Cirrus says it will develop new aircraft after it has brought the Vision Jet to market in a couple of years and President and COO Pat Waddick said the long-range planning is a direct result of the investment attitude of the company’s Chinese owners. In an interview with AVweb at AirVenture 2013, Waddick said China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA) has given the company the security and financial ability to keep company engineers busy developing new aircraft long into the future. He noted that Cirrus has capitalized on the latest advances in airframe design and materials and electronics and the industry is overdue for major developments in engines. “From my perspective one of the next big revolutions in aviation is in the powerplant area,” he said. He would not, however, elaborate on where that revolution might specifically take Cirrus but he said there are lots of options and new technologies presenting themselves. Meanwhile CEO Dale Klapmeier said building aircraft in China is part of the plan.
Klapmeier said airspace in China will be freed up for private aircraft and when that happens a huge market will open up. He said he expects demand to exceed the company’s Duluth operations capacity and Cirrus will open manufacturing plants in China. He said that kind of development is good for the whole industry because there is room for all the players to be involved in the market.
