![]() The Cirrus SR20 is best known for Cirrus’ innovative Cirrus Aircraft Parachute System, or CAPS, a special parachute that will safely lower the plane and pilot to the ground in the event of a mid-air collision or other accident. ![]() It is also considerably more expensive to buy and maintain, although secondhand models are coming down in price. However, it is much faster and more difficult to fly than the more traditional aircraft, and specialized training is strongly recommended for anyone new to it. The Cirrus SR20 is a fast four or five-seat light aircraft, often popular with pilots moving on from more traditional Piper and Cessna light planes. These questions, and others, will hopefully be answered later on in this article. So what is the Cirrus SR20 like? Is it a good plane for private pilots? And particularly, is the parachute as good as it was cracked up to be in the early days? It seemed like an absolutely revolutionary innovation. Just think, no more trying to do a successful forced landing after engine failure! No more loss-of-control disasters! No more certain death after mid-air collisions! Those were some of the thoughts in my head when I heard about it, and others felt the same. It seemed like a great idea, and those of us in General Aviation, whether students, pilots, or even instructors, were excited by the idea. There was a lot of publicity at the time in the General Aviation world, most of it around the new parachute. Indeed, I remember when it was first produced. However, although it might have been eclipsed to some extent by the later Cirrus SR22, the Cirrus SR20 is important for being the first small airplane with a parachute, which was unheard of at the time. The Cirrus SR20 was not in production long, for it was developed into the better-known Cirrus SR22 in 2001, and this became an extremely popular light aircraft. It is best known for being the first general aviation aircraft to be equipped with a parachute, which was designed to lower the aircraft and occupants safely to the ground in the event of an accident or structural failure. The Cirrus SR20 is a four or five-seat monoplane, built in 1999 by Duluth Aircraft of Minnesota.
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