Rethought from the inside out, the G7 series—including the SR20, SR22, and SR22T—takes cues from the Vision Jet to simplify operation while incorporating added safety and luxury features. All three 2024 models have completed the FAA type certification process and are ready for delivery.

FLYING took an exclusive first series of flights with the striking new G7 in the SR22 version in early December for a We Fly pilot report that will debut in Issue 945/February 2024, reaching subscribers later this month. Till then, a quick reveal…

• WATCH: Cirrus Updates SR Series

Central to the updates is the reimagined Perspective Touch+ integrated flight deck with 12- or 14-inch high-resolution displays, and twin GTC touchscreen controllers, to mimic the functionality and redundancy available in the Vision Jet SF50. Engine start has transformed into a push-button interface, preserving the ability to check mags and set mixture while making the process feel similar to that of the SF50. The updated automated flight control system (AFCS) incorporates smart servos and includes an optional yaw damper. 

Updated synoptic pages and streamlined checklists aid the pilot in monitoring both systems and procedures throughout all phases of flight. And the Cirrus IQ app gives the pilot remote viewing and control of certain aircraft functions. Cirrus Global Connect delivers worldwide text messaging, telephone service, and global weather.

SUBSCRIBE: Get the We Fly Report in Issue 945

It’s telling that Cirrus Aircraft looked up the model line to its Vision Jet to drive out complexity from its core single-engine pistons, sending its engineers on a journey to find ways to make the SRs as straightforward to operate as the jet. While that sounds like a contradiction, perhaps, pilots like FLYING’s Dick Karl have opined about the complexity involved in stepping down from a light jet back into the high-performance piston world.  

To this end, Cirrus has introduced a new shallower menu structure in the touchscreen controllers, along with a scroll wheel for turning through the CAS-linked, on-screen checklists smoothly. Still on the ground, Taxiway Routing and a contextualized 3D Safe Taxi guide the pilot around complex airport layouts, decluttering and slewing the PFD imagery to match the airplane’s speed and position on the airport. In the air, the automatic fuel selection system automatically switches between fuel tanks every 5 gallons.

Additional Safety Features

Pilots will also find an improved flight control, incorporating a stick shaker function to piggyback on the other envelope protection features in the Perspective+ series, for enhanced low-speed situational awareness. Both the left and right controls vibrate to warn of an approaching stall condition.


Another new addition to envelope protection is flap airspeed protection. The system monitors airspeed to protect the pilot from accidentally deploying or retracting flaps when the aircraft is traveling too fast or too slow for the given flap configuration change. 

A Stylish and Functional New Interior

In addition to the magic up front, Cirrus also rethought the interior, taking a page from current luxury vehicles to incorporate a host of new features, including redesigned interior panels, dimmable task lights, and ambient accent lighting. 

More rugged cup holders, more pockets, and two center console compartments efficiently store your smartphone and other key things for better cockpit organization and accessibility. Powered headset jacks and lighted high-power USB-C outlets come positioned within easy reach of each seat. 


First SR20 G7 Customer

While only one new TRAC20 (SR20) G7 has been built, it’s already wearing its school colors—those of Western Michigan University College of Aviation in Battle Creek. The Broncos are longtime Cirrus flight training operators and will incorporate the new models into their aviation degree programs. The school will take delivery in the first quarter for integration into the flightline.

Pilots across the board can opt into several training options for the new Cirrus line, including the OEM’s recently released Private Pilot Program—taking a prospective pilot from first flight to certification in their new airplane.

“Our mission is to increase participation in aviation, so more people can benefit from the freedom, productivity, and joy it provides,” said Zean Nielsen, CEO of Cirrus Aircraft. “We have also developed a comprehensive ecosystem, providing global sales, flight training, maintenance, and support to ensure our owners have a seamless ownership experience. Our aircraft are truly designed with people in mind, and the new SR Series G7 is a testament to that philosophy. Our team and our aircraft provide a clear path to enter and advance within the personal aviation community by learning to fly and eventually transition to the Vision Jet with ease.” 

The post The Big Reveal: Cirrus Shows Off the SR G7 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The milestone? Cirrus marks its 9,000th delivery of an SR-series airplane this year, and much as it did with the 7,000th delivery and 8,000th delivery, it has crafted a limited edition run of the SR series, with comprehensive owner packages and bespoke exterior and interior designs. 

The 9,000th SR Packages

“The SR Series continues to move people, businesses, and imaginations as we reach another significant delivery milestone,” said Zean Nielsen, CEO of Cirrus Aircraft, in an accompanying statement. “Our talented Xi Design Studio collected inspiration through the lens of our customers and the worldwide travel and freedom personal aviation offers. The 9,000th SR Series delivery means that 9,000 owners are living the Cirrus Life enabled by the best-selling high-performance piston aircraft in the industry for over two decades.”

The design carries two themes, according to Ivy McIver, SR series program manager. The first is the number “9” that is integrated into several places on the aircraft. The second is the color orange—incorporated into the scheme by Xi Design Studios to create four palettes: ’Balos,’ ‘Lava,’ ‘Magma,’ and ‘Santorini,’ using Sherwin-Williams paint in Lava Orange and Aegean Blue.

