Blog: Cirrus’s Fresh Approach Represents A New Pathway To Piloting

Cirrus took its marketing strategy in a new and different direction with January 11’s livestream “reveal” of the new G7 version of the SR-series piston singles. As a "mature" pilot in the process of reestablishing instrument currency, I had mixed feelings on the overriding message.

The livestream made no secret that Cirrus is targeting customers traditionally outside the usual general aviation range—younger (meaning, “not old like me”), financially qualified prospects who wouldn’t have considered owning their own airplane without a nudge. Cirrus cited market research that suggests the COVID pandemic exposed a fertile swath of potential new Cirrus buyers to the travel experience in personal aircraft. For those with an existing interest in general aviation, the time made available due to the pause in commuting and business travel—and funds available due to lack of other spending options—opened up their opportunity to pursue learning to fly. That population caused a bulge in Cirrus sales.

But now, it’s friends and colleagues of that group that Cirrus believes could be influenced to take wing, themselves.

The tag line “Everything in Reach” has a double meaning. More literally, it references how the cockpit is redesigned so controls and avionics fall more readily to hand, the better to take advantage of phone/tablet-like touchscreen control.

But as illustrated by the promotional video, the wider message is that personal flying (in a Cirrus, of course) brings exciting, distant destinations within easy reach. At first blush, I feared it came off as a suggestion that flying a Cirrus is “so easy, even a caveman can do it.” That’s a potentially dangerous pathway to tread. General aviation has a tainted history when over-promoting how simple and safe personal flying can be. But on closer examination, it appears more likely to me that Cirrus has its bases well covered when it comes to ensuring customers lured by the sizzle are indoctrinated with a robust safety culture.

The Cirrus website’s training section lists four categories, starting with “Becoming a Pilot.” It references Cirrus’s global network of training partners who will “help you experience the joy of flying from an initial discovery flight through your entire Private Pilot flight training and beyond.” My hope is that Cirrus has directed its ab initio training partners to focus on the fundamentals of aerodynamic hand-flying, rather than placing excess emphasis on the buttonology that comes later in the learning process. That will generate better and safer stick-and-rudder pilots.

Next, Cirrus shows a comprehensive curriculum for the specific learning required to master its SR20 and SR22 models and their systems. The G7 update stresses simplicity and clearly leverages how more youthful prospects enjoy a comfort level with automation and touch-ology that their parents—and grandparents—may struggle with. But again, my hope is that the technology is taught as the means to flying safely in a traditional, seat-of-pants manner, rather than an end game unto itself.

Under “Continued Education” Cirrus shows an appreciation for the critical necessity of continued recurrent training, at all levels. Its online portal approach recognizes that today’s learners are adept at acquiring and retaining safety-critical information remotely, with a balance of live, real-time experience. The importance of regular recurrent training is well-appreciated in the professional pilot population, and it is hoped Cirrus will be successful in transferring that culture to its future owner/operators.

That brings up another interesting facet to the current Cirrus marketing approach. The company is presenting the opportunity for owners who don’t feel the urge nor the confidence to learn to fly themselves to enjoy the benefits of GA flying. Cirrus has a program for connecting new owners with potential professional pilots who would handle the driving.

Finally, Cirrus can be excused for including a teaser for potential new pilots by adding a section on Vision Jet Training to the webpage. That carrot-on-a-stick (hopefully a long stick) could be the final push to get someone started on this journey.

But it’s vital that Cirrus’s new target customers understand that they are buying into a journey—not a turnkey purchase like a jet ski or an exotic automobile. In my mind, it’s critical to the success of Cirrus’ new strategy that they consider how they will navigate a situation where someone with a large checkbook shows themselves to "just not be cut out to fly." To me, it would be best to establish that possibility up front in the process, with a range of no-harm/no-foul exit strategies in place for buyer and seller, alike. That could include the aforementioned option to hire a qualified pilot, or some other option that keeps “Everything in Reach,” but also keeps everyone safe.