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Cirrus Aircraft

January 19, 2024

The Cirrus Design Corporation, doing business as Cirrus Aircraft (formally Cirrus Design), is an aircraft manufacturer that was founded in 1984 by Alan and Dale Klapmeier to produce the VK-30 kit aircraft, and is headquartered in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. The company is owned by a subsidiary of the Chinese government-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), with operational locations in seven states across the US including Minnesota, North Dakota, Tennessee (where its customer headquarters are based), Texas, Arizona, Florida and Michigan, as well as additional sales locations in France and the Netherlands.[6][7][8][9][10]

Cirrus Design Corporation
Logo since 2015
Cirrus Aircraft
FormerlyCirrus Design (1984–2009)
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryAerospace
Founded1984; 40 years ago (1984) in Baraboo, Wisconsin, United States
FoundersAlan & Dale Klapmeier
Headquarters
Duluth, Minnesota
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide[1]
Key people
Zean Nielsen (CEO)
Patrick Waddick (president, innovation & operations, Duluth division)
Todd Simmons (president, customer experience, Knoxville division)[2]
George Letten (executive vice president & CFO)
Ken Harness (senior vice president, product development)
Ben Kowalski (senior vice president, sales & marketing)[3]
Dale Klapmeier (senior advisor)
ProductsLight aircraft
OwnerChina Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA)
Number of employees
2,500 (September 2023)[4][5]
ParentAviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC)
SubsidiariesFlying Colors Aviation, Inc.
Websitewww.cirrusaircraft.com

Cirrus markets several versions of its three certificated single-engine light aircraft models: the SR20 (certified in 1998), SR22 (certified in 2000), and SR22T (certified in 2010). As of April 2023, the company had delivered more than 9,000 SR-aircraft in over 20 years of production, and has been the world's largest producer of piston-powered aircraft since 2013.[11][12][13][14]

Sales of the SR-series grew rapidly during the 2000s, until the economic crisis of 2008. Cirrus was planning to market a light-sport aircraft called the SR Sport, but suspended the project in 2009, due to financial challenges and a lack of market demand. This has since been cancelled. After a return to company growth and United States-based expansion in the 2010s, Cirrus certified and began deliveries of the Vision SF50 very light jet in 2016.[15][16][17] Upon its delivery, the aircraft became the first civilian single-engined jet to enter the market, and is often referred to as a "personal jet".[18][19]

The company produces all of its aircraft with composite materials and is known for pioneering new technologies in the light general aviation aircraft manufacturing industry, including glass cockpits and full-airframe ballistic parachutes.[11][13][20]

In 2001, Cirrus sold a majority of the company to Bahrain-based Arcapita. Ten years later, the manufacturer was acquired by China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA), which is a division of the state-owned AVIC.[21][22]

Facilities edit

 
Original Cirrus headquarters on the Baraboo–Dells Airport, late 1980s
 
Current headquarters and main manufacturing facilities in Duluth, Minnesota since 1994. The company now has several facilities in six other states across the US, including its main customer center in Knoxville, Tennessee since 2017.

Cirrus Aircraft has several operational facilities throughout the United States and Europe.

The company's first headquarters was located in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Since 1994, its headquarters and main manufacturing facilities have been in Duluth, Minnesota. An additional manufacturing facility, which opened in 1997 and produces the composite components for the planes, is located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The Grand Forks facility was owned by the city of Grand Forks and leased to the company for many years up until November 2020, when Cirrus purchased it for US$1.9M.[23][24] In the fall of 2002, Cirrus opened an "aviation incubator" building adjacent to its Duluth headquarters, which it was preparing to buy from the city for US$3.45M in April 2023.[25]

On 27 December 2007, the company secured a lease for a hanger formerly owned by Northwest Airlines (who closed the facility in 2005[26]) at Duluth International Airport. The 189,000-square-foot (17,600 m2) building was to be used for construction of its new Cirrus Jet.[27] Cirrus canceled the lease in 2009 during the height of the Great Recession.[26] In February 2022, Minnesota's St. Louis County approved plans for the company to expand back into the building (formerly used by AAR Corp. from 2012 to 2020[28]) as it ramps up production,[29] with the city of Duluth selling it to Cirrus in September of that year for just $1 in exchange for 80 additional jobs at an hourly rate of at least $36.05.[28][30] Cirrus invested US$20M into the facility as its flagship "Innovation Center" to support engineering, design, testing, product development and other technical operations by the company. It opened on 26 September 2023.[5]

In February 2015, Duluth agreed to put up US$6M and asked the state contribute the remaining US$4M to build a US$10M factory on the Duluth Airport dedicated to the production of SF50s. The city would then try to recoup its costs for the facility from lease payments by Cirrus over time. The space opened on 19 December 2016,[31][17] and was expanded on 15 July 2022.[32]

On 6 May 2015, Cirrus announced that it will establish a new facility campus called the "Vision Center" in Knoxville, Tennessee on the city's McGhee Tyson Airport. The facility will focus on all customer interactions and aircraft service including training (with a full level-D flight simulator), maintenance & repair, personalization, and deliveries for both the Vision Jet and SR-series. The center opened on 12 January 2017.[33] All manufacturing operations were said to remain in Duluth and Grand Forks.[34][35]

In May 2019, the company announced that it will open its first factory-direct satellite service facility outside of Knoxville, at McKinney National Airport near Dallas, Texas, where it will expand its flight training, maintenance, and aircraft management operations.[36]

In February 2020, Cirrus announced plans to establish a new engineering and design center in the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area,[6] unveiled in September 2021 to be an Innovation Center located in the city of Chandler.[7] Also in September, the company announced plans to open another Cirrus Innovation Center in McKinney, Texas, and expand its flight training services to a facility on the Scottsdale Airport in Scottsdale, Arizona.[7] Later that same month, Cirrus Orlando was introduced, with two new training and service locations in Central Florida at the Kissimmee Gateway Airport in Kissimmee, Florida and Orlando Executive Airport in Orlando, Florida.[8]

In February 2022, Cirrus announced that it had acquired the assets of Benton Harbor, Michigan-based Flying Colors Aviation, Inc., to expand the current facility there and increase its paint production capabilities,[9] and in April announced the opening of both Cirrus France and Cirrus Rotterdam, two regional sales offices located in Valenciennes, France and Rotterdam, Netherlands, that will also support existing Cirrus training and service centers across Europe.[37][10]

In May 2023, the company started construction of a 45,000 sq ft (4,200 m2) addition to its existing facility at the McKinney National Airport at a cost of US$13 million, with the airport, city of McKinney and McKinney Economic Development Corporation contributing funds. The new construction will provide space for aircraft sales, flight training, factory service and aircraft management. It will also include a 15,000 sq ft (1,400 m2) maintenance hangar, 15,000 sq ft (1,400 m2) storage hangar, eight shade hangars, a flight simulator room, retail store and customer lounge area.[38]

Management edit

 
Cirrus founders the Klapmeier brothers (Dale pictured left, Alan right) both led the company from its 1984 inception until 2009; Dale then led it for the following decade while Alan pursued other ventures. Together they were inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2014.[39]

Co-founder Alan Klapmeier served as president from 1984 until January 2006, and chief executive officer (CEO) from 1984 until February 2009.

On 19 January 2006, Cirrus made public that chief operating officer (COO) David Coleal had been named president.[40]

On 18 December 2008, the company announced that COO Brent Wouters would be appointed president and CEO effective 1 February 2009. David Coleal was no longer with the company[41] and Alan Klapmeier continued as chairman of the board, with co-founder Dale Klapmeier as vice-chairman.[42]

On 1 August 2009, Cirrus Aircraft CEO Brent Wouters announced that Alan Klapmeier's contract as chairman would not be renewed when it expired at the end of that month.[43] Alan left Cirrus on 21 August 2009 and Dale became interim chairman the following month.[44][45]

On 19 September 2011, the company announced that Dale Klapmeier has been named CEO and that Brent Wouters, previously president and CEO, is no longer with the company.[46][47]

On 12 March 2013, early Cirrus employee Patrick Waddick, who originally became hired as an intern in 1988 to sweep floors for the company, was named president, adding this to his COO position.[48][49]

On 6 May 2015, Cirrus reported that chief customer officer (CCO) Todd Simmons will lead the new Vision Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, where all customer activities and operations for the company will take place.[50]

On 19 December 2018, it was announced that Dale Klapmeier will step down as CEO sometime in the first half of 2019, and transition into a senior advisory role for the company. During that time, Cirrus will conduct an internal and external search for a new CEO.[51][52]

On 4 June 2019, Cirrus announced that former Tesla Inc. executive Zean Nielsen has been selected as its next CEO.[53][54]

History edit

1980s edit

 
Cirrus VK-30 kit aircraft

In 1984, Cirrus Aircraft's founders, brothers Alan and Dale Klapmeier, along with spouses Jeff and Sally Viken, started developing the Cirrus VK-30 as a homebuilt aircraft in the basement of the Klapmeiers' parents' barn in rural Baraboo, Wisconsin.[55] After a few years in the design phase, the brothers borrowed money to move the project to their own factory on the Baraboo–Wisconsin Dells Airport, where they began flight testing.[56][39] The VK-30 was introduced at the 1987 EAA Oshkosh Convention and first flew on 11 February 1988. Kit deliveries commenced shortly thereafter.[57]

1990s edit

 
Cirrus-designed Israviation ST50 at the Paris Air Show in 1997

Cirrus began designing the ST-50 under contract to Israeli aircraft manufacturer IsrAviation in the early 1990s. The aircraft was configured like the Cirrus VK-30 but powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-135 turboprop engine, in place of the piston engine used in the VK-30. The prototype was first flown on 7 December 1994 by Norman E. Howell.[58] Earlier that year, the Klapmeier brothers moved company headquarters from southern Wisconsin to a much larger facility at the Duluth International Airport in Duluth, Minnesota, bringing 35 employees with them and hiring another 15 at once.[56][59]

In August 1996, Cirrus announced plans to build a plant at the Grand Forks International Airport in Grand Forks, North Dakota.[56]

By the middle of the decade the company had discontinued the VK-30 and began development of the Cirrus SR20, which was first flown on 21 March 1995 and type certified on 23 October 1998.[60] This was followed by customer deliveries of the SR20 beginning in July 1999.

