By Russ Niles

Pop quiz: What year did the Cirrus SR20 first appear at Oshkosh? Was it 1994, 1996 or 1998? If you guessed 1994, you win. The SR20 appeared that year at Oshkosh as a prototype, ushered in by a high-dollar "Hangar X" advertising campaign that promised a new airplane that would be no less than the future of general aviation, priced at a mere $130,000.

At the time, Aviation Consumer’s report could best be described as modestly impressed but skeptical. "If Cirrus delivers on that price," we opined, "and survives the certification gauntlet—we’re skeptical on both counts—the SR20 could be a hot seller." …