efficiency reasons.
And really, that’s what an airplane like the SR22 does best — offers up amazing experiences that enrich its owners’ lives while enabling them to accomplish more with their limited time. The G6 is the finest Cirrus piston airplane yet, and my guess is demand will remain strong for the new model even with the SF50 Vision Jet now certified. After all, the SR22 is an ideal airplane for a great many missions, not to mention a perfect step-up airplane to the Vision Jet. An hour or so later, we bid Bruce and Jim farewell and selected a course northward. The original plan had been to fly back to New Jersey, but the Cirrus was needed in Knoxville, Tennessee, the home of the newly christened Cirrus customer delivery center, for an oil change and more demo flights.
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