2000s edit

 
Cirrus SR20 landing

In June 2000, the company received an FAA Production Certificate for its SR20 aircraft.[61] On 30 November of that year, Cirrus received a type certificate for its next model, the Cirrus SR22, which began deliveries in 2001.[60]

In August 2001, Cirrus sold 58% of the company for $100 million to Crescent Capital, the U.S. arm of the First Islamic Investment Bank of Bahrain (now called Arcapita).[62][55][63][64]

In July 2002, the company announced that it would collaborate with the University of North Dakota Aerospace Foundation to provide a new Cirrus Customer Training program.[65] In February the following year, Cirrus delivered the industry's first-ever all glass cockpit light aircraft, sparking a major transition in general aviation, whereby over 90% of all new light aircraft by the year 2006 were equipped with glass cockpits.[66][65][67]

 
Cirrus SR22 front view

In June 2004, Cirrus received type certification for the SR20 from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).[68] That same year, Cirrus accomplished record-breaking sales, up 69% over the previous year. The SR22 became the world's best-selling general aviation aircraft.[69][65]

Cirrus entered the civilian flight-training fleet market with SR20 deliveries to Sweden's Lund University in January 2005,[70] followed by Western Michigan University in September of that year.[71]

In 2006, the company delivered 721 aircraft (its most in a single year to date), celebrating the 3,000th SR-series airplane off the production line only seven years after deliveries commenced,[69][65] something that no other aviation company had accomplished for decades.[11] That summer, Cirrus acquired a 25-percent stake in SATSair, a 2004 start-up air taxi operator that flew 26 SR22s. SATSair ceased operations on 24 October 2009.[72]

 
Cirrus SRS light-sport aircraft (Fk14 Polaris)

On 28 June 2007 the Cirrus Vision SF50 single-engine light jet was unveiled (then known simply as "The-Jet").[73] At the 2007 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh airshow, the company unveiled the Cirrus SRS light sport aircraft.[74] A version of the B&F Fk14 Polaris, the type never entered production for Cirrus. In December 2007 Arcapita stated that it was looking to sell its share of the company. Cirrus indicated at the time of the announcement that this was expected as Arcapita was considered a medium-term investor.[27]

The Jet took its first flight on 3 July 2008. In September 2008, the global sale slump in piston-engined aircraft impacted the company and it laid off 100 workers, or 8% of its workforce. This included 79 people at the main plant in Duluth, Minnesota and 29 employees at the composite construction plant in Grand Forks, North Dakota. After this round of lay-offs Cirrus had 1,230 employees remaining. Company COO Brent Wouters stated that the lay-offs were due to "not selling as many airplanes as we'd hoped to this year."[75]

 
Cirrus Vision SF50 single engine very light jet

Company CEO Alan Klapmeier announced in October 2008 that due to the economic situation and resulting lack of demand for Cirrus aircraft, the company was moving to a three-day work week. He reported that sales were down 10% over the same period in the previous year. Compared to the industry average in that same period sales were down 16%. Klapmeier also indicated that introduction of the SRS would be delayed until 2009, due to lack of demand in the light-sport aircraft market sector, but that the Cirrus Vision SF50 jet would not be delayed.[76][77]

Cirrus eliminated 208 employee positions in the fall of 2008 and cut aircraft production from 14 to 12 aircraft per week in response to the economic situation. In November 2008, the company announced that it would lay-off about 500 production employees for one month to allow for reductions in excess stock of aircraft produced.[78][79]

Cirrus started recalling its workers on 5 January 2009 after the month-long shutdown. The furloughed workers were called back slowly over the month, to ramp up production to eight aircraft per week, compared to a company capacity of 16 aircraft per week. The company indicated at that time that it would retain the ability to reduce its workforce quickly as the economic situation and sales numbers dictate.[80]

On 9 January 2009, Cirrus announced that it would lay off 50 administrative employees and extend the layoff period for 100 of the 500 employees laid off over Christmas 2008. Company spokesman Bill King stated that the cuts were necessary or else the company would not survive the current economic crisis.[81]

In early February 2009, the company's new CEO, Brent Wouters, indicated that the future of the company would likely hinge on the Vision SF50 jet design as production of the piston single-engine SR-series had fallen to 20% of its 2008 rate of 16 aircraft per week. Wouters characterized demand for new aircraft as "awful" and added, "We are increasing our focus on the jet, because that is going to be our future engine for growth in my estimation."[82]

In April 2009, the company announced that it was suspending the Cirrus SRS light sport aircraft project. It cited economic conditions, that the aircraft required development, an expanded flight-training strategy and that the LSA rules were expected to change over time to allow LSAs with a broader mission profile.[83]

On 29 April 2009, the company announced that it was increasing production from the previous 3-4 aircraft per week back to 6 aircraft per week. The change was accomplished without recalling any laid-off workers. The company stated: "We continue to see very encouraging trends in sales activities and interest from sales prospects domestically and around the world. Clearly, this is an upward move and is indicative of a stronger bias toward growth in aircraft orders. Though we remain in a very challenging environment, our hope is that this new rate is the first step and initial indicator of what will become a more substantial trend into the second half of the year and beyond."[84]

On 1 June 2009, the company announced it was recalling 50 workers and boosting production to 8 aircraft per week.[85][86]

The company stated:

In contrast to other reported general aviation industry trends, Cirrus Aircraft has seen consistent growth in new aircraft orders over the past 120 days, with stronger order rates consistently outpacing production output over that timeframe. Equally notable are the sources of the new orders. Domestic and international retail demand, as well as both U.S. and global institutional demand, are each playing a contributory role. Cirrus Certified, its pre-owned aircraft sales division, is seeing similar increased sales activity with used aircraft inventory levels showing increasing signs of stabilization.[86]

On 26 June 2009, it was reported by AvWeb that Cirrus Aircraft co-founder and former CEO Alan Klapmeier intended to buy the Vision SF50 project from Cirrus and its major shareholder Arcapita and produce the aircraft under a new company. The new venture had been receiving financial advice from Merrill Lynch. Klapmeier indicated that his reason for wanting to take over the project was to speed up development and get the aircraft on the market sooner.[87][88] Cirrus CEO Brent Wouters indicated that while the company intended to proceed with the SF50 program itself, he would listen to Klapmeier's proposal.[89] On Monday 27 July 2009 Wouters and Cirrus co-founder Dale Klapmeier stated at a press conference that they would find a way to produce the SF50, either at Cirrus or through selling it to Alan Klapmeier. They both said that the key factor was raising enough capital to proceed with the project, complete certification and commence production.[90] On Friday 31 July 2009 Alan Klapmeier announced that his offer to buy the SF50 program had not succeeded, with the key issue having been the program selling price, as well as other points and that the negotiations were at an end. Wouters responded saying further talks were possible, but that Cirrus would continue to develop the SF50 in house.[91][92]

In late August 2009, Cirrus announced that it was laying off 85 employees, mostly office workers. Todd Simmons, vice president of marketing, stated: "These are challenging days for Cirrus, but the decision made is in the best interest in the entire company. Our outlook is still positive. We are making forward progress within the industry."[93]

In November 2009, the company laid off an additional 58 workers, or 10% of the remaining payroll. The company indicated that it had failed to achieve some "institutional sales of aircraft" and that meant the lay-offs were expected, emphasizing that it does not indicate deeper problems with the company. As of 11 November 2009, the company had about 550 production workers employed.[94]

2010s edit

In March 2010, Cirrus went to court in an attempt to get an order to prevent former supplier L-3 Communications from telling other Cirrus suppliers that Cirrus was heading into bankruptcy and from discouraging companies from doing business with Cirrus. On 1 April 2010, Cirrus applied for a "voluntary dismissal" of the case against L3, before L3 had filed a response. L3 had been engaged in a lawsuit against Cirrus for non-payment of US$18.7M in development costs for flat panel electronics, with Cirrus countering that L3 did not abide by the contract terms.[95][96]

In June 2010, the company began paying back-rent owed to the city of Grand Forks. Cirrus had stopped paying its rent 16 months earlier. It also owed the city of Duluth back rent, which the city has indicated would be forgiven in exchange for job creation.[97]

In February 2011, Cirrus was sold for US$210M to China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA), a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corporation, which is wholly owned by the Government of the People's Republic of China.[98][99][100] The announcement of the sale was met with mixed responses. The Duluth News-Tribune labelled it "a sinking feeling of impending loss", while Russ Niles of AvWeb said "Chinese participation in the aviation industry isn't necessarily a bad thing and the folks in Duluth and Grand Forks could have suffered a worse fate. In the absence of a sale, bankruptcy was a real possibility for Cirrus and it might have been hard for a trustee to justify operating the business with the numbers it was showing. As for where it leaves current Cirrus owners and those thinking of buying one, the sale is probably a positive thing."[101]

In mid-March 2011, aviation industry analyst Brian Foley indicated that he was trying to organize a group of US investors to make a counter-offer to the Chinese buy-out to keep Cirrus as a US-owned company. Foley stated that he had seen an "overwhelming response" from the U.S. aviation community, indicating that Americans want Cirrus "to be owned and operated on American soil, period."[102] Foley's counter-offer did not materialize.

