Cirrus awarded safety award

Cirrus Aircraft in early February announced that its SR-series Engineering and Design Team has been recognized as the recipient of the prestigious 2013 Joseph T. Nall Safety Award, for pioneering a wide array of safety features designed for single-engine aircraft. The award is presented annually by the International Air & Transportation Safety Bar Association (IATSBA) to honor industry leaders who have made noteworthy contributions to aviation and transportation safety. Prior recipients include Al Haynes, captain of the ill-fated United Flight 232 that crash landed in Sioux City, Iowa. Haynes is generally credited with saving the lives of most of the 300-plus people on board.

Cirrus Aircraft Co-Founder and CEO Dale Klapmeier and members of the Cirrus Aircraft Design Team accepted the award during an awards dinner at the National Flight Academy in Pensacola, Fla., in conjunction with the IATSBA annual conference in late 2013. These team members are: Dale Klapmeier, Co-Founder & CEO; Pat Waddick, President & COO; Paul Brey, Senior Vice President, Product Development; Mike Stevens, Chief Test Pilot; Paul Johnston, Chief Engineer; Travis Klumb, Director of Flight Operations; Dave Rathbun, Chief Engineer, SF50; and Tim Timmerman, Director SR2X Program

Cirrus Aircraft's SR-Series aircraft have introduced new safety technologies to general aviation (GA) not previously seen in the industry. These have driven broad market acceptance of Cirrus aircraft and established new safety and technology standards for the industry. The company made history in 2002 with the first-recorded rescue of a private pilot with the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System™ (CAPS).

"We have the deepest regard for the aviation leaders who have received this award in past years, and Cirrus Aircraft is honored to join them," Klapmeier said. "However, our work is far from done as we continue to challenge ourselves to make flying safer and more secure for new and seasoned pilots alike."

Strongest in five years

Cirrus Aircraft in mid-February announced that in 2013 it delivered 276 new aircraft, nearly a 10 percent increase over 2012, marking its best aircraft shipment performance since 2008. With these results, Cirrus Aircraft’s annual market share has grown to an all-time high of 37 percent and the SR22/22T model remains the best-selling four- or five-seat airplane for the 11th year in a row.

“The key driver to this past year’s outstanding performance was Cirrus owners’ and pilots’ strong response to Generation 5 - which was introduced in early 2013 with the new capability to carry 200 lbs more than any previous Cirrus airplane,” said Todd Simmons, Executive Vice President Sales, Marketing and Customer Support at Cirrus Aircraft.

Simmons continued, “But what makes 2013 results more important than any other year in our history is the real expansion of the Cirrus customer base in the last 12 months. The most significant examples include current Cirrus owners upgrading to new ‘G5’ airplanes, first-time Cirrus owners moving up to the performance and capability of G5 from other airplane brands, corporate aircraft operators adding a Cirrus to a previously all turbine fleet, and both domestic and international training partners upgrading to new Cirrus aircraft. This broader and more diversified customer portfolio continues to drive the enterprise in 2014.”

Performance in New Markets

A highlight for Cirrus Aircraft in 2013 was final delivery in Saudi Arabia of more than 20 new Cirrus aircraft to the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) for its pilot training needs.