Cirrus Aircraft
SR20 / SR22 / SR22T
Single-engine piston · Trainer and personal aircraft · 2000s glass era
- Power
- 310 hp
- Cruise
- 183 kt
- MTOW
- 3,600 lb
- Range
- 1207 nm
- Fuel
- 100LL avgas
🇺🇸Specs shown in Imperial.
Performance
- Cruise speed (Vc)183 kt
- Never-exceed speed (Vne)205 kt
- Stall (landing config) (Vs0)60 kt
- Climb rate1,270 fpm
- Service ceiling17,500 ft
- Range1,207 nm
- Endurance6 h
- Takeoff roll1,683 ft
- Landing roll1,178 ft
Weights
- MTOW3,600 lb
- Empty weight2,348 lb
- Useful load1,252 lb
- Baggage capacity130 lb
Dimensions
- Wingspan38.3 ft
- Length26 ft
- Height8.9 ft
- Cabin width49 in
Powerplant
- EngineContinental IO-550-N — 310 hp · 100LL · 16 gph
- Total horsepower310 hp
- Primary fuel100LL avgas
- Unleaded pathG100UL eligible (STC available)
Cockpit & avionics
- Cockpit typeglass
- Autopilot commonly availableYes
- Typical packages
- Cirrus Perspective Touch+ (G7)— modern (current new-build)
- Cirrus Perspective+ by Garmin (G6)— 2017–2024 new-build
- Cirrus Perspective by Garmin (G3 / G5 / G6)— 2008–2017
- Avidyne Entegra— early G1 / G2 airframes
- Training note
Cirrus operates a global Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilot (CSIP) network and the Cirrus Approach training programme. Most school transitions onto the type are run through CSIP-certified instructors regardless of where the school is based.
Certification
- RegulatoryFAR Part 23 · EASA CS-23
- Certified rolesNormal category
- IFRYes
- Spin approvedNo
- Aerobatic-categoryNo
- TailwheelNo
- Complex (FAR 61.31)No
- High-performance (FAR 61.31)Yes
Why is the SR20 / SR22 / SR22T popular?
Structured popularity-driver evidence. Each axis below carries one factual statement; we don't grade, the facts speak.
Industry network effects
Major flight schools and university aviation programs operate Cirrus training fleets, including United Aviate Academy, Lufthansa Aviation Training, and Western Michigan University; the type has also been part of the USAF Initial Flight Training programme.
Regulatory fit
Standard Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) is unique among certified single-engine trainers and is a defining design choice; Cirrus runs the global Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilot (CSIP) network and Cirrus Approach training programme so insurance underwriters routinely require a CSIP-led transition.
Pedagogy and handling
All-composite side-stick airframe with full Garmin Perspective Touch+ glass; SR22 / SR22T are high-performance per FAR 61.31 (310 / 315 hp) but fixed gear and fixed-pitch propeller keep the type out of the complex category.
Operating economics
Continental IO-550-N has a published 2,200-hour TBO and Cirrus's factory-aligned CSIP / Cirrus Approach training network provides a structured transition pathway for new pilots that reduces insurance friction at school fleet level.
Fuel future-proofing
Continental IO-550-N is on Continental's list of engines compatible with G100UL once supply is regional, giving the SR22 fleet a path off 100LL without engine swap.
Before you buy more aircraft
The next airframe is rarely the highest-leverage move.
Flight school revenue is a function of three things — utilisation, dispatch reliability, and student progression — that multiply rather than add. Most schools running below 850 hours per aircraft per year have hidden capacity worth more than the next purchase, already paid for and sitting on the ramp.
Read: Why buying more aircraft probably won't grow your schoolHow flight schools track this aircraft in Aviatize
Schools running Cirrus fleets typically configure each airframe with three child components for maintenance tracking: engine reserves against the IO-550-N or IO-390-C3B6 TBO, propeller overhaul cycles, and the CAPS rocket service-life cycle. The CAPS replacement is a defined-cost event scheduled around the airframe's calendar age and is best modelled as a recurring maintenance item rather than absorbed into the engine reserve. The high-performance endorsement requirement on the SR22 / SR22T is modelled as a per-pilot validation that gates booking creation if the endorsement is missing.
Editorial confidence
4 primary sources cited (POH / TCDS / type-club). Spec data and regulatory positioning are well-attributed; narrative synthesis is editorial.
Sources
Primary sources are POH / TCDS / manufacturer pages; derived sources record where Aviatize editorial synthesis is layered on top.
- Primary sourcePOH·Retrieved 2026-05-05
Cirrus Aircraft
https://cirrusaircraft.com/aircraft/sr22/Cirrus Aircraft SR22 product page.
- Primary sourceFAA TCDS·Retrieved 2026-05-05
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
https://drs.faa.gov/browse/excelExternalWindow/A00009CHFAA TCDS A00009CH covers SR20 / SR22 variants.
- Primary sourceEASA TCDS·Retrieved 2026-05-05
European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
https://www.easa.europa.eu/en/document-library/type-certificatesEASA TCDS A.040 covers SR2x variants.
- Primary sourceType Club·Retrieved 2026-05-05
Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association (COPA)
https://copa.org/COPA — Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association.
- Editorial synthesisAviatize-internal·Retrieved 2026-05-05
Aviatize editorial
Entry authored by Aviatize from accumulated industry knowledge cross-referenced against the primary sources cited above. Specific fleet figures, fleet wins, and recent production status changes are research-backlog candidates and should be verified against primary sources before flipping verified: true.