![]() The wheel hubs are CNC machined from solid aluminium then anodised red, while the brake calipers incorporate twin polished pistons. Their units fitted to the G5 are exceptional. The nosewheel is the same fully-castoring unit, while the wheels and brakes are now made by Beringer, who burst onto the aerospace market over the last few years. This change in geometry has resulted in the G5 standing about five centimetres taller than earlier aircraft, which increases propeller and tailplane clearance and gives the machine more ‘ramp presence’. The mainwheel track has been reduced by 49cm by decreasing the included angle between the undercarriage legs. Made from a carbon fibre/Kevlar combination, the blades are amazingly tough, as well as being more than five kilos lighter than those of comparable metal props. As with most aspects of the G5, the prop is quite advanced and the blades’ unusual shape is claimed not only to enhance airflow through the cowl inlets but decrease transonic drag and noise at the tips. The three blades sprouting from the highly polished spinner are of the increasingly familiar Hartzell Scimitar type. It’s noticeably quieter, mostly because the propeller is turning at lower revs. The G5’s Continental TSIO-550K uses factory fitted units, runs 200rpm slower and has a reduced compression ratio, enabling it to run on lower octane 94UL. The previous model used dual turbochargers and intercoolers supplied by aftermarket specialists Tornado Alley. set up to produce the same maximum power throughout the operational altitude range) the G5’s turbocharger delivers constant boost, to a maximum of 37in, all the way to 25,000ft, producing better performance and climb rate. However, unlike the earlier installation, which was ‘turbo normalised’ (i.e. The demo aircraft’s turbocharged engine is based on the same unit fitted to the last SR22 I’d flown, the Teledyne-Continental IO-550 air-cooled flat-six. They had to as the increase in MAUW also required a larger parachute, which needed a more powerful rocket, which weighed more… Truly, increasing an aircraft’s MAUW is a vicious circle.Īs we walked out, Charlie explained that the 22 is available with either a normally-aspirated or turbocharged engine. Engineers managed to lose some weight by tweaking a bit here and shaving a bit there. Nevertheless, Cirrus deserves praise for achieving a difficult feat – increasing the MAUW requires strengthening the airframe, which increases the empty weight. However, and as with most other aircraft, if you do fill the tanks you won’t be able to put an adult on each seat, let alone anything in the baggage bay. ![]() On the G5, not only is the envelope wider, but the maximum all-up weight (MAUW) has been increased by 91kg, allowing for the addition of a fifth seat. The last Cirrus I flew (the 22T) had a useful load of 415kg and a slightly restrictive forward C of G. The significant improvements are that the C of G envelope has been expanded and the useful load increased. There are even differences between the 20 models. The aircraft in front of me on the apron at Cirrus UK’s Sywell base certainly looked familiar, yet I knew this really was a different machine from an early SR20 or the SR22T I flew in 2008. Well, Cirrus is owned by CAIGA (the China Aviation Industry General Aircraft) and four is an unlucky number in China! In fact, probably the greatest challenge faced by a Cirrus salesman is convincing prospective buyers that the new model really is that innovative.Some of you may be asking why there wasn’t a G4. I first flew a Cirrus ? an early SR20 ? about fifteen years ago and, to be honest, the latest ‘G5’ SR22T looks the same, even though there are perhaps around a thousand changes. “Hard to believe this is on the same SEP ticket!” “So Charlie, do you remember the last time we flew together?” Cirrus UK’s Charlie Kimbell replied, “Yeah, a Tiger Moth, out of Sibson.” For a moment we both contemplated the panel, which wouldn’t look out of a place in an airliner. Dave Unwin explains why (Photos by Keith Wilson) ![]() Increased load capacity, enhanced performance, fantastic handling and advanced navigation aids make the ‘fifth-generation’ SR22 the best SEP tourer we’ve seen - full stop.
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