The Cirrus Aircraft SR20 is one of the most popular single-engine aircraft. This small jet was launched in 19999, and is quick and powerful, but comfortable and has a feature-intensive design as well, which has shaped the aviation industry for the last two decades. The aircraft was certified in 1998 by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The SR20 is extremely well received amongst flying enthusiasts as well as flight schools owing to its reliability, affordable cost, and the number of features it hones. The piston-engine propeller option also makes it an ideal choice for most.
Prominent Features and Design of the Cirrus SR20:
The SR20, comparably a small jet, is packed with stunning features and a beautiful design. But the most attractive part is how much comfort it offers. Here are the main features you must know about:
Design:
The Cirrus SR20 holds a capacity of four, measures 7.92 meters in length and around 2.71 meters in height. The jet has a 38.4 ft spanning cantilever-design wing and the cabin is 49 inches wide and 130 inches long.
The aircraft is designed to carry a maximum weight of 1,386 kgs and the standard empty weight is around 945kgs. It has a useful load of 441kg, with a usable fuel capacity of 212 liters and a full-fuel payload of 288kgs.
It also included a ballistic parachute system for safety, with a 4-point harness and built-in airbags for the pilots. The Cirrus airframe parachute system or CAPS is a solid-fuel rocket motor-deployed parachute that runs 17 meters long and was designed by BRS. It can be deployed easily by pulling on the overhead handle.
Cabin:
The SR20 has a 330 m cabin with easy entry and exit through oversized doors fitted on both sides of the aircraft. The width of the cabin measures 124 cm while its height is around 127 cm. The cabin also has tilted windows at its rear.
Avionics:
The Cirrus SR20has a fully digital avionics suite which includes a keyboard controller, dual navigation with WAAS GPS, dual screens of around 12 inches, engine and fuel monitoring systems, S-tec 55X autopilot, flite charts, Mode S-transponder, GFC 700 autopilot / dual AHRS, 406MHz ELT, perspective EVS, and a chart view.
Any critical information like next next-generation radar, TAFs, METARs, AIRMET or airmen’s meteorological information, TFR or terrain-following radar, SIGMET or significant meteorological information, winds aloft, lighting, and freezing levels are provided by an XM weather data link. A Stormscope WX-500 allows the detection of all forms of lightning, like ground-based strikes or even cloud-to-cloud strikes.
Engine and Performance:
The small jet is powered with a Continental IO-360-ES piston engine that is rated at 200 hp, with six-cylinder fuel-injected engines, a tuned exhaust system that is equipped with the three-blade propeller system.
It can take off at a height of 1,478ft and operate to a ceiling of up to 17,500 ft and displays a powerful climb rate of 828ft/min. The aircraft can fly up to 155ktas at 75% power and can cruise in the air at 785 nm with a 55% power reserve.
These are some of the features of the Cirrus SR20 that you should know if you plan on buying or flying one!