Part I of this series honored Clyde Cessna, Part II featured a group of people: Flight Instructors and Part III covered EAA founder Paul Poberezny. Tomorrow’s final article in the series will be based on reader suggestions. Tell us who you feel is a General Aviation hero by clicking on Comments at the bottom of this article.
of Cirrus Design, the brothers created something extraordinary, the elusive “lighting in a bottle,” that all entrepreneurs seek. From their original VK-30 experimental aircraft, to their current SR20 and SR22 certificated aircraft and the future Vision SF50 personal jet, these gentleman have combined leading edge technology with pragmatic business sense to bring to market a series of products that have transformed GA aircraft. Not content to just build a company, they have also given of themselves to help grow and preserve an entire industry.
Even as boys in high school, the brothers had a vision that they could build a new aircraft company that could take on the giants in general aviation. While it is easy to make such seemingly wild claims, they actually turned their boyhood vision and exuberance into reality. As teenagers, nearly 33 years ago, they struck out together to visit their first EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh. No doubt, that event—created by Paul Poberezny, the hero in Part III of our series—added some of the inspiration and insight they needed to help fulfill their vision.
Inspiration for the Parachute
The Cirrus SR20 and SR22 were the first certificated aircraft to incorporate the innovative BRS ballistic parachute. I sometimes hear people say that the parachute was “required” because the Cirrus aircraft “couldn’t pass spin testing.” Both ideas are incorrect, though I’m sure some competitors don’t bother correcting people when they hear pilots repeat the myth. Both aircraft were spun to meet European certification requirements. Although they’ve been spun in the U.S., the company wasn’t required to do spin testing for U.S. certification since it had a parachute.
The original idea for the parachute was born out of one of the most terrifying, though fortunately infrequent aircraft accident types: a mid-air collision. In 1985, while training under the hood with a CFI, Alan Klapmeier experienced a mid-air collision that killed the pilot of the other aircraft. Although the crash removed more than 3 feet of the right wing and over 4 feet of the aileron, Klapmeier was able to land safely using nearly full left aileron.
Convinced by this and other incidents that aircraft could be made safer so that more pilots would survive these and other events, the brothers formulated a plan for incorporating a parachute into their future aircraft. To date, a few dozen Cirrus aircraft pilots have been saved by the BRS parachute.
Non-stop Innovation
The brothers also brought to general aviation an idea which has long driven the high tech industry: continuous innovation. Historically, model year changes in general aviation aircraft brought relative small, incremental changes. Cirrus Design changed the game with larger, revolutionary changes.
In 2003, Cirrus was the first company to introduce a full glass cockpit—the Avidyne Entegra—into a general aviation aircraft. Since then, the entire GA industry has followed suit. Proving that change is truly non-linear, in just a three-year period, all major industry players began offering either an Avidyne Entegra or Garmin G1000 glass cockpit in their aircraft.
Continuous innovation also includes many smaller changes. On one of my factory visits in 2006, Cirrus was just rolling out a new version of the SR22 that featured 700 changes from the prior model. Recent innovations include the Perspective glass cockpit, based upon Garmin G1000 hardware and software, and FIKI (flight into known icing) capability using the fluid based TKS system.
The brothers have also shot down many classic aviation myths. A long held belief was that high performance aircraft such as their SR20 and SR22 would appeal mostly to existing pilots, who would “move up” to learn to fly more sophisticated aircraft. Instead, the Klapmeiers were successful in attracting large numbers of non-pilots to buy these aircraft and many learned to fly in their SR20 or SR22.
Not content to just build a company, the brothers are also active in protecting and growing an industry. For example, Alan serves on the Board of Visitors of AOPA’s Air Safety Foundation and he was the 2008 Chairman of GAMA, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. Dale is active in EAA’s Young Eagles program, which has given more than a million teenagers their first ride in a GA aircraft.
Through Cirrus Design, the Klapmeier brothers have made the General Aviation industry more innovative and competitive. Being able to turn a vision into reality and transform an industry is the true mark of heroes. Just as they were undoubtedly inspired as boys at AirVenture, one can only wonder how their present day efforts may be inspiring a future generation of aircraft designers. As pilots, we are truly in their debt.
Update: Years after I wrote this article, I began helping people around the world who are thinking of buying a Cirrus SR22 or SR20, so if you like my inputs, please contact me as early in your decision making process as possible, so that I can provide you the most assistance. You can phone me at 650-967-2500, or send me an email.
General Aviation Heroes
Not only heroes but really nice people too. I've met them here and there at air shows and Cirrus events. One of them even came out to the UK to speak at a dinner organised by the Cirrus syndicate I belong to.
I wonder whether you might consider adding a profile on Vern Raburn. I know Eclipse is having real problems and that he left the company a while ago but he's another pioneer and aviation enthusiast and another nice fellow to talk to. Just a thought.
Posted by: Matthew Stibbe | April 10, 2009 at 02:55 AM