For over a week, ANN and Aero-TV personnel have been in Duluth,
MN, helping to document the major announcement that you are seeing
and hearing now. Cirrus Aircraft is introducing its new "X" series
of aircraft, a feature rich series of upgrades to the decade long
revolution started by Alan and Dale Klapmeier.
Chief among these upgrades is an eye opener... Cirrus' "KIP"
Known Ice Protection... an FAA certified FIKI system based on
well-tested TKS technologies and an extensive series of
modifications that allow high-end Cirrus SR22s equipped with the
Perspective flight deck to deal with a number of known icing
conditions (accompanied by an in-process FAA exemption on stall
speed that should be complete shortly).
The KIP program, called project "KIWI" by the folks who were in
on the secret development project, has been years in the making and
required extensive engineering, serious rework of the airframe and
construction protocols, and lots of flight testing... some of which
was fairly intense. There are a number of features inherent in this
massive upgrade... extended TKS panels for the wing, vertical
stabilizer, horizontal stabilizers (including the very end of the
leading edge of the elevator counterbalance), as well as dual rate
redundant TKS de-icing fluid pumps, a windshield TKS application
system, prop slinger, an ingenious wing/tail icing detection light,
heated stall detection vane, larger/dual TKS reservoirs,
Perspective software upgrades that monitor the entire works, and so
much more...
And while they did all this, they went on a weight reduction
program that cleansed nearly 50 pounds from the airframe... making
this airframe even more capable, lighter and ready for just about
anything. And by the way, a KIP equipped SR22 can be had for less
than $600K... which is a shocker... until you realize just how
committed Cirrus is to make the case for aviation around the world
with products that just make 'plane sense.'
Mind you, FIKI capability doesn't mean you can fly into anything
without hesitation... but it does add extended capabilities and
added safety to those who work their airplanes in the IFR
environment year-round and at ice-inducing altitudes -- and we're
pleased to see none other than Cirrus' Alan Klapmeier emphasize
that KIP and FIKI do have limits... and that most of those limits
will be the province of the pilot to decide.
It's an amazing upgrade and while watching this project come
together over the last few years -- and shooting and flying the
bird over the last week, we remain convinced that the GA industry,
economic issues notwithstanding, remains a substantial and
compelling business and travel tool for pilots, travelers, and
business people the world over.
Come join ANN and Aero-TV, who have had exclusive access to this
program -- both for our reporting requirements, as well as to serve
as the video and news production team that Cirrus selected to
document and display their latest technology to the world... it's
been quite the ride... and it ain't over yet. MORE news to
come...
A Quick Addendum: ANN is releasing this story a
little earlier than our original embargoed agreement, with the
consent of Cirrus, after another media outlet failed to honor
the embargo terms set in advance. Everyone in journalism wants to
be "first" (and let's face it, that's usually ANN), but doing so at
the cost of your integrity, and breaking your word, is NOT good
journalism as we see it. We hope that those of you who care about
journalistic integrity will note the efforts of the many of us
who are doing good work and maintaining the proper tenets of our
profession and judge the profession by those tough standards... and
not by those who can not keep their agreements. -- Jim Campbell,
ANN E-I-C
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