Today’s Top Pick is a 2005 Cirrus SR22 G2.

During the 1970s, when Queen drummer Roger Taylor sang about “the machine of a dream, such a clean machine,” he was referring to a car. Today a whole lot of pilots might hum the same tune while thinking about the Cirrus SR22.

A tour de force of design, performance, and innovation, the Cirrus is among the most popular general aviation aircraft of all time because it has what pilots want—cross-country speed, great looks, and a parachute that can save the day in an emergency.

Now that the SR22 has been on the market for more than 20 years, there are many used examples available for a wide range of prices depending on their age and equipment. The earliest first- and second-generation models often come up for sale at prices similar to those of other fast piston singles that often are decades older.

The 2005 G2 example for sale here is equipped with the Avidyne primary flight and multifunction displays typical for that generation of SR22. Later versions received more advanced and increasingly integrated Garmin avionics, however, a pilot would be fortunate to find anything close to this aircraft’s Avidyne panel in other used piston singles.

This aircraft represents a significant value for pilots who like the SR22’s modern design but are not ready to spend up to $1 million or more for a newer model. 

This 2005 SR22 has 3,136 hours on the airframe and 220 hours since overhaul on its 310 hp Continental IO-550 engine. The aircraft is equipped with a TKS deicing system, and its parachute was recently repacked, so the next owner will have about 10 years before the next repack is due.

The IFR panel features an Avidyne Entegra PFD and Avidyne EX5000 MFD, dual Garmin GNS 430 GPS/nav/comms, one with WAAS, PMA 8000 audio panel,  transponder with ADS-B Out, L-3 Skywatch Active Traffic system, WX 500 Stormscope, Emax engine monitor, Cmax electronic charts, and S-TEC 55 autopilot.

Pilots looking for the advanced design, efficiency, and performance of a Cirrus SR22 at a price point more in keeping with a Cessna 210 Centurion or an older Beechcraft Bonanza should consider this 2005 Cirrus SR22 G2, which is available for $349,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use its airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

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The post This 2005 Cirrus SR22 G2 Is a Value-Priced ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Duluth, Minnesota-based company said it is updating its brand identity to further emphasize its particular approach to private aviation, called “Everything in Reach.” The recent changes are part of a broad strategy to grow the aviation industry and move toward a new era in personal aviation. Cirrus manufactures and sells the SR series of piston singles and the Vision Jet.

• READ MORE: The Big Reveal: Cirrus Shows Off the SR G7

“Since [being founded in] 1984, Cirrus’ legacy of innovating, transforming, and defining the ‘personal aviation’ category has changed the way people experience aviation,” said Todd Simmons, Cirrus’ president of customer experience. “Now, in addition to its state-of-the-art aircraft, Cirrus provides a comprehensive ownership experience for world-class flight training, product services and support, aircraft management, upgrades and accessories, sales, finance, insurance, and more.” 

According to Cirrus, personal aviation serves pilots and nonpilots by offering a path of entry into the aviation community for seasoned pilots, people interested in flight training, and those who wish to own and operate a Cirrus aircraft with a professional pilot.

“Cirrus continues its legacy of delivering innovative products and services that make aircraft ownership easy and synonymous with premium car ownership,” said Zean Nielsen, CEO of Cirrus. “The new brand identity honors Cirrus’ history while positioning itself for the future where the company will leverage its intelligent aircraft and connected digital ecosystem.”   

Cirrus is known for a number of innovations in aircraft design, including the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), which was the first FAA-certified, whole-airframe parachute safety apparatus installed as standard equipment on an aircraft. The company said its worldwide fleet has accumulated more than 17 million hours and 250 people have “returned home safely to their families as a result of the inclusion of CAPS as a standard feature on all Cirrus aircraft.”

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The goal, according to Michael Knight, USPA director of government relations, is “to promote professionalism within the industry.”

• READ MORE: The High-Paced Atmosphere of Skydive Airports

The development of the organization’s SMS also comes as the group is fighting proposed legislation that would require additional aircraft inspections and training for jump-plane pilots. It’s a plan that could put some small operators out of business, according to USPA.

