It wasn’t the first “plastic” airplane, but the composite Cirrus was far enough along the cutting edge to stir up the pilot community. Of course, some loudly asserted that no “real” pilot would want one of those things—it’s got a parachute, for crying out loud. Yet the SR20 and its offspring the SR22 quietly and effectively changed ideas of what a personal airplane should look like, how it should be used and how it should be equipped.
The changes were evolutionary, not revolutionary—the first SR20s retained the familiar vacuum-powered round gauge flight instruments, albeit complemented by a large multifunction display. Today’s copies have eliminated the vacuum system and gone all electric, with full glass panels; round gauges are only there for backup.
Though living these days in the shadow of its big brother, the SR20 has a lot going for it: It is comfortable, relatively economical to acquire and operate, has simple systems, comes with a well-defined support network and is faster than much of its direct competition. Later models feature the most modern technology available in personal aircraft.