In late March 2011, freshman Minnesota congressman Chip Cravaack urged the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to exercise "extreme caution" over allowing the sale of Cirrus to the Chinese government, indicating that he was concerned that company technology would be used for Chinese military programs. Cirrus spokesman Todd Simmons responded to the congressman's remarks with surprise, responding that, "the CAIGA transaction is an investment in Duluth and our local communities."[103] On 30 March 2011, at the Sun 'n Fun airshow, company co-founder Dale Klapmeier provided reassurances that Chinese ownership would not result in production being moved out of the US. Klapmeier also expressed disappointment in the political issues raised, particularly by Cravaack. Klapmeier explained, "His concerns are unfounded," detailing that Cirrus did not have any unique technology that could be employed in military applications.[104] Former 18-term Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstar also came out in support of Cirrus and the acquisition, saying Cravaack was "undermining" the situation, and that "we have nothing to fear from an investment such as this by the Chinese."[105][106]

The sale was reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States and was approved, as Cirrus has no national security-sensitive trade secrets.[107] The sale to CAIGA was completed as a merger of the two companies on 28 June 2011.[108][109]

In July 2011, CAIGA president Xiangkai Meng and Duluth Mayor Don Ness signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding that the jobs at Cirrus Aircraft would remain in Duluth and not be moved to China. Ness said "Verbal assurances are wonderful, but a written assurance, signed by the president of CAIGA, certainly carries much more weight."[110]

Following the company's merger with CAIGA in July 2011, company CEO Brent Wouters indicated that Cirrus would move quickly to expand its line of aircraft, including bringing the Vision SF50 jet to market. Wouters said "We need to expand our product line -- bigger, smaller, faster airplanes, a much broader range, and very quickly. And we need more penetration in the top 10 foreign markets. And we must go forward quickly on both avenues."[111]

On the first anniversary of Chinese government ownership in 2012, company CEO Dale Klapmeier indicated that Cirrus was financially in a much better position and progress was being made with certifying the Vision SF-50 jet.[21]

In March 2013, the company was granted a loan for US$950,000 from the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota to purchase an autoclave for composite production at the company's Grand Forks facility. The loan was originally turned down by the city, questioning whether the company would ever repay it. The loan was later allowed and an apology issued.[112]

In July 2013, Cirrus president and COO Pat Waddick indicated that the ongoing Chinese government investment would allow it to continue to develop new models of aircraft with innovative powerplants. CEO Dale Klapmeier stated that the company hopes to eventually establish additional aircraft manufacturing facilities in China.[113]

In 2013 the company delivered 276 new aircraft. This was a 10 percent increase in the number of deliveries over 2012 and the company's best year since before the 2008 recession. In 2013 the SR22 and SR22T were the highest-selling general aviation fixed-wing aircraft in the world and had been for eleven years in a row.[69][114] Cirrus passed Textron Aviation as the largest producer of piston aircraft by unit-volume in 2013, and has remained the largest ever since.[12][115]

On 25 March 2014 the company's first conforming Vision SF50 jet flew.[116] Cirrus also indicated that it was continuing to hire engineers, technicians and designers for the jet program. From 2011 to 2014 Cirrus hired more than 300 new workers, bringing the total number of employees to over 800.[117][118]

In 2015, the company announced plans to expand to Knoxville, Tennessee and establish a customer delivery center there,[50] which officially opened on 12 January 2017.[33]

On 28 October 2016, Cirrus received FAA type certification for the Vision SF50 very light jet,[16] with deliveries beginning in December of that year in the company's new Duluth aircraft finishing facility.[17]

In April 2018, the company was named the 2017 winner of the Collier Trophy for the "greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America" in the past year. The trophy was awarded for "designing, certifying, and entering-into-service the Vision Jet — the world’s first single-engine general aviation personal jet aircraft with a whole airframe parachute system".[119][18]

By the end of 2019, Cirrus employed 1,600 people and produced 81 Vision Jets and 384 SR-series aircraft that year, resulting in the company's fifth year of growth and its best year in sales.[120][6][121] The Vision SF50 became the world's best-selling general aviation jet.[6]

2020s edit

The company has continued to rapidly grow and expand into the 2020s, adding a thousand jobs from 2021 to 2023,[5] growing its operational footprint with several new facilities in U.S. states such as Texas, Arizona, Florida and Michigan, as well as European countries like France and the Netherlands, and seeing an increase in demand since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.[122]

In 2022, Cirrus sold 539 SR-aircraft (almost 40% of the entire piston market[123]) and 90 Vision Jets, totaling 629 deliveries, the most since 2007 and nearly $1 billion in total revenue.[124] It also became the largest single producer of general aviation aircraft in 2022 for the first time in the manufacturer's history.[125][126]

Since the start of the pandemic, the company has experienced supply chain problems resulting in a backlog of almost 700 SR aircraft (as of March 2022[127]) or nearly two years (as of January 2023[128]). It has also faced challenges from the FAA with an airworthiness directive dealing with its Continental piston engines as well as a company service bulletin dealing with its firing mechanisms for the primer material that ignites the parachute rocket on some SR and Vision Jet aircraft.[129][130]

Cirrus has helped lead sustainable efforts in the general aviation industry, becoming one of the first OEMs to conduct tests of unleaded fuel in SR22/22Ts and continuing tests of G100UL as part of a program to move towards full unleaded fuels, along with being an early adopter of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in the Vision Jet's Williams FJ33 engine.[14]

In June 2023, Cirrus filed an application for an initial public offering (IPO) on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange with the aim of raising around US$300 million for expansion[131] and selling up to 20% of the company.[132] The Chinese government-owned manufacturer does not plan to register with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and thus will not be offering shares to Americans during the IPO,[131] although U.S. investors may be able to buy stock in Cirrus following the IPO.[132]

Products and industry firsts edit

 
2006 model Cirrus SR22
 
Interior of SR22 with post-2008 Cirrus Perspective avionics by Garmin

SR aircraft series edit

The Cirrus SR (Single Reciprocating) Series aircraft (including the SRV, SR20, SR22 and SR22T) are produced with "Cirrus Perspective" by Garmin (and previously Avidyne Entegra) integrated digital flight displays and modern avionics as standard equipment since 2008,[133] a first in the light general aviation (GA) manufacturing industry when the Entegra instrument panel became available on the series sarting in 2003. The aircraft are all electric - no vacuum systems are used. Redundancy is provided by dual batteries and alternators. The series originally began as a four-seat aircraft, with a smaller fifth seat added in 2013. The SR22 is also available with TKS anti-icing equipment, which has enabled flight into known icing (FIKI) conditions since 2009.[134] The SR aircraft series was the first of its kind to come equipped with flight envelope protection in the form of an electronic "level" button, as well as "airbag seatbelts", two airbags installed in the shoulder harnesses of both the pilot and co-pilots' seat belts.[135][136][137]

The series incorporates other unusual design elements. All SR-aircraft use a mechanical side yoke instead of the traditional yoke or stick flight controls, and a single power lever that adjusts both throttle and propeller RPM via a mechanical cam actuated throttle and propeller control system. The aircraft also include a leading-edge cuff on the wing for improved spin protection and 26G energy-absorbing seats for improved crashworthiness.[138] Construction is dominated by composite materials (a technique the company has used with every model since its first design in 1988, the VK-30), with traditional aluminum being used only for flight control surfaces. Although not the first certified GA aircraft built with composites, the SR-series was the first composite aircraft produced in large numbers (over 4,000 units delivered from 1999 to 2008 alone). 

The SR22T, introduced in 2010, is powered by a Continental TSIO-550-K turbocharged piston engine. Turbocharging allows the engine to maintain maximum power at higher altitudes while increasing the maximum operating altitude to 25,000 ft (7,620 m).

Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) edit

 
SR20 inflight-test deployment of CAPS, 1998
Main article: Cirrus Airframe Parachute System

SR-series aircraft are equipped with the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), developed in association with Ballistic Recovery Systems (BRS), a ballistic parachute deployed from the back of the aircraft. In many inflight emergencies, it allows the entire airplane to descend safely to the ground and has been credited with saving over 250 lives to date.[139][140] Cirrus was the first manufacturer to receive FAA certification for production aircraft with ballistic parachute systems, and remains the only aviation company to implement the device as a standard equipment on all its models.[141] The system was first tested in 1998 by late Air National Guard F-16 pilot and chief Cirrus test pilot, Scott D. Anderson, who completed the tests in an SR20 over the southern California desert.[142]

The turbofan-powered Vision SF50 also comes equipped with CAPS, making it the first jet with a whole-plane parachute to receive certification.[19][16]

Safe Return autoland system edit

In October 2019, Cirrus became the first GA company, along with Piper Aircraft, to announce an emergency autoland system, developed by Garmin, which Cirrus calls "Safe Return" on the Vision SF50.[143] It initiates at the push of a button and allows landing on runways over 5,836 ft (1,779 m) without any human input. The SF50 became the first jet, and third GA aircraft, to become certified with the system, earning certification in August 2020.[144] In June 2021, Garmin won the Collier Trophy for its development of autoland, an award Cirrus had been honored with three years prior for the SF50, as the first certified single-engine civilian jet.

List of Cirrus aircraft edit

 
2021 model Cirrus Vision SF50
  • Cirrus SR10 - contracted single-engine three-seat composite trainer not yet marketed in the US[145]
  • Cirrus SR20 - single piston-engine four- or five-seat composite aircraft produced since 1999
  • Cirrus SR22/22T - single piston-engine four- or five-seat composite aircraft produced since 2001
  • Cirrus SR Sport - single-engine low-wing ultralight aircraft that seats two side by side
  • Cirrus ST50 - contracted single-engine five-seat turboprop aircraft developed from the VK-30
  • Cirrus Vision SF50 - single turbofan-engine five- or seven-seat composite jet produced since 2016
  • Cirrus VK-30 - single-engine five-seat pusher-propeller homebuilt aircraft originally sold as a kit

References edit

  1. ^ Cirrus Aircraft - Service & Support
  2. ^ Cirrus Aircraft News (July 15, 2015). "Cirrus Aircraft Expands Leadership Roles of Simmons and Waddick". Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  3. ^ Cirrus Aircraft. "Cirrus Aircraft - Who We Are". cirrusaircraft.com. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  4. ^ Morrison, Murdo (October 10, 2022). . FlightGlobal. Archived from the original on October 19, 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Bredsten, Brielle (September 27, 2023). "Cirrus Aircraft unveils $20 million Innovation Center". Duluth News Tribune. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d "Cirrus Aircraft Delivers Record Year Fueled by Vision Jet Growth". Yahoo! Finance. February 19, 2020.
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External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cirrus Aircraft Corporation.
  • Official website  
  • "Turn Left at Cloud 109" - 1999 profile article on Cirrus in The New York Times Magazine
  • 2021 Cirrus profile in Forbes with CEO Zean Nielsen