• READ MORE: We Fly: Cirrus SR22T 8000

The owner packages also include five Bose A30 headsets and two Garmin D2 Aviation watches, along with five-year warranty and maintenance programs for a total ownership experience.

More Cirrus Metrics

Before Simmons made it to the big announcement, he took time to review a handful of significant numbers that Cirrus has achieved over its 24-year history. Among them, the fact that those 9,000 airplanes—the SR fleet—have amassed more than 15 million flight hours—and for the past nine years, Cirrus has delivered more than 300 piston aircraft per year. In 2022, the SR series was again the top-selling piston aircraft for the 21st year in a row.

And the SF50 has had its own hit parade. As it approaches 500 deliveries this year, the Vision Jet has increased in both market share and its ability to expand the market overall. For the fourth year in a row, in 2022, it was the top-selling jet with 95 units shipped.

But the Vision Jet notched other milestones in recent months, including the first and second saves using the CAPS, or Cirrus Airframe Parachute System. For customers and pilots seeking to acquire the SF50 type rating under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), it has dropped the minimum number of hours to enter the program from 500 to 250 in certain circumstances.

Cirrus has also added more affiliates in Europe in recent years, including the most recent addition of Orbifly, in France, in March 2023. In October 2022, it added CK Aviation in the UK, and in July 2021, Daedelus.

Sustainable Cirrus

Cirrus has been one of the first OEMs to test out unleaded fuel in its high-performance SR22 and SR22T engines—using the Continental IO-550-N, and TIO-550-K1, respectively. And ti continues to move forward with testing using GAMI’s UL100 as part of the EAGLE program to move towards unleaded fuels.

And the SF50’s Williams International FJ33 engine is all ready to run on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Cirrus was an early SAF adopter with the Vision Jet. From a noise standpoint—also very important, especially under EU skies—the Vision Jet registers between 69 and 71 decibels during flyover, according to its EASA type certificate.

The post Cirrus Marks 9,000th SR in 2023 With Limited Edition appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

So it makes sense that the OEM is expanding its footprint in the U.K. and Europe. Earlier this spring, Cirrus Aircraft opened a regional operations office in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, to join its sales office in Valenciennes, France, and it has named Oriens Aviation at Biggin Hill Airport (EGKB) near London, England, as a service provider in its network. Oriens joins Cirrus maintenance providers in Guernsey, Gloucestershire, and Leeds in the U.K., and hundreds around the world.

The Big Picture

FLYING spoke with Cirrus CEO Zean Nielsen in May regarding the new Rotterdam office and various market needs and challenges that the manufacturer faces in 2022.

Nielsen joined Cirrus three years ago, and he’s navigated the company through the changes wrought by the pandemic, supply chain issues, and market forces—and come through with a positive outlook on the company’s prospects.

“Our international markets should represent somewhere between 20 to 30 percent of our total revenue,” said Nielsen in the interview with FLYING. “Now, the U.S. markets are…way more fortunate from an infrastructure perspective—there are 5,000 airports, fuel is readily available, you don’t have to tell ATC folks where you’re flying all the time—it’s way easier. We’re gated in terms of how fast we can grow in Europe by infrastructure.”

“What we can solve ourselves is that the planes are certified to fly, all the technology is available, and like most companies, you service your biggest market first and then you begin to implement the technologies in the international portfolio.”

The Vision Jet fulfills a unique position in that portfolio in terms of implementing those new capabilities. “The Vision Jet is an example—CPDLC is one of those things that Europe is just further along with, and it is a feature that we’re working on so you can get from 28,000 feet to 30,000, right? So it’s one of those corner cases, but we’re making sure that we’re there.”

The U.S. Keeps Growing—But…

He added,“When the U.S. is growing as fast as it is—which it is, [it’s] really been on fire over the last three years—then your international markets have to grow rapidly too [in order to keep that balance in sales].”

Cirrus is “happy with the partner network we have” in Europe, which takes care of sales, unlike the direct sales the company promotes in the U.S. But the company wants its own facilities to support the growth and what those partners can do. “We now need to have locals on the ground to support that partner network,” which led to the office opening in Rotterdam—a strategic location from which Cirrus representatives can reach customers on both continental Europe, in Germany, its biggest market, and the U.K.

The Rotterdam location will provide service, sales, and marketing support, “to make sure that Europe is a priority and not an afterthought—which it has never been,” said Nielsen. “It’s now becoming a larger portion. It’s to make sure that every day somebody wakes up and thinks about Europe,” and that it is composed of 28 small countries, not one homogenous entity. “You can tailor programs and content to be perfect for the market.”

“I’m European—I’m Danish—I moved to the U.S. 20 years ago, so I understand the complexity of Europe, which is why we chose the Netherlands, to be the anchor point for our support office.”

Labor rules are more reasonable in the Netherlands, and Nielsen finds the Dutch to be very “pro business.” Other key elements to the choice? English is broadly spoken as the second language, and Rotterdam’s central location will pay off in service access.

Oriens also plans growth tied to the Cirrus partnership: The company is looking to hire additional B1/B2 engineers to support the MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) work.

The post Cirrus Expands Sales Network, Adapts to Marketplace appeared first on FLYING Magazine.