Identifying, Mitigating Risks

Safety management systems establish an organizational culture that ensures safety is put first. When activated, they empower employees to speak up when they encounter a potential safety concern with emphasis on identifying and mitigating risks.

“We are developing SMS operations within the industry internally using the FAA’s template,” Knight said. “We have formatted it for parachute operations and submitted it to the FAA. We are waiting for an initial review.”

Knight noted that parachute organizations in other countries have operated with SMS for a while. “The Australian groups have used SMS for 10 years, and the British groups have used SMS for many years. We worked closely with those organizations.”

• READ MORE: Pioneering Skydiver and Pilot Looks Back on 50 Years Aloft

Knight added that the USPA’s SMS was developed by its board members who are industry stakeholders. “It is a collaborative effort to make sure the SMS is not only tailored to parachute operations but also to make sure it meets the requirements of the FAA.”

According to Knight, once the SMS is approved by the FAA, it will be shared with the skydiving community before adoption. “Voluntarily at first,” he said, adding that the USPA doesn’t have a timeline on when the FAA approval will be forthcoming.

In the meantime, the USPA is asking the aviation community to reach out to its elected officials to protest the Air Tour and Sport Parachuting Safety Improvement Act of 2023, sponsored by Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz, that is moving through Congress as part of the FAA Reauthorization bill. The bill was inspired by the 2019 crash of a Beech King Air at Dillingham Airfield (PHDH) in Hawaii that killed all 11 people on board.

• READ MORE: Women Skydivers Honored For Record-Breaking Formation

The bill would require additional aircraft inspections beyond what is currently required under FAA regulations and mandate additional training for jump-plane pilots. Critics of the bill maintain it will increase the cost of operating skydiving businesses and may force smaller ones to close for lack of resources to meet additional regulatory requirements.

Accident Details

The National Transportation Safety Board conducted an extensive investigation and determined several probable causes of the accident at Dillingham, including the aircraft being loaded in such a fashion that the center of gravity was near its aft limit and the pilot initiating what was described by witnesses as “an aggressive takeoff” that resulted in a stall and spin at low altitude from which there was no recovery.

The USPA response to the bill includes a letter that states: “As the FAA has noted, the commercial pilots that fly for jump operators have already been trained and tested in performing operation- and aircraft-specific weight-and-balance calculations, preflight inspections, emergency and recovery procedures, and parachutist egress procedures for each type of aircraft flown. As with all other segments of aviation, many accidents are the result of pilot error, often due to a lack of professionalism. Professionalism cannot be regulated, but it can be instilled by increased interaction with FAA officials.”

The USPA is asking their membership to contact its elected representatives to voice  objections to these sections of the bill.

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The Red Bull Air Force is made up of some of the most skilled and experienced pilots and skydivers in the world. The organization performs precision aerial demonstrations at air shows and sporting events and produces slick videos of pilots and skydivers seemingly defying—or at least challenging—the laws of physics. 

According to a press release from Red Bull, what is planned is the first dual skydive into separate airplanes. Adding to the human interest element of the event is the fact that Aikins and Farrington are cousins, with a long family history of skydiving that pre-dated their joining the Red Bull Air Force. 

Aikins’ grandfather Lenny started a skydiving club and Lance Aikins, Luke’s father, was a skydiver and pilot, and taught both his son and Farrington how to fly when both men were in their teens. 

Like his cousin, Farrington has been skydiving since he was a teenager, and he’s known for his skill at flying a wingsuit. He won the first Red Bull Aces Wingsuit competition in 2014 and hasn’t stopped since. He has also been in several movies.

The Swap

The event will take place in Arizona. According to a press release from Red Bull, the stunt will be seen exclusively on Hulu.

According to the promotional video from Red Bull, Aikins and Farrington will be flying specially modified Cessna 182s for the event. They will climb their aircraft to 14,000 feet; the airplanes will be in side-by-side formation when they enter a dive. Once this is achieved, Aikins and Farrington will depart the aircraft and attempt to change airplanes.