January 19, 2024
cirrus, aircraft, cirrus, design, corporation, doing, business, formally, cirrus, design, aircraft, manufacturer, that, founded, 1984, alan, dale, klapmeier, produce, aircraft, headquartered, duluth, minnesota, united, states, company, owned, subsidiary, chine. The Cirrus Design Corporation doing business as Cirrus Aircraft formally Cirrus Design is an aircraft manufacturer that was founded in 1984 by Alan and Dale Klapmeier to produce the VK 30 kit aircraft and is headquartered in Duluth Minnesota United States The company is owned by a subsidiary of the Chinese government owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China AVIC with operational locations in seven states across the US including Minnesota North Dakota Tennessee where its customer headquarters are based Texas Arizona Florida and Michigan as well as additional sales locations in France and the Netherlands 6 7 8 9 10 Cirrus Design CorporationLogo since 2015Trade nameCirrus AircraftFormerlyCirrus Design 1984 2009 TypeSubsidiaryIndustryAerospaceFounded1984 40 years ago 1984 in Baraboo Wisconsin United StatesFoundersAlan amp Dale KlapmeierHeadquartersDuluth Minnesota United StatesArea servedWorldwide 1 Key peopleZean Nielsen CEO Patrick Waddick president innovation amp operations Duluth division Todd Simmons president customer experience Knoxville division 2 George Letten executive vice president amp CFO Ken Harness senior vice president product development Ben Kowalski senior vice president sales amp marketing 3 Dale Klapmeier senior advisor ProductsLight aircraftOwnerChina Aviation Industry General Aircraft CAIGA Number of employees2 500 September 2023 4 5 ParentAviation Industry Corporation of China AVIC SubsidiariesFlying Colors Aviation Inc Websitewww wbr cirrusaircraft wbr comCirrus markets several versions of its three certificated single engine light aircraft models the SR20 certified in 1998 SR22 certified in 2000 and SR22T certified in 2010 As of April 2023 the company had delivered more than 9 000 SR aircraft in over 20 years of production and has been the world s largest producer of piston powered aircraft since 2013 11 12 13 14 Sales of the SR series grew rapidly during the 2000s until the economic crisis of 2008 Cirrus was planning to market a light sport aircraft called the SR Sport but suspended the project in 2009 due to financial challenges and a lack of market demand This has since been cancelled After a return to company growth and United States based expansion in the 2010s Cirrus certified and began deliveries of the Vision SF50 very light jet in 2016 15 16 17 Upon its delivery the aircraft became the first civilian single engined jet to enter the market and is often referred to as a personal jet 18 19 The company produces all of its aircraft with composite materials and is known for pioneering new technologies in the light general aviation aircraft manufacturing industry including glass cockpits and full airframe ballistic parachutes 11 13 20 In 2001 Cirrus sold a majority of the company to Bahrain based Arcapita Ten years later the manufacturer was acquired by China Aviation Industry General Aircraft CAIGA which is a division of the state owned AVIC 21 22 Contents 1 Facilities 2 Management 3 History 3 1 1980s 3 2 1990s 3 3 2000s 3 4 2010s 3 5 2020s 4 Products and industry firsts 4 1 SR aircraft series 4 2 Cirrus Airframe Parachute System CAPS 4 3 Safe Return autoland system 4 4 List of Cirrus aircraft 5 References 6 External linksFacilities edit nbsp Original Cirrus headquarters on the Baraboo Dells Airport late 1980s nbsp Current headquarters and main manufacturing facilities in Duluth Minnesota since 1994 The company now has several facilities in six other states across the US including its main customer center in Knoxville Tennessee since 2017 Cirrus Aircraft has several operational facilities throughout the United States and Europe The company s first headquarters was located in Baraboo Wisconsin Since 1994 its headquarters and main manufacturing facilities have been in Duluth Minnesota An additional manufacturing facility which opened in 1997 and produces the composite components for the planes is located in Grand Forks North Dakota The Grand Forks facility was owned by the city of Grand Forks and leased to the company for many years up until November 2020 when Cirrus purchased it for US 1 9M 23 24 In the fall of 2002 Cirrus opened an aviation incubator building adjacent to its Duluth headquarters which it was preparing to buy from the city for US 3 45M in April 2023 25 On 27 December 2007 the company secured a lease for a hanger formerly owned by Northwest Airlines who closed the facility in 2005 26 at Duluth International Airport The 189 000 square foot 17 600 m2 building was to be used for construction of its new Cirrus Jet 27 Cirrus canceled the lease in 2009 during the height of the Great Recession 26 In February 2022 Minnesota s St Louis County approved plans for the company to expand back into the building formerly used by AAR Corp from 2012 to 2020 28 as it ramps up production 29 with the city of Duluth selling it to Cirrus in September of that year for just 1 in exchange for 80 additional jobs at an hourly rate of at least 36 05 28 30 Cirrus invested US 20M into the facility as its flagship Innovation Center to support engineering design testing product development and other technical operations by the company It opened on 26 September 2023 5 In February 2015 Duluth agreed to put up US 6M and asked the state contribute the remaining US 4M to build a US 10M factory on the Duluth Airport dedicated to the production of SF50s The city would then try to recoup its costs for the facility from lease payments by Cirrus over time The space opened on 19 December 2016 31 17 and was expanded on 15 July 2022 32 On 6 May 2015 Cirrus announced that it will establish a new facility campus called the Vision Center in Knoxville Tennessee on the city s McGhee Tyson Airport The facility will focus on all customer interactions and aircraft service including training with a full level D flight simulator maintenance amp repair personalization and deliveries for both the Vision Jet and SR series The center opened on 12 January 2017 33 All manufacturing operations were said to remain in Duluth and Grand Forks 34 35 In May 2019 the company announced that it will open its first factory direct satellite service facility outside of Knoxville at McKinney National Airport near Dallas Texas where it will expand its flight training maintenance and aircraft management operations 36 In February 2020 Cirrus announced plans to establish a new engineering and design center in the Phoenix Arizona metropolitan area 6 unveiled in September 2021 to be an Innovation Center located in the city of Chandler 7 Also in September the company announced plans to open another Cirrus Innovation Center in McKinney Texas and expand its flight training services to a facility on the Scottsdale Airport in Scottsdale Arizona 7 Later that same month Cirrus Orlando was introduced with two new training and service locations in Central Florida at the Kissimmee Gateway Airport in Kissimmee Florida and Orlando Executive Airport in Orlando Florida 8 In February 2022 Cirrus announced that it had acquired the assets of Benton Harbor Michigan based Flying Colors Aviation Inc to expand the current facility there and increase its paint production capabilities 9 and in April announced the opening of both Cirrus France and Cirrus Rotterdam two regional sales offices located in Valenciennes France and Rotterdam Netherlands that will also support existing Cirrus training and service centers across Europe 37 10 In May 2023 the company started construction of a 45 000 sq ft 4 200 m2 addition to its existing facility at the McKinney National Airport at a cost of US 13 million with the airport city of McKinney and McKinney Economic Development Corporation contributing funds The new construction will provide space for aircraft sales flight training factory service and aircraft management It will also include a 15 000 sq ft 1 400 m2 maintenance hangar 15 000 sq ft 1 400 m2 storage hangar eight shade hangars a flight simulator room retail store and customer lounge area 38 Management edit nbsp Cirrus founders the Klapmeier brothers Dale pictured left Alan right both led the company from its 1984 inception until 2009 Dale then led it for the following decade while Alan pursued other ventures Together they were inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2014 39 Co founder Alan Klapmeier served as president from 1984 until January 2006 and chief executive officer CEO from 1984 until February 2009 On 19 January 2006 Cirrus made public that chief operating officer COO David Coleal had been named president 40 On 18 December 2008 the company announced that COO Brent Wouters would be appointed president and CEO effective 1 February 2009 David Coleal was no longer with the company 41 and Alan Klapmeier continued as chairman of the board with co founder Dale Klapmeier as vice chairman 42 On 1 August 2009 Cirrus Aircraft CEO Brent Wouters announced that Alan Klapmeier s contract as chairman would not be renewed when it expired at the end of that month 43 Alan left Cirrus on 21 August 2009 and Dale became interim chairman the following month 44 45 On 19 September 2011 the company announced that Dale Klapmeier has been named CEO and that Brent Wouters previously president and CEO is no longer with the company 46 47 On 12 March 2013 early Cirrus employee Patrick Waddick who originally became hired as an intern in 1988 to sweep floors for the company was named president adding this to his COO position 48 49 On 6 May 2015 Cirrus reported that chief customer officer CCO Todd Simmons will lead the new Vision Center in Knoxville Tennessee where all customer activities and operations for the company will take place 50 On 19 December 2018 it was announced that Dale Klapmeier will step down as CEO sometime in the first half of 2019 and transition into a senior advisory role for the company During that time Cirrus will conduct an internal and external search for a new CEO 51 52 On 4 June 2019 Cirrus announced that former Tesla Inc executive Zean Nielsen has been selected as its next CEO 53 54 History edit1980s edit nbsp Cirrus VK 30 kit aircraftIn 1984 Cirrus Aircraft s founders brothers Alan and Dale Klapmeier along with spouses Jeff and Sally Viken started developing the Cirrus VK 30 as a homebuilt aircraft in the basement of the Klapmeiers parents barn in rural Baraboo Wisconsin 55 After a few years in the design phase the brothers borrowed money to move the project to their own factory on the Baraboo Wisconsin Dells Airport where they began flight testing 56 39 The VK 30 was introduced at the 1987 EAA Oshkosh Convention and first flew on 11 February 1988 Kit deliveries commenced shortly thereafter 57 1990s edit nbsp Cirrus designed Israviation ST50 at the Paris Air Show in 1997Cirrus began designing the ST 50 under contract to Israeli aircraft manufacturer IsrAviation in the early 1990s The aircraft was configured like the Cirrus VK 30 but powered by a Pratt amp Whitney Canada PT6 135 turboprop engine in place of the piston engine used in the VK 30 The prototype was first flown on 7 December 1994 by Norman E Howell 58 Earlier that year the Klapmeier brothers moved company headquarters from southern Wisconsin to a much larger facility at the Duluth International Airport in Duluth Minnesota bringing 35 employees with them and hiring another 15 at once 56 59 In August 1996 Cirrus announced plans to build a plant at the Grand Forks International Airport in Grand Forks North Dakota 56 By the middle of the decade the company had discontinued the VK 30 and began development of the Cirrus SR20 which was first flown on 21 March 1995 and type certified on 23 October 1998 60 This was followed by customer deliveries of