The horsepower wars among piston
aircraft just got racheted up a notch... as Cirrus Design told ANN
late Thursday night that an even faster SR22 is in the works.
The new Cirrus Turbo will combine the full array of benefits
commonly associated with turbocharging an already efficient
powerplant along with the safety and innovation of the original
SR22. Whether flying over high mountains, taking advantage of
tailwinds or the opportunity to go over more weather...
turbocharged airplanes have added flexibility.
Tornado Alley Turbo, Inc., of Ada, OK has partnered with Cirrus
to supply the turbonormalizing system.
"Our collaboration with Tornado Alley Turbo has been invaluable.
The knowledge, insight and expertise they provided was significant
in the creation of the Cirrus Turbo," said Cirrus President and COO
David Coleal.
The Cirrus/Tornado Alley Turbo System features a twin
turbonormalized, dual intercooled engine installation matched with
the new three-blade Hartzell lightweight composite propeller and a
built-in oxygen system. Cirrus says that along with incorporating
GAMIjectors balanced fuel/air ratios, this system will provide
increased speed while maintaining remarkably cool cylinder head
temperatures with less cruise fuel consumption.
Cirrus adds the combination of advanced engine turbocharging and
a highly efficient propeller will maximize fuel-to-thrust rates
while permitting enhanced performance at higher altitudes.
"The Cirrus Turbo represents a further commitment by Cirrus to
implement only the very best engineering concepts in their products
for the personal aviation industry," said George Braly, Chief of
Engineering for Tornado Alley Turbo, Inc. "These systems are widely
recognized as superior to any other turbo engine installations in
personal aviation."
Of course, with the addition of the turbo comes two upgrades
that are near-and-dear to most pilots... MORE power, and MORE
speed. So, how much more of each are we talking about here?
Well, Cirrus is saving the official annoucement of THOSE figures
for Oshkosh... but while we're expecting to see noteworthy bumps in
both over normally-aspirated SR22s, Cirrus Vice Chairman and
Co-founder Dale Klapmeier said that wasn't the only reason for
adding a turbo to the SR22.
"We made the choice to further expand the SR22's performance
envelope in direct response to our recognition of
higher-than-normal owner flight hours. How do you make a Cirrus
aircraft more efficient and enable higher altitude flight? You add
a turbo."
"When making the decision about adding the Turbo to our fleet,
Cirrus chose the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) path as a
matter of integrity," added Klapmeier. "With the real possibility
of losing 100 low lead aviation fuel, we felt that we owed it to
our customers to be prepared for that day."
One thing is for certain, though... with the Turbo Cirrus,
flights will be easier, shorter and faster...
Stay tuned.
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