Cirrus SR20

Lightweight General Aviation (GA) Aircraft

United States | 1999

"The Cirrus SR20 lightweight aircraft has proven popular with the General Aviation audience and also serves as a trainer for the USAF Academy."

Image from official Cirrus Aircraft marketing materials.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 09/08/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The Cirrus SR20 is a lightweight General Aviation (GA) monoplane aircraft. The type was flown for the first time on March 21st, 1995 and entered serial production in 1999 (production continuing today - 2022). Over 1,500 of the light aircraft have been built to date and the design serves both civilian and military markets - hugely popular in the former and as a flight trainer in the latter. The SR20 has been further developed into the "SR22" which broadens capabilities some, namely through a reworked airframe and more powerful engine.

The aircraft has a conventional configuration with its engine in the nose, the side-by-side cockpit just aft (with integrated passenger cabin), and single-finned tail unit. The undercarriage is wheeled though fixed and spatted for aerodynamic efficiency. The mainplanes are low-mounted appendages along each side of the fuselage and are straight in their general shaping.

The aircraft has a running length of 26 feet with a wingspan of 38.3 feet and a height of 8.10 feet. Empty weight is 2,125lb against a gross of 3,050lb. Power is from a single Continental IO-360-ES 6-cylinder, horizontally-opposed piston engine of 200 horsepower. Cruising speeds reach 180 miles-per-hour and the service ceiling is listed at 17,500 feet. Rate-of-climb is 828 feet-per-minute.

The original production form was the "SR20" of 1999. This was followed by the improved / updated model of 2004 through the "SR20 G2". The SRV was unveiled in 2003 and introduced in 2004 while offering VFR-only capability. The "SR20 G3" of 2007 was given a lighter-weight mainplane with increased surface area to affect control and speed. The "SR20 G6" of 2017 carries the Lycoming IO-390 engine of 215 horsepower with updated avionics. The "TRAC" form of 2019 is a simplified trainer model and carries the IO-390 series engine.

The United States Air Force Academy took on the SR20 as the "T-53A" to succeed a line of twenty Diamond DA40 lightweight aircraft used as flight trainers (detailed elsewhere on this site).

Only the United States and France (Air Force and Navy) operate the SR20 at the military level.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Cirrus SR-20-G3 Lightweight General Aviation (GA) Aircraft.

1 x Continental IO-360-ES six-cylinder, horizontally-ooppsed piston engine developing 200 horsepower driving a three-bladed propeller unit at the nose.
Propulsion

180 mph
290 kph | 157 kts
Max Speed

17,388 ft
5,300 m | 3 miles
Service Ceiling

830 ft/min
253 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Cirrus SR-20-G3 Lightweight General Aviation (GA) Aircraft.

1
(MANNED)
Crew

26.0 ft
7.92 m
O/A Length

38.3 ft
(11.68 m)
O/A Width

9.0 ft
(2.75 m)
O/A Height

2,127 lb
(965 kg)
Empty Weight

3,053 lb
(1,385 kg)
MTOW

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Cirrus SR20 family line.

SR20 - Base Series Designation.

SR22 - Increased wing size, increased fuel capacity, and powered by 310hp output engine.

T-53A - USAF Academy designation for SR20.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Cirrus SR20. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 1,500 Units
Contractor(s): Cirrus Aircraft - USA

[ France; United States ]

1 / 1

Image from official Cirrus Aircraft marketing materials.

Similar
Developments of similar form-and-function, or related, to the Cirrus SR20 Lightweight General Aviation (GA) Aircraft.

Diamond DA40

Going Further...
The Cirrus SR20 Lightweight General Aviation (GA) Aircraft appears in the following collections:

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