the SR20 beginning in July 1999 2000s edit nbsp Cirrus SR20 landingIn June 2000 the company received an FAA Production Certificate for its SR20 aircraft 61 On 30 November of that year Cirrus received a type certificate for its next model the Cirrus SR22 which began deliveries in 2001 60 In August 2001 Cirrus sold 58 of the company for 100 million to Crescent Capital the U S arm of the First Islamic Investment Bank of Bahrain now called Arcapita 62 55 63 64 In July 2002 the company announced that it would collaborate with the University of North Dakota Aerospace Foundation to provide a new Cirrus Customer Training program 65 In February the following year Cirrus delivered the industry s first ever all glass cockpit light aircraft sparking a major transition in general aviation whereby over 90 of all new light aircraft by the year 2006 were equipped with glass cockpits 66 65 67 nbsp Cirrus SR22 front viewIn June 2004 Cirrus received type certification for the SR20 from the European Aviation Safety Agency EASA 68 That same year Cirrus accomplished record breaking sales up 69 over the previous year The SR22 became the world s best selling general aviation aircraft 69 65 Cirrus entered the civilian flight training fleet market with SR20 deliveries to Sweden s Lund University in January 2005 70 followed by Western Michigan University in September of that year 71 In 2006 the company delivered 721 aircraft its most in a single year to date celebrating the 3 000th SR series airplane off the production line only seven years after deliveries commenced 69 65 something that no other aviation company had accomplished for decades 11 That summer Cirrus acquired a 25 percent stake in SATSair a 2004 start up air taxi operator that flew 26 SR22s SATSair ceased operations on 24 October 2009 72 nbsp Cirrus SRS light sport aircraft Fk14 Polaris On 28 June 2007 the Cirrus Vision SF50 single engine light jet was unveiled then known simply as The Jet 73 At the 2007 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh airshow the company unveiled the Cirrus SRS light sport aircraft 74 A version of the B amp F Fk14 Polaris the type never entered production for Cirrus In December 2007 Arcapita stated that it was looking to sell its share of the company Cirrus indicated at the time of the announcement that this was expected as Arcapita was considered a medium term investor 27 The Jet took its first flight on 3 July 2008 In September 2008 the global sale slump in piston engined aircraft impacted the company and it laid off 100 workers or 8 of its workforce This included 79 people at the main plant in Duluth Minnesota and 29 employees at the composite construction plant in Grand Forks North Dakota After this round of lay offs Cirrus had 1 230 employees remaining Company COO Brent Wouters stated that the lay offs were due to not selling as many airplanes as we d hoped to this year 75 nbsp Cirrus Vision SF50 single engine very light jetCompany CEO Alan Klapmeier announced in October 2008 that due to the economic situation and resulting lack of demand for Cirrus aircraft the company was moving to a three day work week He reported that sales were down 10 over the same period in the previous year Compared to the industry average in that same period sales were down 16 Klapmeier also indicated that introduction of the SRS would be delayed until 2009 due to lack of demand in the light sport aircraft market sector but that the Cirrus Vision SF50 jet would not be delayed 76 77 Cirrus eliminated 208 employee positions in the fall of 2008 and cut aircraft production from 14 to 12 aircraft per week in response to the economic situation In November 2008 the company announced that it would lay off about 500 production employees for one month to allow for reductions in excess stock of aircraft produced 78 79 Cirrus started recalling its workers on 5 January 2009 after the month long shutdown The furloughed workers were called back slowly over the month to ramp up production to eight aircraft per week compared to a company capacity of 16 aircraft per week The company indicated at that time that it would retain the ability to reduce its workforce quickly as the economic situation and sales numbers dictate 80 On 9 January 2009 Cirrus announced that it would lay off 50 administrative employees and extend the layoff period for 100 of the 500 employees laid off over Christmas 2008 Company spokesman Bill King stated that the cuts were necessary or else the company would not survive the current economic crisis 81 In early February 2009 the company s new CEO Brent Wouters indicated that the future of the company would likely hinge on the Vision SF50 jet design as production of the piston single engine SR series had fallen to 20 of its 2008 rate of 16 aircraft per week Wouters characterized demand for new aircraft as awful and added We are increasing our focus on the jet because that is going to be our future engine for growth in my estimation 82 In April 2009 the company announced that it was suspending the Cirrus SRS light sport aircraft project It cited economic conditions that the aircraft required development an expanded flight training strategy and that the LSA rules were expected to change over time to allow LSAs with a broader mission profile 83 On 29 April 2009 the company announced that it was increasing production from the previous 3 4 aircraft per week back to 6 aircraft per week The change was accomplished without recalling any laid off workers The company stated We continue to see very encouraging trends in sales activities and interest from sales prospects domestically and around the world Clearly this is an upward move and is indicative of a stronger bias toward growth in aircraft orders Though we remain in a very challenging environment our hope is that this new rate is the first step and initial indicator of what will become a more substantial trend into the second half of the year and beyond 84 On 1 June 2009 the company announced it was recalling 50 workers and boosting production to 8 aircraft per week 85 86 The company stated In contrast to other reported general aviation industry trends Cirrus Aircraft has seen consistent growth in new aircraft orders over the past 120 days with stronger order rates consistently outpacing production output over that timeframe Equally notable are the sources of the new orders Domestic and international retail demand as well as both U S and global institutional demand are each playing a contributory role Cirrus Certified its pre owned aircraft sales division is seeing similar increased sales activity with used aircraft inventory levels showing increasing signs of stabilization 86 On 26 June 2009 it was reported by AvWeb that Cirrus Aircraft co founder and former CEO Alan Klapmeier intended to buy the Vision SF50 project from Cirrus and its major shareholder Arcapita and produce the aircraft under a new company The new venture had been receiving financial advice from Merrill Lynch Klapmeier indicated that his reason for wanting to take over the project was to speed up development and get the aircraft on the market sooner 87 88 Cirrus CEO Brent Wouters indicated that while the company intended to proceed with the SF50 program itself he would listen to Klapmeier s proposal 89 On Monday 27 July 2009 Wouters and Cirrus co founder Dale Klapmeier stated at a press conference that they would find a way to produce the SF50 either at Cirrus or through selling it to Alan Klapmeier They both said that the key factor was raising enough capital to proceed with the project complete certification and commence production 90 On Friday 31 July 2009 Alan Klapmeier announced that his offer to buy the SF50 program had not succeeded with the key issue having been the program selling price as well as other points and that the negotiations were at an end Wouters responded saying further talks were possible but that Cirrus would continue to develop the SF50 in house 91 92 In late August 2009 Cirrus announced that it was laying off 85 employees mostly office workers Todd Simmons vice president of marketing stated These are challenging days for Cirrus but the decision made is in the best interest in the entire company Our outlook is still positive We are making forward progress within the industry 93 In November 2009 the company laid off an additional 58 workers or 10 of the remaining payroll The company indicated that it had failed to achieve some institutional sales of aircraft and that meant the lay offs were expected emphasizing that it does not indicate deeper problems with the company As of 11 November 2009 the company had about 550 production workers employed 94 2010s edit In March 2010 Cirrus went to court in an attempt to get an order to prevent former supplier L 3 Communications from telling other Cirrus suppliers that Cirrus was heading into bankruptcy and from discouraging companies from doing business with Cirrus On 1 April 2010 Cirrus applied for a voluntary dismissal of the case against L3 before L3 had filed a response L3 had been engaged in a lawsuit against Cirrus for non payment of US 18 7M in development costs for flat panel electronics with Cirrus countering that L3 did not abide by the contract terms 95 96 In June 2010 the company began paying back rent owed to the city of Grand Forks Cirrus had stopped paying its rent 16 months earlier It also owed the city of Duluth back rent which the city has indicated would be forgiven in exchange for job creation 97 In February 2011 Cirrus was sold for US 210M to China Aviation Industry General Aircraft CAIGA a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corporation which is wholly owned by the Government of the People s Republic of China 98 99 100 The announcement of the sale was met with mixed responses The Duluth News Tribune labelled it a sinking feeling of impending loss while Russ Niles of AvWeb said Chinese participation in the aviation industry isn t necessarily a bad thing and the folks in Duluth and Grand Forks could have suffered a worse fate In the absence of a sale bankruptcy was a real possibility for Cirrus and it might have been hard for a trustee to justify operating the business with the numbers it was showing As for where it leaves current Cirrus owners and those thinking of buying one the sale is probably a positive thing 101 In mid March 2011 aviation industry analyst Brian Foley indicated that he was trying to organize a group of US investors to make a counter offer to the Chinese buy out to keep Cirrus as a US owned company Foley stated that he had seen an overwhelming response from the U S aviation community indicating that Americans want Cirrus to be owned and operated on American soil period 102 Foley s counter offer did not materialize In late March 2011 freshman Minnesota congressman Chip Cravaack urged the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to exercise extreme caution over allowing the sale of Cirrus to the Chinese government indicating that he was concerned that company technology would be used for Chinese military programs Cirrus spokesman Todd Simmons responded to the congressman s remarks with surprise responding that the CAIGA transaction is an investment in Duluth and our local communities 103 On 30 March 2011 at the Sun n Fun airshow company co founder Dale Klapmeier provided reassurances that Chinese ownership would not result in production being moved out of the US Klapmeier also expressed disappointment in the political issues raised particularly by Cravaack Klapmeier explained His concerns are unfounded detailing that Cirrus did not have any unique technology that could be employed in military applications 104 Former 18 term Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstar also came out in support of Cirrus and the acquisition saying Cravaack was undermining the situation and that we have nothing to fear from an investment such as this by