The SR22, certified in November 2000, is a more powerful version of the earlier
SR20. Production of the aircraft started in 2001. The SR22 is a low-wing cantilever
monoplane of composite construction, featuring fixed (non-retractable)
tricycle landing gear with a castering nose wheel and steering via differential braking on the main wheels. It is powered by a nose-mounted 310 hp (231 kW)
Continental IO-550-N piston engine. The four-seat cabin is accessed through doors on both sides of the fuselage. The SR-series remains the only production airplane in its class to include
side stick flight controls that combine aspects of a traditional
yoke handle (referred to in the industry as a "side yoke"). In 2004, the company introduced the SR22 G2 (Generation 2), and in 2007 the SR22 G3 (Generation 3). Both were defined by airframe modifications, G2 by fuselage, and G3 by modified wing and landing gear. A 2012
Flying magazine review stated that the Cirrus SR22 "is the most sophisticated single-engine civilian airplane ever built and by a long shot." In 2013, the manufacturer introduced the SR22 G5 (Generation 5) (there was no G4). Key changes were an increase in gross weight to and a standard five-seat cabin arrangement. The G5 received only minor changes for 2014, including integrated LED lighting and Beringer brakes. In 2014, the SR22 and SR22T had been the best-selling four- to five-seat fixed-wing aircraft in the world for 12 years in a row. In 2016, Cirrus introduced improvements to the SR Series, including
Bluetooth wireless connectivity, remote
keyless entry, a convenience lighting system, and an easy-access door latch. In 2017, the company introduced the SR22 G6 (Generation 6), with several major upgrades to the
avionics and new
navigation lighting. In September 2019, Cirrus unveiled the TRAC, a training-oriented version of the SR-series with a simplified interior, more durable seat material, backseat radio transmit switch to allow an observer to communicate with
air traffic control, integrated engine indication and crew alerting/warning systems, and simulated
retractable landing gear controls and position lights to allow cadets and instructors to feign landing gear operation and failures during instructional flights (the actual landing gear remains permanently fixed). In January 2020, the company introduced a new
mobile app for the SR Series, called "Cirrus IQ", which enables remote aircraft communication including access to pre-flight status information like fuel and oxygen levels, battery voltage, oil temperature, aircraft location and flight hours. In October 2020, it was revealed that a 2003 SR22 would be displayed in the new "Thomas W. Haas We All Fly" general aviation exhibition in the
Smithsonian Institution's
National Air and Space Museum, which officially opened in 2022. In January 2022, Cirrus announced speed and aesthetic improvements to the G6 SR-series, with a increased cruise speed, upgrades to the mobile IQ app, USB-A and USB-C charging ports, and more. In January 2024, the company announced the SR22 G7 (Generation 7), with a major overhaul to the interior and avionics, making it more comparable to the cockpit of a
Cirrus Vision Jet, as well as safety and engine-start improvements and an automatic fuel selection system. Cirrus introduced the G7+ in May 2025, which added its Safe Return
emergency autoland system as the first piston aircraft with autoland, and in December of that year announced the completion of its 11,000th SR-series aircraft since production began.
Turbocharged models Cirrus introduced the SR22 Turbo in 2006, with a Tornado Alley
turbonormalizing upgrade kit that is factory installed under a
Supplemental Type Certificate. It included twin turbonormalizers and twin
intercoolers. The conversion includes built-in oxygen and a
Hartzell three-blade (later four-blade as optional In 2010, Cirrus introduced the
SR22T. This used a new engine, the
Continental TSIO-550K, which produces with a 7.5:1 compression ratio and can run on
94 octane fuel.
Glass cockpit avionics SR22s and SR20s built before 2003 were equipped with
traditional analog instruments and a 10" (later 12")
Multi-function display (MFD). In February 2003, Cirrus began offering SR22s with the
Avidyne Entegra primary flight display (PFD), making the plane the first of its kind to come with a
glass cockpit. Later that year, this instrumentation became standard equipment on all SR-series aircraft and sparked a major transition in
general aviation, whereby over 90% of all new
light aircraft by the year 2006 were equipped with glass cockpits. Retrofits are available for the older SR aircraft that replace the analog instrument panels with one that includes a PFD, a new MFD and the installation of back-up mechanical instruments. On 22 May 2008, Cirrus revealed the "Cirrus Perspective" glass cockpit (by
Garmin). Both cockpits were available for several months (the Avidyne cockpit was initially standard equipment) and after 2008 the SR22 was sold with only the Perspective panel. In 2009, the third-generation Cirrus SR22 GTS came equipped with a new
enhanced vision system (EVS), a sophisticated dual-wavelength instrument that offers both
infrared and
synthetic vision. At the 2010
EAA AirVenture, Cirrus announced its plans to certify Garmin's ESP system (Electronic Stability and Protection, similar to
ESPs in automobiles) on the Cirrus SR22. It included advanced
flight envelope protection that could stabilize the aircraft with the push of a button, to avoid
spiral from developing. The Cirrus Perspective-Plus avionics flight deck was introduced in 2017, with a faster processing speed, animated datalink weather, payload management, visual approach capabilities, wireless database uploads, glass back-up instruments, and more. In 2025, Cirrus added its "Safe Return" emergency autoland system to the flight deck. ==Operational history==