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| name = Cirrus SR22
| name = Cirrus SR22
| image = Cirrus.sr22.n147vc.arp.jpg
| image = Cirrus.sr22.n147vc.arp.jpg
| caption = Cirrus SR22. Photo: unknown author, Public domain, via [[commons:File:Cirrus.sr22.n147vc.arp.jpg|Wikimedia Commons]]
| caption = Cirrus SR22. Photo: see the file page on Commons, Public domain, via [[commons:File:Cirrus.sr22.n147vc.arp.jpg|Wikimedia Commons]]
| make = Cirrus
| make = Cirrus
| type = Civil utility aircraft
| type = Civil utility aircraft

Latest revision as of 12:55, 1 November 2026

United States Cirrus SR22
Cirrus SR22. Photo: see the file page on Commons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Cirrus SR22. Photo: see the file page on Commons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Make Cirrus
Model Cirrus SR22
Type Civil utility aircraft
Country United States United States
Built 2001–present
Number built 8,785 through 2025
Registered in the US 6,812 (FAA register, October 30, 2026)
Seats 1 pilot, 3 passengers (4 using 60/40 flex seating)
Engine Continental IO-550-N, 310 hp
Cruise speed 183 kn (SR22-G5)
Range 1,049 nmi (SR22-G5)
Service ceiling 17,500 ft (SR22-G5)
Max weight 3,600 lb (SR22-G5)
Developed from Cirrus SR20
More aircraft · For sale

The Cirrus SR22 is a single-engine, four- or five-seat airplane made of composite materials, built since 2001 by Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minnesota. It grew out of the smaller Cirrus SR20, with a bigger wing, more fuel and a 310 hp engine (315 hp in the turbocharged SR22T).[1]

It has been the world's best-selling general aviation airplane every year since 2003. Cirrus delivered 8,246 SR22s from 2001 to 2024, which makes it the most-produced general aviation airplane of the 21st century and the most-produced aircraft built from composite material.[1] In the U.S. there are 6,812 with a valid registration: 3,929 SR22s and 2,883 turbocharged SR22Ts.[2]

The plane with the parachute

Every SR22 carries the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), a parachute that can lower the whole airplane to the ground in an emergency. It helped the SR22 sell and earned it the nickname "the plane with the parachute". The SR22 was also the first light general aviation airplane with a full glass cockpit, and the SR series is the only production airplane in its class flown with a side stick instead of a yoke.[1]

History

The SR22 was certified in November 2000 and production began in 2001. It is a low-wing composite airplane with fixed tricycle landing gear, a castering nosewheel steered with the brakes, and a 310 hp Continental IO-550-N engine. Passengers board through doors on both sides.[1]

Cirrus improved it in generations: the G2 in 2004 with a new fuselage, and the G3 in April 2007 with a new wing, a lighter carbon-fiber spar, longer landing gear and fuel raised from 81 to 92 US gallons. The turbocharged SR22T with a Continental TSIO-550-K arrived in June 2010.[1]

In 2013, Australian pilot Ryan Campbell flew a modified SR22 around the world to become, at nineteen, the youngest pilot to fly solo around the globe at the time.[1]

Registered in the United States

The FAA register lists 6,812 of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.[2]

FAA model name Registered
SR22 3,929
SR22T 2,883

Specifications (SR22-G5)

Item SR22-G5
Crew 1 pilot
Passengers / capacity 3 passengers (4 using 60/40 flex seating)
Length 26 ft
Wingspan 38 ft 4 in
Height 8 ft 11 in
Empty weight 2,269 lb
Maximum takeoff weight 3,600 lb
Fuel 92 US gallons (348 litres)
Engine Continental IO-550-N, 310 hp (Six cylinder horizontally opposed aircraft engine)
Cruise speed 183 kn
Stall speed 60 kn
Range 1,049 nmi
Service ceiling 17,500 ft
Rate of climb 1,270 ft/min

Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.[1]

Owner and mechanic notes: coming soon. What to check before you buy, common problems and what they cost to fix. Airplane Wiki is gathering this from owners and mechanics.

Photos

All photos are from Wikimedia Commons; click a photo for its full credit and license.

Buying a Cirrus SR22

For sale listings: coming soon. Airplane Wiki will list Cirrus SR22s for sale here, with the facts on this page beside every listing.

Sources

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Wikipedia, "Cirrus SR22", read November 1, 2026. Airplane Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Federal Aviation Administration, Releasable Aircraft Database, file dated October 30, 2026. Valid registrations of fixed-wing airplanes whose FAA maker and model names belong to this family. Airplane Wiki uses only counts from this file, never owner names or addresses.