Certification Expected In September

As most places are celebrating the spring thaw, Cirrus Aircraft is looking ahead to much warmer weather. The company says it plans to offer air conditioning as a factory-installed option in its SR20 line sometime in September. The unit is the same as the A/C offered in the SR22's, both normally aspirated and turbo-normalized.

File Photo

Cirrus Marketing Analyst and Product Specialist Matt Bergwall said the decision to offer A/C in the SR20 was based on customer feedback. "People wanted air conditioning in the SR20," Bergwall said. "So we'll give it to you."

The 55 pound air conditioning system is expected to exact about a 1 percent performance loss in cruise speed, Bergwall said, which is similar to an SR22 with air conditioning. He said it's a fairly common option on airplanes in this category, particularly in places where summers can be hot.

So far Cirrus has two orders for A/C equipped SR20's but Bergwall said that number is expected to grow as it becomes more widely known that it's an option on the airplane. He said cirrus expects the modification to be fully certified by September. The option is expected to cost $19,990.

FMI: www.cirrusaircraft.com