13 January 2009
Cirrus Design yesterday unveiled its model plans for 2009, announcing that some parts of the range would be equipped for flight into known icing, and that it was introducing the X-Edition, which is essentially an aesthetic upgrade but one which Cirrus believes is important in attracting new people into GA.
Cirrus also announced that a 12-inch version of the Perspective would be available on some of the higher-end models, and also launched CMX, a comprehensive maintenance package which will cover all engineering required for your aircraft in its first years (including annual inspections).
Cirrus executives were on hand at the web-based announcement, and in answer to questions about the current climate they re-emphasised that they felt that Cirrus was ‘stronger than ever’ and was ‘adding value’ for its buyers. ‘Today is the right time to be investing’, Alan Klapmeier, company founder and president, said.
Countering potential accusations that Cirrus might be putting pilots at risk by encouraging them to fly into known icing conditions with the new anti-icing system, the panel emphasised that they weren’t suggesting pilots should go and seek icing conditions, but that if they did encounter icing pilots could now safely cope with them while they found a way out of them.
The FIKI (Flight Into Known Icing) system has meant redesigning the aircraft quite substantially, with new leading edges and tailplane panels. Certification for this is expected in the second quarter of 2009.
UK dealer Cirrus UK tells us that the new aircraft could be available in the UK within 4 to 6 weeks on the N register, as it is believed that the factory has been building to the new specs for some time. It is not known how soon European certification for the improvements may come. The CMX maintenance plan should also be available in the UK, although the final details are not yet available.
