Cirrus expands into aircraft management
The Cirrus One aircraft management program expands the leading general aviation manufacturer's focus on "personal aviation" to include nonpilot aircraft owners.
Cirrus has delivered 10,000 SR-series piston airplanes and 560 SF50 Vision Jets to date, with close to 17 million flight hours logged in the SR and more than 300,000 in the SF50 jet. Cirrus Aircraft President of Customer Experience Todd Simmons said at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh that Cirrus is now the third largest aircraft manufacturer in the world in terms of aircraft delivered. Thus far, the company has been focused on the owner-flown market, offering private pilot training, type specific training in the SR series, and a seamless upgrade experience to the SF50. But Simmons said the definition of personal aviation is changing. Managed aircraft programs are growing, and Cirrus now manages 30-some aircraft in its own program with locations in Kissimmee, Florida; Scottsdale, Arizona; and McKinney, Texas.
The SF50 Vision Jet was envisioned as a simple step up from Cirrus’s piston line. Simmons said 69 percent of Vision Jet owners come out of the SR line, but that number is decreasing as FAR Part 91 turbine operators see the value of the jet beyond the owner-flown personal market and add it to their fleets. Most of the owners in the Cirrus aircraft management program are individual owners, he noted.
