Cirrus Design
Encyclopedia
The Cirrus Aircraft Corporation is an aircraft manufacturer that was founded in 1984 by Alan and Dale Klapmeier to produce the VK-30 kit
aircraft.
The company markets several versions of its two certificated
designs, the SR20
and the SR22
. The company is also planning to market the light-sport aircraft
category Cirrus SR Sport, though this project is currently on hold. The Cirrus Vision SF50 single-engine jet is currently under development.
. An additional manufacturing facility is located in Grand Forks, North Dakota
. The Grand Forks facility is owned by the city of Grand Forks and leased to the company. It has provided work for as many as 330 employees, but as of March 2011 employed around 75. Assembly facilities are also located at Bembridge
, on the Isle of Wight
in England
and at Archerfield Airport
in Brisbane
, Australia
.
On 27 December 2007 the company secured a lease for former Northwest Airlines
hangar at Duluth International Airport
. It will use the 189000 square feet (17,558.7 m²) building for construction of its new Cirrus Jet.
On 18 December 2008 the company announced that Chief Operating Officer Brent Wouters would be appointed President and CEO effective 1 February 2009. Alan Klapmeier continued as Chairman of the board with Dale Klapmeier as Vice-Chairman.
On 1 August 2009 Cirrus Aircraft CEO Brent Wouters announced that Alan Klapmeier's contract as Chairman of the Board would not be renewed when it expired at the end of that month.
On 1 September 2011 the company announced that Co-Founder Dale Klapmeier has been named Chief Executive Officer. Brent Wouters, previously President and Chief Executive Officer, is no longer with the company.
Cirrus Design's founders, Alan and Dale Klapmeier, along with Jeff and Sally Viken, developed the Cirrus VK-30 as a homebuilt aircraft. First flight was on 11 February 1988 and kit deliveries commenced shortly thereafter.
-135, in place of the piston engine used in the VK-30. The prototype was first flown on December 7th, 1994, by Norman E. Howell.
)
, a 2004 start-up air taxi
operator that flew 26 Cirrus SR22
s. SATSair ceased operations on 24 October 2009.
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."
Company CEO Alan Klapmeier announced in October 2008 that due to the economic situation and the resulting lack of demand for Cirrus aircraft, that 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 Cirrus 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.
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.
On 9 January 2009 Cirrus announced that it would lay off 50 administrative employees and extend the lay off 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.
In early February 2009, the company's new CEO, Brent Wouters, indicated that the future of the company would likely hinge on the Cirrus 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."
In April 2009 the company announced that it was suspending the Cirrus SRS light sport aircraft project. They 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.
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."
On 1 June 2009 the company announced it was recalling 50 workers and boosting production to 8 aircraft per week.
The company stated:
On 26 June 2009 it was reported by AvWeb that Cirrus Aircraft co-founder and former CEO Alan Klapmeier intended to buy the SF50 project from Cirrus Aircraft 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. Cirrus CEO Brent Wouters indicated that while the company intended to proceed with the SF50 program itself, he would listen to Klapmeier's proposal. On Monday 27 July 2009 Cirrus CEO Brent Wouters and 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. 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.
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."
In November 2009 the company laid off an additional 58 workers, or 10% of the remaining payroll. The company indicated that they had failed to achieve some "institutional sales of aircraft" and that meant the lay-offs were expected and also emphasized that it does not indicate deeper problems with the company. As of 11 November 2009 the company had about 550 production workers employed.
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 has 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.
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 they would forgive in exchange for job creation.
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
. 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."
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." On 30 March 2011 at Sun 'n Fun
company co-founder Dale Klapmeier provided reassurances that Chinese ownership will not result in production being moved out of the USA. Klapmeier also expressed disappointment in the political issues raised, particularly by Cravaack. Klapmeier explained, "His concerns are unfounded," detailing that Cirrus does not have any unique technology that could be employed in military applications. 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. The sale to CAIGA was completed as a merger of the two companies on 28 June 2011.
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 Dulth 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."
Following the company's merger with CAIGA in July 2011 company CEO Brent Wouters indicated that Cirrus will move quickly to expand its line of aircraft, including bringing the Cirrus 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."
digital flight displays
and modern avionics
as standard equipment. The aircraft are all electric - no vacuum
systems are used. Redundancy is provided by dual batteries
and alternator
s. The SR22 is also available with TKS anti-icing equipment which enables the airplane to fly in known icing conditions.
The aircraft incorporate other unusual design elements. All Cirrus aircraft use a mechanical side yoke
instead of the traditional yoke
or stick
flight controls. The aircraft also use a single power lever that adjusts both throttle and propeller RPM via a mechanical cam actuated throttle and propeller control system. Construction is dominated by the use of composite materials
, although traditional aluminum is used for flight control surfaces.