the Chinese 105 106 The sale was reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States and was approved as Cirrus has no national security sensitive trade secrets 107 The sale to CAIGA was completed as a merger of the two companies on 28 June 2011 108 109 In July 2011 CAIGA president Xiangkai Meng and Duluth Mayor Don Ness signed a non binding Memorandum of Understanding that the jobs at Cirrus Aircraft would remain in Duluth and not be moved to China Ness said Verbal assurances are wonderful but a written assurance signed by the president of CAIGA certainly carries much more weight 110 Following the company s merger with CAIGA in July 2011 company CEO Brent Wouters indicated that Cirrus would move quickly to expand its line of aircraft including bringing the Vision SF50 jet to market Wouters said We need to expand our product line bigger smaller faster airplanes a much broader range and very quickly And we need more penetration in the top 10 foreign markets And we must go forward quickly on both avenues 111 On the first anniversary of Chinese government ownership in 2012 company CEO Dale Klapmeier indicated that Cirrus was financially in a much better position and progress was being made with certifying the Vision SF 50 jet 21 In March 2013 the company was granted a loan for US 950 000 from the city of Grand Forks North Dakota to purchase an autoclave for composite production at the company s Grand Forks facility The loan was originally turned down by the city questioning whether the company would ever repay it The loan was later allowed and an apology issued 112 In July 2013 Cirrus president and COO Pat Waddick indicated that the ongoing Chinese government investment would allow it to continue to develop new models of aircraft with innovative powerplants CEO Dale Klapmeier stated that the company hopes to eventually establish additional aircraft manufacturing facilities in China 113 In 2013 the company delivered 276 new aircraft This was a 10 percent increase in the number of deliveries over 2012 and the company s best year since before the 2008 recession In 2013 the SR22 and SR22T were the highest selling general aviation fixed wing aircraft in the world and had been for eleven years in a row 69 114 Cirrus passed Textron Aviation as the largest producer of piston aircraft by unit volume in 2013 and has remained the largest ever since 12 115 On 25 March 2014 the company s first conforming Vision SF50 jet flew 116 Cirrus also indicated that it was continuing to hire engineers technicians and designers for the jet program From 2011 to 2014 Cirrus hired more than 300 new workers bringing the total number of employees to over 800 117 118 In 2015 the company announced plans to expand to Knoxville Tennessee and establish a customer delivery center there 50 which officially opened on 12 January 2017 33 On 28 October 2016 Cirrus received FAA type certification for the Vision SF50 very light jet 16 with deliveries beginning in December of that year in the company s new Duluth aircraft finishing facility 17 In April 2018 the company was named the 2017 winner of the Collier Trophy for the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America in the past year The trophy was awarded for designing certifying and entering into service the Vision Jet the world s first single engine general aviation personal jet aircraft with a whole airframe parachute system 119 18 By the end of 2019 Cirrus employed 1 600 people and produced 81 Vision Jets and 384 SR series aircraft that year resulting in the company s fifth year of growth and its best year in sales 120 6 121 The Vision SF50 became the world s best selling general aviation jet 6 2020s edit The company has continued to rapidly grow and expand into the 2020s adding a thousand jobs from 2021 to 2023 5 growing its operational footprint with several new facilities in U S states such as Texas Arizona Florida and Michigan as well as European countries like France and the Netherlands and seeing an increase in demand since the start of the COVID 19 pandemic 122 In 2022 Cirrus sold 539 SR aircraft almost 40 of the entire piston market 123 and 90 Vision Jets totaling 629 deliveries the most since 2007 and nearly 1 billion in total revenue 124 It also became the largest single producer of general aviation aircraft in 2022 for the first time in the manufacturer s history 125 126 Since the start of the pandemic the company has experienced supply chain problems resulting in a backlog of almost 700 SR aircraft as of March 2022 127 or nearly two years as of January 2023 128 It has also faced challenges from the FAA with an airworthiness directive dealing with its Continental piston engines as well as a company service bulletin dealing with its firing mechanisms for the primer material that ignites the parachute rocket on some SR and Vision Jet aircraft 129 130 Cirrus has helped lead sustainable efforts in the general aviation industry becoming one of the first OEMs to conduct tests of unleaded fuel in SR22 22Ts and continuing tests of G100UL as part of a program to move towards full unleaded fuels along with being an early adopter of sustainable aviation fuel SAF in the Vision Jet s Williams FJ33 engine 14 In June 2023 Cirrus filed an application for an initial public offering IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange with the aim of raising around US 300 million for expansion 131 and selling up to 20 of the company 132 The Chinese government owned manufacturer does not plan to register with the U S Securities and Exchange Commission and thus will not be offering shares to Americans during the IPO 131 although U S investors may be able to buy stock in Cirrus following the IPO 132 Products and industry firsts edit nbsp 2006 model Cirrus SR22 nbsp Interior of SR22 with post 2008 Cirrus Perspective avionics by GarminSR aircraft series edit The Cirrus SR Single Reciprocating Series aircraft including the SRV SR20 SR22 and SR22T are produced with Cirrus Perspective by Garmin and previously Avidyne Entegra integrated digital flight displays and modern avionics as standard equipment since 2008 133 a first in the light general aviation GA manufacturing industry when the Entegra instrument panel became available on the series sarting in 2003 The aircraft are all electric no vacuum systems are used Redundancy is provided by dual batteries and alternators The series originally began as a four seat aircraft with a smaller fifth seat added in 2013 The SR22 is also available with TKS anti icing equipment which has enabled flight into known icing FIKI conditions since 2009 134 The SR aircraft series was the first of its kind to come equipped with flight envelope protection in the form of an electronic level button as well as airbag seatbelts two airbags installed in the shoulder harnesses of both the pilot and co pilots seat belts 135 136 137 The series incorporates other unusual design elements All SR aircraft use a mechanical side yoke instead of the traditional yoke or stick flight controls and a single power lever that adjusts both throttle and propeller RPM via a mechanical cam actuated throttle and propeller control system The aircraft also include a leading edge cuff on the wing for improved spin protection and 26G energy absorbing seats for improved crashworthiness 138 Construction is dominated by composite materials a technique the company has used with every model since its first design in 1988 the VK 30 with traditional aluminum being used only for flight control surfaces Although not the first certified GA aircraft built with composites the SR series was the first composite aircraft produced in large numbers over 4 000 units delivered from 1999 to 2008 alone The SR22T introduced in 2010 is powered by a Continental TSIO 550 K turbocharged piston engine Turbocharging allows the engine to maintain maximum power at higher altitudes while increasing the maximum operating altitude to 25 000 ft 7 620 m Cirrus Airframe Parachute System CAPS edit nbsp SR20 inflight test deployment of CAPS 1998Main article Cirrus Airframe Parachute System SR series aircraft are equipped with the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System CAPS developed in association with Ballistic Recovery Systems BRS a ballistic parachute deployed from the back of the aircraft In many inflight emergencies it allows the entire airplane to descend safely to the ground and has been credited with saving over 250 lives to date 139 140 Cirrus was the first manufacturer to receive FAA certification for production aircraft with ballistic parachute systems and remains the only aviation company to implement the device as a standard equipment on all its models 141 The system was first tested in 1998 by late Air National Guard F 16 pilot and chief Cirrus test pilot Scott D Anderson who completed the tests in an SR20 over the southern California desert 142 The turbofan powered Vision SF50 also comes equipped with CAPS making it the first jet with a whole plane parachute to receive certification 19 16 Safe Return autoland system edit In October 2019 Cirrus became the first GA company along with Piper Aircraft to announce an emergency autoland system developed by Garmin which Cirrus calls Safe Return on the Vision SF50 143 It initiates at the push of a button and allows landing on runways over 5 836 ft 1 779 m without any human input The SF50 became the first jet and third GA aircraft to become certified with the system earning certification in August 2020 144 In June 2021 Garmin won the Collier Trophy for its development of autoland an award Cirrus had been honored with three years prior for the SF50 as the first certified single engine civilian jet List of Cirrus aircraft edit nbsp 2021 model Cirrus Vision SF50Cirrus SR10 contracted single engine three seat composite trainer not yet marketed in the US 145 Cirrus SR20 single piston engine four or five seat composite aircraft produced since 1999 Cirrus SR22 22T single piston engine four or five seat composite aircraft produced since 2001 Cirrus SR Sport single engine low wing ultralight aircraft that seats two side by side Cirrus ST50 contracted single engine five seat turboprop aircraft developed from the VK 30 Cirrus Vision SF50 single turbofan engine five or seven seat composite jet produced since 2016 Cirrus VK 30 single engine five seat pusher propeller homebuilt aircraft originally sold as a kitReferences edit Cirrus Aircraft Service amp Support Cirrus Aircraft News July 15 2015 Cirrus Aircraft Expands Leadership Roles of Simmons and Waddick Retrieved July 16 2015 Cirrus Aircraft Cirrus Aircraft Who We Are cirrusaircraft com Retrieved March 28 2016 Morrison Murdo October 10 2022 Ideas factory Cirrus invests in innovation centre FlightGlobal Archived from the original on October 19 2022 Retrieved November 30 2022 a b c Bredsten Brielle September 27 2023 Cirrus Aircraft unveils 20 million Innovation Center Duluth News Tribune Retrieved September 29 2023 a b c d Cirrus Aircraft Delivers Record Year Fueled by Vision Jet Growth Yahoo Finance February 19 2020 a b c Cirrus Aircraft Continues Expansion with New Flight Training Facility and Innovation Centers in Arizona and Texas Yahoo Finance September 2 2021 a b Cirrus Aircraft Introduces Cirrus Orlando with Two New Locations in Central Florida GlobalNewswire September 22 2021 a b Cirrus Aircraft Delivers Top Performance in 2021 and Grows its Footprint AviationPros com February 2022 a b Cirrus Aircraft Continues Global Expansion with New European Locations Business Wire April 27 2022 a b c Davison Budd December 14 2015 Aviation 1965 2015 Plane amp Pilot Retrieved March 28 2016 a b General Aviation Manufacturers Association 2019 2018 Annual Report PDF Retrieved May 28 2019 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help a b Hirschman Dave April 2018 Cirrus Lands Collier AOPA Retrieved May 26 2018 a b Boatman Julie April 20 2023 