Cirrus Has Option To Sell New Rotax-Powered Trainer (Updated)

With the training market still booming, Cirrus has in the wings a new trainer model, the SR10. Slightly smaller than the entry-level SR20, the airplane has three seats and is powered by the Rotax 915 iS, according to the type certificate approved by the FAA in April of this year. But it may not be pushing the sales button anytime soon.

The SR10 was developed jointly in the U.S. and China by Cirrus under contract with its parent, the Chinese-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). It's identical to the AG100 now undergoing certification in China after its first flight in 2020. Cirrus says AVIC has orders for the AG100, but it's not known how many.

According to the U.S. type certificate, it's certified in the U.S. under CFR Part 23 as a day, VFR aircraft only. Maximum gross weight is given as 2150 pounds on a wingspan of just over 35 feet, compared to 38 feet 4 inches for the SR20. At 3050 pounds, the SR20 is 900 pounds heavier. The SR10 has two front seats and a single center-mounted rear seat and has the trademark Cirrus ballistic parachute system and Garmin avionics.

Interestingly, although the Rotax 915 is approved for 91-octane fuel, the type certificate specifies 100LL. We don’t know if the Chinese documentation approves lower octane fuel, which is more readily available in China. In this AVweb video, Ivy McIver, Cirrus' director for the SR line, said Cirrus retains the option to sell the SR10 in the U.S. but doesn't have the airplane on the product roadmap. Cirrus already has its own TRAC line of trainers based on the SR20 and SR22. Further, McIver said, the company has no production capacity to build an additional model.