It is important that the aircraft and skydiving pilots fall at the same speed of approximately 120 miles per hour. 

Defying the impossible: Discover the science behind the #WORLDFIRST #PlaneSwap project where @RedBull #skydiver pros #LukeAkins & @Andy_Farrington are aiming to swap planes mid-flight https://t.co/zJ9hURDdNc #aviation #avgeek pic.twitter.com/NEfTe8AgDq

— @RBContentPool (@RBContentPool) April 20, 2022

Paulo Iscold is the engineer working on the project, and one of the first tasks he faced was to develop a way to control the speed of the pilotless aircraft. In the video, he notes that keeping an unmanned aircraft on speed is a challenge, as usually, an aircraft put into a nose-down attitude will accelerate, possibly past “never exceed” speed known as VNE, resulting in structural damage.

“The aircraft will start to disintegrate,” Iscold explains. To prevent this, Iscold has designed a speed brake that deploys from the belly of the aircraft. 

“The speed brake produces nine times more drag that the aircraft normally has. That is the amount of drag we need to stabilize the airplane at 120 mph, which is the average speed Luke and Andy will have when they fall from the airplanes.”

The speed brake is a panel that extends from the belly of the aircraft during the dive. Both Aikins and Farrington have been practicing flying the aircraft, putting them into dives and deploying the speed brakes.

In addition to speed, getting the aircraft to maintain the nose down attitude is also a challenge. 

“When the aircraft are in a dive and the pilots are outside, there is no guarantee that the airplanes will hold that trajectory,” Iscold said, adding that they had to develop an autopilot capable of holding the aircraft at that trajectory and on speed, because if the airplane’s nose starts to rise or it slows down, the skydivers could potentially smash into the aircraft’s tail during the fall.

Ten Years in the Making

In 2010, the Red Bull Air Force achieved a glider to glider midair transfer. The demonstration involved a person moving from one aircraft to another and some formation flying, with one of the gliders inverted. Like all Red Bull Air Force events, the challenging was made to look easy. 

The Stuff of Movies

It used to be that midair aircraft transfers involving skydivers were strictly the stuff of action movies, with James Bond leading the pack. Some of the most technologically challenging midair stunts were performed pre-CGI by 007.

In the 1995 release GoldenEye, James Bond, as played by Pierce Brosnan, chases a pilotless aircraft attempting to take off. Bond got aboard the aircraft during the takeoff and threw the pilot out, tumbling out with him. Fortunately, Bond was able to grab a motorcycle and continue chasing the airplane. The runway is on a mountainous strip with a large cliff at the end. The pilotless aircraft goes over the cliff and Bond follows on the motorcycle. He releases the bike, then manages to free-fall until he grabs the landing gear of the aircraft, climbs about and pulls the aircraft out of the dive and flies away.

It wasn’t just aircraft that the super spy commandeered during his daring escapes. In the 1979 release Moonraker, there is a skydiving scene where Roger Moore, as Bond, is pushed out of an aircraft without a parachute. The pilot (the bad guy), who is wearing a parachute, has already jumped. Bond free-falls, catching up with the bad guy and relieving him of the parachute. This scene is noted as one of the most intense real-world skydiving action sequences in the movies.

Stunt Pilot History

The Red Bull Air Force is the latest generation of stunt pilots, the latter who trace their roots back to the early days of Hollywood.

Both the powered airplane and motion picture were invented in 1903, and America’s interest in them developed in tandem. Black-and-white movies involved daring stunt pilots intentionally crashing aircraft or flying them through barns or towers, or transferring from an airplane to a moving car.

In the 1910s to 1920s, these pilots often had a speciality, like intentional crashes or the airplane to car transfer, and they did not wear parachutes.

In the 1930s, Pancho Barnes, the first female stunt pilot, established a union for stunt pilots. The Associated Motion Picture Pilots oversaw the stunt flying, establishing a wage scale, insurance, and safety guidelines to protect stunt pilots.

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