Cirrus Unveiling New Product Thursday

Cirrus is teasing a new product introduction on Thursday it calls "the next evolution of personal aviation," but it won't be saying what it is until the YouTube livestream starts at 7 p.m. EST that night. It's widely speculated that it's a new iteration of one of its current models, the next generation of the SR22 line. There is less speculation it could also be the Rotax-powered SR10 trainer based on a plane developed by its Chinese operation a few years ago that might fit the MOSAIC rules for the revamped Light Sport sector. The Chinese aircraft has been flying for more than three years there and is known as the AG100. The U.S. version was granted a type certificate earlier this year, but the company told AVweb there were no immediate plans to sell the plane in North America.

According to the certification paperwork, the SR10 has a Rotax 915 iS up front and is 900 pounds lighter than the SR20. Its wingspan is also three feet shorter and it's rated only for day VFR use. If it is the SR10, it marks a serious effort by Cirrus to take on Textron, Piper and, to a smaller degree, Diamond in the burgeoning training market. One of its selling points for that market will be the trademark ballistic parachute common to all its designs.

In a video interview with AVweb earlier this year, Cirrus spokeswoman Ivy McIver said building the SR10 in the U.S. was not in current plans because the company lacked the necessary production capacity. She also noted Cirrus has training versions of the SR20 and SR22.