The SR22
has an option for a Tornado Alley turbo-normalized engine. This allows the engine to maintain maximum power at higher altitudes while increasing the maximum operating altitude to 25,000'.
certification for production aircraft with ballistic parachute systems. With the NASA-developed spin resistant wing, the parachute system was accepted by the Federal Aviation Administration as an equivalent level of safety and complete spin testing was not required by the FAA.
The Cirrus pilot's operating handbook states that the parachute system "is designed to bring the aircraft and its occupants to the ground in the event of a life-threatening emergency. The system is intended to save the lives of the occupants but will most likely destroy the aircraft and may, in adverse circumstances, cause serious injury or death to the occupants".
, the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association
.
Homebuilt aircraft
Also known as amateur-built aircraft or kit planes, homebuilt aircraft are constructed by persons for whom this is not a professional activity. These aircraft may be constructed from "scratch," from plans, or from assembly kits.-Overview:...
aircraft.
The company markets several versions of its two certificated
Type certificate
A Type Certificate, is awarded by aviation regulating bodies to aerospace manufacturers after it has been established that the particular design of a civil aircraft, engine, or propeller has fulfilled the regulating bodies' current prevailing airworthiness requirements for the safe conduct of...
designs, the SR20
Cirrus SR20
The Cirrus Design SR20 is a piston engine composite monoplane that seats four. The SR20 is noted for being the first production general aviation aircraft equipped with a parachute designed to lower the aircraft safely to the ground after loss of control or structural failure.-Design and...
and the SR22
Cirrus SR22
The Cirrus SR22 is a single-engine, four-seat, composite aircraft, built by Cirrus Aircraft starting in 2001. It is a more powerful version of the Cirrus SR20, with a larger wing, higher fuel capacity, and a 310 horsepower engine...
. The company is also planning to market the light-sport aircraft
Light-sport Aircraft
A Light-sport aircraft, also known as light sport aircraft or LSA, is a small aircraft that is simple to fly and which meets certain regulations set by a National aviation authority restricting weight and performance...
category Cirrus SR Sport, though this project is currently on hold. The Cirrus Vision SF50 single-engine jet is currently under development.
Manufacturing facilities
Cirrus Aircraft has its headquarters and main manufacturing facility in Duluth, MinnesotaDuluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
. An additional manufacturing facility is located in Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
. The Grand Forks facility is owned by the city of Grand Forks and leased to the company. It has provided work for as many as 330 employees, but as of March 2011 employed around 75. Assembly facilities are also located at Bembridge
Bembridge
Bembridge is an affluent village and civil parish located on the easternmost point of the Isle of Wight. It had a population of 3,848 according to the 2001 census of the United Kingdom, leading to claims by residents that Bembridge is the largest village in England, and occasional claims that it is...
, on the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and at Archerfield Airport
Archerfield Airport
Archerfield Airport is a small airport located 7 1/2 miles at Archerfield in the south west of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. For some time it was the primary airport in Brisbane. During World War II it was used as a Royal Australian Air Force station. Airport traffic peaked in the 1980s...
in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
On 27 December 2007 the company secured a lease for former Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines, Inc. was a major United States airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines by a merger approved on October 29, 2008, making Delta the largest airline in the world...
hangar at Duluth International Airport
Duluth International Airport
Duluth International Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located five nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Duluth, a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States. It serves the Duluth-Superior area including Superior, Wisconsin...
. It will use the 189000 square feet (17,558.7 m²) building for construction of its new Cirrus Jet.
Management
Co-founder Alan Klapmeier served as President and CEO from 1984 until February of 2009.On 18 December 2008 the company announced that Chief Operating Officer Brent Wouters would be appointed President and CEO effective 1 February 2009. Alan Klapmeier continued as Chairman of the board with Dale Klapmeier as Vice-Chairman.
On 1 August 2009 Cirrus Aircraft CEO Brent Wouters announced that Alan Klapmeier's contract as Chairman of the Board would not be renewed when it expired at the end of that month.
On 1 September 2011 the company announced that Co-Founder Dale Klapmeier has been named Chief Executive Officer. Brent Wouters, previously President and Chief Executive Officer, is no longer with the company.
1980s
1990s
Cirrus Design designed the ST-50 under contract to IsrAviation. The aircraft was configured like the Cirrus VK-30, but was powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6
The Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 is one of the most popular turboprop aircraft engines in history, and is produced by Pratt & Whitney Canada. The PT6 family is particularly well known for its extremely high reliability, with MTBO's on the order of 9000 hours in some models. In US military use, they...
-135, in place of the piston engine used in the VK-30. The prototype was first flown on December 7th, 1994, by Norman E. Howell.
2001
In August 2001, Cirrus sold 58% of the company for $100 million to Crescent Capital, the US arm of the First Islamic Investment Bank of Bahrain (now called ArcapitaArcapita
Arcapita Inc. is a Delaware-incorporated holding and real estate company, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia....
