Safety & Performance In Style

Enhancements create a new shade of Cirrus

You know you're not in for any surprises when flying a Cirrus. The manufacturer, after all, places a premium on creating a standard feel for its products and a consistent "experience" for its customers. It's understood the big changes are unveiled in its "Generation" advances, like the G5 series introduced in 2013 that, among other big developments, brought a 200-pound increase in useful load to the composite single. But while the annual upgrade surprises are smaller, in aggregate, they can make a big impact; Cirrus pays as close attention to introducing meaningful enhancements and options as any automaker in Detroit.

So it's no surprise we were eager to see what was new when Cirrus Aircraft invited us to experience a 2015 SR22 during its public debut at the Sun 'n Fun International Fly-In Expo at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (KLAL) in April. We met Ivy McIver, Cirrus' SR (Single, Reciprocating) Product Line Manager, at Plant City Airport (KPCM), eight nm west of Lakeland, where the company based N974KS, an SR22T GTS Platinum edition, during the show.

A Cirrus Of A Different Color
We had already noticed one of the 2015 model year's enhancements back at LAL, where the new Cirrus aircraft on display at the company's exhibition area sported an unexpected range of colors. That's the result, McIver said, of technologies introduced by the company's new paint vendor, Sherwin-Williams, whose aerospace coatings now allow customers a much wider color palette. Concerns about the impact of heat on the underlying structures have typically limited composite aircraft to basic white livery, but with the new paint, even black is a Cirrus color option in 2015.

"GTS" is the company's premium equipment package. The customized outfitting incorporates offerings from the company's Premium Select options (tinted rear windows, polished spinner, leather interior, for example); Perspective Plus (including Yaw damper, Perspective Enhanced Vision System (EVS), second Air Data Computer); and Perspective Alerts Awareness & Assistance (Active Traffic Information, eTAWS and Jeppesen's ChartView); along with standard GTS upgrades including FIKI capability. For 2015, Cirrus has added features to the GTS package, including UV-protected windows and a four-in-one digital standby instrument.

"Platinum" is the aesthetic scheme (new for 2015), which features a single accent color coming off the tail, narrowing on the side of the fuselage. The Platinum scheme on the demo aircraft featured swaths of gray with sparkling, metallic-looking accents that were relatively cool to the touch despite the strong afternoon sun.

The "T" in SR22T stands for turbocharged, of course, for its twin turbocharged 315 hp Continental TSIO-550-K engine that delivers full power up to the T's 25,000-foot service ceiling.

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