Cirrus Marks 9 000th SR in 2023 With Limited Edition Flying Retrieved April 20 2023 Cirrus Vision SF50 Retrieved May 6 2013 a b c Niles Russ October 30 2016 Cirrus SF50 Certified First Delivery in December AVweb Retrieved October 31 2016 a b c Cirrus delivers first Vision jet unveils new facility December 20 2016 Retrieved December 20 2016 a b Baumgarten April April 5 2018 Cirrus Aircraft 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With Job Creation Pledge AVweb Slater Brady February 2022 St Louis County backs Cirrus expansion Duluth News Tribune Cirrus will pay 1 for Duluth air base once used by AAR Corp Northwest promises more jobs Minneapolis St Paul Business Journal September 2022 Niles Russ February 14 2015 Cirrus Eyes Jet Factory At Duluth AVweb Retrieved February 16 2015 Boatman Julie July 18 2022 Cirrus Expands Its Footprint in Duluth Flying Retrieved July 21 2022 a b Reinke Kelly January 12 2017 Cirrus Aircraft opens Vision Center at McGhee Tyson Airport WATE TV Retrieved July 11 2017 Goyer Robert May 6 2015 Cirrus to Build Big Knoxville Facility Flying Retrieved May 6 2015 News Sentinel Staff May 6 2015 Cirrus Aircraft to invest 15M create 170 jobs at facility located at McGhee Tyson Airport Knoxville News Sentinel Retrieved May 6 2015 Tulis David May 2019 Cirrus Adding Texas Satellite Facility AOPA Retrieved May 28 2019 Cirrus Aircraft Opens New Sales Office in France Business Wire April 8 2022 O Connor Kate May 4 2023 Cirrus Breaks Ground For McKinney Expansionaccess date 5 May 2023 AVweb Archived from the original on May 5 2023 a b Wisconsin Aviation History Archived from the original on December 1 2022 Retrieved October 28 2014 Aviation Pros January 2006 People News Cirrus Announces Executive Promotions Retrieved April 6 2015 Sobie Brendan October 2009 Learjet s transformation Retrieved April 6 2015 Niles Russ December 2008 New CEO At Cirrus Klapmeier Still Chairman Retrieved December 18 2008 Niles Russ August 2009 Klapmeier Out As Cirrus Chairman Retrieved August 2 2009 Duluth News Tribune August 2009 Creator and former CEO of Cirrus leaves the company Archived from the original on September 23 2015 Retrieved August 17 2015 Trautvetter Chad December 2009 Handoff Cirrus Alan Klapmeier to Dale Klapmeier AINonline Retrieved February 23 2020 CirrusAircraft com September 2011 Dale Klapmeieir named CEO at Cirrus Aircraft PDF Archived from the original PDF on October 17 2011 Retrieved September 22 2011 Grady Mary September 2011 Wouters Out Klapmeier In At Cirrus AVweb Retrieved September 22 2011 Cirrus names Patrick Waddick President Archived from the original on July 13 2013 Retrieved May 6 2013 One time Cirrus intern named company president Duluth News Tribune March 13 2013 Archived from the original on August 16 2016 Retrieved July 23 2019 a b Cirrus Aircraft Customer Experience Vision Center will expand to Knoxville TN Archived from the original on May 8 2015 Retrieved May 6 2015 Kerry Lynch December 19 2018 Dale Klapmeier To Step Down as Cirrus CEO AIN online Retrieved December 20 2018 Kate O Connor December 19 2018 Cirrus CEO Stepping Down AVweb Retrieved December 20 2018 Cirrus Aircraft Announces New Chief Executive Officer GlobeNewswire June 4 2019 Retrieved June 4 2019 Former Tesla Exec Zean Nielsen Takes Helm at Cirrus AINonline June 4 2019 Retrieved July 23 2019 a b Finding the Right Funding The Klapmeier brothers Key Move Startup Nation 2010 a b c Cirrus Design Corporation Company Profile Information Business Description History Background Information on Cirrus Design Corporation Reference for Business Company History Index Retrieved October 28 2014 EAA Aviation Center n d Cirrus Design Corporation VK 30 N33VK Retrieved January 16 2013 Aerofiles Aircraft Ca to Ci Retrieved 24 July 2011 Aviation Takes Off In Duluth August 5 2013 a b Federal Aviation Administration Type Certification Data Sheet A00009CH PDF Retrieved June 5 2013 Certificate cements Cirrus production status Retrieved June 5 2013 Business North article Soaring aviation cluster hits turbulence Date 4 9 2003 by Pamela Rust accessed 20 September 2007 NetComposites news article Crescent Capital Investment in Cirrus Industries NetComposites Retrieved September 28 2018 Article Crescent Capital Changes Name to Arcapita Business Wire Feb 28 2005 accessed 20 September 2007 Retrieved October 1 2014 a b c d Cirrus Backgrounder PDF Archived from the original PDF on April 5 2013 Retrieved November 10 2014 National Transportation Safety Board Introduction of Glass Cockpit Avionics into Light Aircraft PDF Retrieved January 7 2020 Media Fly By Cirrus Soars at First Flight Celebration Archived from the original on July 14 2014 Retrieved November 11 2014 SR20 Becomes First Aircraft Certified for Import by EASA Retrieved June 5 2013 a b c General Aviation Manufacturers Association 2017 2016 General Aviation Statistical Databook amp Industry Outlook PDF Retrieved March 3 2017 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help SWEDISH UNIVERSITY PURCHASES CIRRUS TRAINERS Retrieved November 4 2014 Aviation college getting top flight Cirrus aircraft Retrieved November 4 2014 Niles Russ October 2009 SATSAir Shuts Down Retrieved October 26 2009 Niles Russ April 2007 Cirrus the jet Image Emerges Retrieved March 27 2015 Godlewski Meg August 2007 Cirrus Unveils its Light Sport Aircraft Company Will Cirrus ize 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Production Retrieved April 29 2009 Grady Mary June 2009 Cirrus Boosts Production Will Rehire 50 Staffers Retrieved June 4 2009 a b Cirrus Design June 2009 Cirrus Aircraft Announces Higher Production Rate For Second Time in 45 Days Requiring Staffing Increase Archived from the original on July 8 2011 Retrieved June 4 2009 Niles Russ June 2009 Klapmeier Makes Play For Cirrus Jet Retrieved June 26 2009 Niles Russ July 2009 Klapmeier Lays Out Jet Plans Retrieved July 7 2009 Niles Russ June 2009 The Future Of Cirrus s Jet Retrieved June 27 2009 Grady Mary July 2009 Cirrus On The Vision Jet We Will Get It Done Retrieved July 28 2009 Niles Russ July 2009 Klapmeier Jet Deal Collapses Retrieved July 31 2009 Niles Russ July 2009 Cirrus Says More Jet Talks Possible Retrieved July 31 2009 Niles Russ August 2009 More Cuts At Cirrus Hawker Beech Maybe Cessna Retrieved August 27 2009 Niles Russ November 2009 Cirrus Cuts Staff But Company Strong Says CEO Retrieved November 12 2009 Niles Russ March 2010 Cirrus L 3 Legal Wrangle Takes A Twist Retrieved March 22 2010 Pew Glenn April 2010 Cirrus Drops Latest Suit Against L 3 Retrieved April 14 2010 Niles Russ June 2010 Cirrus Paying Back Rent Retrieved April 17 2010 China to acquire world s largest piston aircraft maker Retrieved February 28 2011 Niles Russ February 2011 Cirrus Acquired By Chinese Company AvWeb Retrieved February 14 2011 Seah Jessica March 2011 Dewey King amp Spalding Advise on Chinese Acquisition of U S Plane Maker The Asian Lawyer Retrieved March 5 2011 Niles Russ March 2011 China vs the American Dream AvWeb Retrieved March 3 2011 Grady Mary March 2011 Cirrus on U S Bid No Comment AvWeb Retrieved March 16 2011 Niles Russ March 2011 Congressman Warns About Cirrus Sale Retrieved March 28 2011 Grady Mary March 2011 Cirrus Updates On Jet China Deal Retrieved March 31 2011 Spencer Jim March 2011 Cirrus CEO China Deal Saves Jobs StarTribune Archived from the original on April 2 2011 Retrieved July 15 2014 Feyder Susan February 2011 Cirrus to be Acquired by Chinese Firm StarTribune Retrieved July 15 2014 Grady Mary March 2011 China Cirrus Deal Faces Security Review AvWeb Retrieved March 10 2011 Grady Mary June 2011 Cirrus Finalizes China Deal AvWeb Retrieved June 30 2011 Cirrus Aircraft June 2011 Cirrus Aircraft CAIGA Complete Merger Archived from the original on April 23 2014 Retrieved June 30 2011 Niles Russ July 2011 Duluth Jobs Assured Says CAIGA AVweb Retrieved July 18 2011 Grady Mary July 2011 Cirrus Ready To Move With Sense Of Urgency AVweb Retrieved July 25 2011 Grady Mary March 12 2013 Cirrus Resolves Loan Issue Names New President AVweb Retrieved March 14 2013 Bertorelli Paul July 29 2013 Cirrus Looks Beyond Vision Jet AVweb flash Article Avweb com Retrieved August 2 2013 Durden Rick February 21 2014 2013 A Good Year for Cirrus AVweb Retrieved February 24 2014 Rapoport Geoff February 22 2017 GAMA 2016 Year End Report Piston Sales Flat Turbine Single And Cirrus Sales Up AVweb Retrieved May 28 2019 Trautvetter Chad March 2014 Cirrus Flies First Conforming SF50 Vision Jet Retrieved June 25 2014 US buyers boost Cirrus sales Duluth News Tribune February 15 2015 Retrieved February 16 2015 Renalls Candace March 2014 Duluth based plane maker Cirrus has operations in Grand Forks Archived from the original on September 26 2014 Retrieved September 26 2014 Grady Mary April 4 2018 Collier Trophy Goes To Cirrus Jet AVweb Retrieved April 6 2018 Bowman Bonney December 16 2019 Like drinking from a fire hose Cirrus CEO talks first months on the job KBJR TV Retrieved December 22 2019 DePass Dee February 20 2020 Duluth s Cirrus Aircraft posted its best sales year ever in 2019 Star Tribune Retrieved February 23 2020 Cirrus Closes In on 9 000 Aircraft Deliveries AINonline July 27 2022 Boatman Julie February 22 2022 GAMA Reports Year Over Year Increase in Aircraft Shipments In a Governed Recovery Flying Duluth based Cirrus Aircraft sees billings jump 21 in 2022 StarTribune February 23 2023 GAMA s year end report highlights positive industry activity amp opportunities to improve Iskies February 22 2023 GA Deliveries defy Workforce and Supply Issues Australian Flyer February 23 2023 Cirrus Backlog Shows Growing Demand for Personal Aircraft AIN March 1 2022 Cirrus Aircraft Scrambles To Keep Pace With Demand AviationPros January 3 2023 Duluth s Cirrus Aircraft deals with federal fallout due to engine supplier s problems Duluth News Tribune Niles Russ March 30 2023 First Engine Then Chute Failed In Cirrus Incident AVweb Archived from the original on March 31 2023 Retrieved April 20 2023 a b O Connor Kate June 12 2023 Cirrus Files For Public Offering On Hong Kong Stock Exchange AVweb Archived from the original on June 13 2023 Retrieved June 13 2023 a b Minnesota aircraft maker flies high with Chinese owner Brunswick News September 8 2023 Retrieved September 11 2023 ILA 2008 4 000th Cirrus adds a new perspective FlightGlobal May 2008 Retrieved September 29 2023 Cirrus Design January 2009 Cirrus Aircraft Announces Known Ice Protection Availability For Sr22 And Turbo Aircraft Models Archived from the original on July 8 2011 Retrieved January 12 2009 Cirrus Aircraft Retrieved October 1 2014 Airbags in the SR22 Retrieved October 1 2014 Robert Goyer 2010 Envelope Protection Comes to GA Archived from the original on 22 August 2014 Retrieved 22 August 2018 Cirrus SR20 AVweb 2015 Retrieved July 4 2022 CAPS Works Training Makes It Work For You Retrieved October 25 2014 CAPS History by Cirrus Owners amp Pilots Association Archived from the original on July 15 2014 Retrieved June 24 2014 Getting Cirrus about Aircraft Parachutes Retrieved September 18 2014 Fallows James June 2001 Freedom of the Skies The Atlantic Retrieved July 18 2014 Total Safety Cirrus Aircraft Archived from the original on October 30 2019 Retrieved August 8 2021 Lynch Kerry August 31 2020 Cirrus Garmin Nab FAA Nod for Autoland on Vision Jet AIN Online The Convention News Company Inc Retrieved August 8 2021 Cirrus Has Option To Sell New Rotax Powered Trainer AVweb September 15 2023 Retrieved September 18 2023 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cirrus Aircraft Corporation Official website nbsp Turn Left at Cloud 109 1999 profile article on Cirrus in The New York Times Magazine 2021 Cirrus profile in Forbes with CEO Zean Nielsen Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cirrus Aircraft amp oldid 1190748130, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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