)
2006
In 2006 Cirrus acquired a 25-percent stake in SATSairSATSair
SATSair was an air taxi provider based in Greenville, South Carolina, USA. SATSair was a founding member of the Air Taxi Association .-History:...
, a 2004 start-up air taxi
Air taxi
An air taxi is an air charter passenger or cargo aircraft which operates on an on-demand basis.-Regulation:In the United States, air taxi and air charter operations are governed by Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations , unlike the larger scheduled air carriers which are governed by more...
operator that flew 26 Cirrus SR22
Cirrus SR22
The Cirrus SR22 is a single-engine, four-seat, composite aircraft, built by Cirrus Aircraft starting in 2001. It is a more powerful version of the Cirrus SR20, with a larger wing, higher fuel capacity, and a 310 horsepower engine...
s. SATSair ceased operations on 24 October 2009.
2007
In December 2007 Arcapita stated that it was looking to sell its share of the company. Cirrus Design indicated at the time of the announcement that this was expected as Arcapita was considered a medium-term investor.2008
In September 2008 the global sale slump in piston-engined aircraft impacted the company and they laid off 100 workers or 8% of their workforce. This included 79 people at the main plant in Duluth, MinnesotaDuluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
and 29 employees at the composite construction plant in Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 52,838, while that of the city and surrounding metropolitan area was 98,461...
. 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."
Light-sport Aircraft
A Light-sport aircraft, also known as light sport aircraft or LSA, is a small aircraft that is simple to fly and which meets certain regulations set by a National aviation authority restricting weight and performance...
market sector, but that the Cirrus Vision SF50 jet would not be delayed.
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.
2009
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 to 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.On 9 January 2009 Cirrus announced that it would lay off 50 administrative employees and extend the lay off 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.
In early February 2009, the company's new CEO, Brent Wouters, indicated that the future of the company would likely hinge on the Cirrus 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."
In April 2009 the company announced that it was suspending the Cirrus SRS light sport aircraft project. They 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.
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."
On 1 June 2009 the company announced it was recalling 50 workers and boosting production to 8 aircraft per week.
The company stated:
On 26 June 2009 it was reported by AvWeb that Cirrus Aircraft co-founder and former CEO Alan Klapmeier intended to buy the SF50 project from Cirrus Aircraft and its major shareholder Arcapita and produce the aircraft under a new company. The new venture had been receiving financial advice from Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch is the wealth management division of Bank of America. With over 15,000 financial advisors and $2.2 trillion in client assets it is the world's largest brokerage. Formerly known as Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., prior to 2009 the firm was publicly owned and traded on the New York...
. 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. Cirrus CEO Brent Wouters indicated that while the company intended to proceed with the SF50 program itself, he would listen to Klapmeier's proposal. On Monday 27 July 2009 Cirrus CEO Brent Wouters and 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. 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.
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."
In November 2009 the company laid off an additional 58 workers, or 10% of the remaining payroll. The company indicated that they had failed to achieve some "institutional sales of aircraft" and that meant the lay-offs were expected and also emphasized that it does not indicate deeper problems with the company. As of 11 November 2009 the company had about 550 production workers employed.
2010
In March 2010 Cirrus went to court in an attempt to get an order to prevent former supplier L-3 CommunicationsL-3 Communications
L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. is a company that supplies command and control, communications, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems and products, avionics, ocean products, training devices and services, instrumentation, space, and navigation products. Its customers include...
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 has 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.
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 they would forgive in exchange for job creation.
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
Government of the People's Republic of China
All power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the People's Republic of China, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army . This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...
. 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."
2011
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 US aviation community, indicating that Americans want Cirrus "to be owned and operated on American soil, period." Foley's counter-offer did not materialize.In late March 2011 freshman Minnesota congressman Chip Cravaack
Chip Cravaack
Raymond "Chip" Cravaack is the U.S. Representative for northeastern serving since January 2011. In his first try for political office, he upset 18-term Democratic incumbent Jim Oberstar by a margin of 4,400 votes to become the first Republican since 1947 to represent the district...
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." On 30 March 2011 at Sun 'n Fun
Sun 'n Fun
Sun 'n Fun is a "Fly-in" and airshow held annually at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Florida, usually during the second or third week of April....
company co-founder Dale Klapmeier provided reassurances that Chinese ownership will not result in production being moved out of the USA. Klapmeier also expressed disappointment in the political issues raised, particularly by Cravaack. Klapmeier explained, "His concerns are unfounded," detailing that Cirrus does not have any unique technology that could be employed in military applications. The sale was reviewed by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States
Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States is an inter-agency committee of the United States Government that reviews the national security implications of foreign investments in U.S. companies or operations. Chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury, CFIUS includes representatives...
and was approved, as Cirrus has no national security-sensitive trade secrets. The sale to CAIGA was completed as a merger of the two companies on 28 June 2011.
In July 2011 CAIGA President Xiangkai Meng and Duluth Mayor Don Ness signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding
Memorandum of understanding
A memorandum of understanding is a document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action. It is often used in cases where parties either do not imply a legal commitment or in...
that the jobs at Cirrus Aircraft would remain in Dulth 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."
Following the company's merger with CAIGA in July 2011 company CEO Brent Wouters indicated that Cirrus will move quickly to expand its line of aircraft, including bringing the Cirrus 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."
Products
SR aircraft series
Cirrus SR (Single Reciprocating) Series aircraft are designed around composite technologies with Avidyne EntegraAvidyne Entegra
Avidyne Entegra is an integrated aircraft instrumentation system, produced by Avidyne Corporation, consisting of a primary flight display , and multi-function display . Cirrus became the first customer of the Entegra system and began offering it on the SR20 and SR22 aircraft in 2003 as the first...
digital flight displays
Glass cockpit
A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features electronic instrument displays, typically large LCD screens, as opposed to the traditional style of analog dials and gauges...
and modern avionics
Avionics
Avionics are electronic systems used on aircraft, artificial satellites and spacecraft.Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems and the hundreds of systems that are fitted to aircraft to meet individual roles...
as standard equipment. The aircraft are all electric - no vacuum
Vacuum
In everyday usage, vacuum is a volume of space that is essentially empty of matter, such that its gaseous pressure is much less than atmospheric pressure. The word comes from the Latin term for "empty". A perfect vacuum would be one with no particles in it at all, which is impossible to achieve in...
systems are used. Redundancy is provided by dual batteries
Battery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...
and alternator
Alternator
An alternator is an electromechanical device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy in the form of alternating current.Most alternators use a rotating magnetic field but linear alternators are occasionally used...
s. The SR22 is also available with TKS anti-icing equipment which enables the airplane to fly in known icing conditions.
The aircraft incorporate other unusual design elements. All Cirrus aircraft use a mechanical side yoke
Side-stick
A side-stick or sidestick controller is an aircraft control column that is located on the side console of the pilot, usually on the righthand side, or outboard on a two-seat flightdeck...
instead of the traditional yoke
Yoke (aircraft)
A yoke, alternatively known as control column, is a device used for piloting in most fixed-wing aircraft.- Principle :The aviator uses the yoke to control the attitude of the plane, usually in both pitch and roll. Rotating the control wheel controls the ailerons and the roll axis...
or stick
Centre stick
A centre stick , or simply control stick is an aircraft cockpit arrangement where the control column is located conventionally in the centre of the cockpit between the pilot's legs...
flight controls. The aircraft also use a single power lever that adjusts both throttle and propeller RPM via a mechanical cam actuated throttle and propeller control system. Construction is dominated by the use of composite materials
Fibre-reinforced plastic
Fibre-reinforced plastic is a composite material made of a polymer matrix reinforced with fibres. The fibres are usually fibreglass, carbon, or aramid, while the polymer is usually an epoxy, vinylester or polyester thermosetting plastic...
, although traditional aluminum is used for flight control surfaces.
The SR22
Cirrus SR22
The Cirrus SR22 is a single-engine, four-seat, composite aircraft, built by Cirrus Aircraft starting in 2001. It is a more powerful version of the Cirrus SR20, with a larger wing, higher fuel capacity, and a 310 horsepower engine...
has an option for a Tornado Alley turbo-normalized engine. This allows the engine to maintain maximum power at higher altitudes while increasing the maximum operating altitude to 25,000'.
Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS)
The Cirrus SR series (SRV, SR20, and SR22) aircraft are equipped with the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), a ballistic parachute deployed from the back of the aircraft. In many emergencies, the system allows the entire aircraft to descend safely and has been credited with saving approximately 30 lives. Cirrus is the first manufacturer to receive FAAFederal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
certification for production aircraft with ballistic parachute systems. With the NASA-developed spin resistant wing, the parachute system was accepted by the Federal Aviation Administration as an equivalent level of safety and complete spin testing was not required by the FAA.
The Cirrus pilot's operating handbook states that the parachute system "is designed to bring the aircraft and its occupants to the ground in the event of a life-threatening emergency. The system is intended to save the lives of the occupants but will most likely destroy the aircraft and may, in adverse circumstances, cause serious injury or death to the occupants".
Aircraft Type Club
The Cirrus line of aircraft are supported by an aircraft type clubAircraft type club
Aircraft type clubs are organizations that provide information and support to a single aircraft type or a group of aircraft types from the same manufacturer or family of aircraft....
, the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association
Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association
The Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association is a not-for-profit aircraft type club for owners and pilots of certified aircraft manufactured by Cirrus Design.In October 2008 the association had 2800 members worldwide....
.