Cirrus Design test pilot Scott Anderson and publisher Jim Marshall stand before the SR20.  PAUL L. HAYDEN

I couldn’t help it - I made a fist with my left hand! This lanky fellow, Scott Anderson, had flat DARED me! The glistening aircraft wing was my target, my hand would simulate the dreaded large hailstone that all aircraft feared. Down I hammered. “OUCH!” was my response. Rubbing away the feeling of injury with the other hand, I stared at the wing.

Just where, I had to wonder, did I hit the wing of this incredible aircraft? Insurance folks, I concluded, will really like this airplane!

OK, Scott, let’s go flying!

I just couldn’t resist the invitation, enthusiastically expressed by Sara Perich, Executive Assistant to Cirrus president Alan Klapmeier. “Would you like to come out and fly this incredible new airplane, the Cirrus SR20?” In but a moment I responded with an enthusiastic “you bet!”

Like many of us “more mature” pilots, I had been watching the various reports on this new company that had moved to Duluth and were in the process of certifying a brand new and very superior aircraft.

Our Rotary Club had toured the Cirrus plant shortly after it had been erected, finding it a beehive of aviation manufacturing and design activity. I had seen the experimental version of the new bird in the air a few times, and knew they were building it out of better materials and to a margin of safety never before available on a small private aircraft.

Getting the Federal Aviation Administration to accept a new aircraft as a safe and useful tool takes an incredible amount of work - and time. Knowing this, Alan and Dale Klapmeier have sought a number of other contracts which are aimed at keeping them solvent through the certification process. My recent tour and flight confirmed my belief in the ultimate success of this endeavor.

Sara Dougherty Perich is a Duluth native embodying the many qualities of this fine family. It didn’t take long for me to find out that she also has a goal of adding to the growing list of committed buyers who are quite excited about this 21st century airplane.

The Cirrus SR20 is due to be certified by the FAA.

“Scott Anderson, our director of flight operations, hopes an 8 a.m. flight fits your schedule,” was the next communication from Sara, and the date was selected. I didn’t really want them to know a 4 a.m. takeoff from East Porkchop, Montana, would have found me in the cockpit and most agreeable!

Like many of us, flying has always intrigued me, but it was the Korean War G.I. Bill that opened the door. By 1965 I’d earned a Commercial Pilot’s license and I’ve been more or less involved in small aircraft ever since, both on wheels and on floats. The Cirrus really gained my attention when I first learned about it, for a whole bunch of reasons.

The Klapmeiers had been building and selling kit airplanes for several years from their home in central Wisconsin. Their “home-built” was made of extremely strong materials which attracted the serious builder, but for years they had worked on a design that they would build and sell as a complete and extremely strong and safe four-place airplane.

Seeking a quality airport where they could bring these dreams to reality, Duluth was carefully examined. Discussions led to offers and Cirrus is now very much an enthusiastic reality, with construction of the newest portion of the plant under way as you read this.

I won’t bore you with the myriad of details checked by pilots who seem to thrive on them, but please understand this extremely comfortable four-place airplane has more room than any other in its class. It has strong tricycle landing gear “down and welded,” which keeps the insurance cost significantly lower than for the higher performance aircraft with the retractable wheels.

The composite materials used to build this airframe are several light years ahead of the riveted aluminum skin and structure which gradually replaced the fabrics common to all early aircraft.

The day finally arrived and I was up at 5 a.m., peering at an overcast sky moving along with a significant north wind. Hoping the day would look better five miles away at the Duluth Airport, I was in the car and on the scene somewhat early. Amidst the early movers and shakers a cup of coffee was offered, then a breezy walk led to the adjacent hangar, where the beautiful bird was parked. Sensing my concern over the negative weather conditions, Scott Anderson explained the pre-flight inspection procedures. He had many terms of description, but since this is a solid and complete airplane, I finally counted two wings, an engine with oil in it, three inflated tires and control surfaces that moved as they were supposed to. And, I gradually realized, great big plexiglas windows in the cockpit. Visibility, I discovered, almost unparalleled.

One of the advantages of maturity is the quick and solid appreciation for a comfortable chair. Climbing into this one-and-only flying Cirrus SR20, the temptation to just stretch out and ask for a cup of coffee was almost irresistible. Only Scott’s enthusiasm banished such a thought as he ran through the check list and, in but a moment, had the 200 horses turning the powerful propeller.

Far from being intimidated by this master airman, a fellow who flies the Air Guard’s F-16, I felt an almost immediate closeness. In our initial conversations, he quickly learned that I was a Cessna 172 type pilot, a nice way of saying I was sort of a “Chevy” driver. But a Cessna 172 has a “high wing,” or wing above the cockpit, which we quickly learn is not much fun in significant cross winds. Plenty safe, but the design keeps you skilled.

The Cirrus SR20 is a low wing design, the wing being under the cockpit area, Again very safe, but very capable of lots of “float” on landing as air is compressed between the low wing and the runway. With Scott’s practiced hand almost a shadow on the control handle, we took off, with me at least thinking I’d traded real estate for air in a brand new and unfamiliar aircraft - in an aircraft that felt familiar, solid and safe, even though I’d been in the pilot’s left seat for less than 10 minutes! As we turned to leave the airport traffic pattern, Scott said my smile had to be “painted on!” This machine, I realized, is one incredible aircraft!

Cirrus has made the cockpit far more friendly than most of the airplanes I’ve ever seen. The control handle at each side of the instrument panel frees up space for a display screen like we see on today’s computers. But this display is really smart: it tells the whole story of your flight. Just select a button to see where you are on a moving map, how to approach an airport, fuel remaining, engine condition, your flight plan data and the ever-present “checklist.” Along with an unobstructed view of the usual instruments, this is a safe and well-designed panel.

Strength is one thing Cirrus builds in, but the SR20’s biggest surprise is its ability to survive inadvertent loss of control - the one unspoken thought common to all who use airplanes. A bright red handle will deploy a parachute, with an ingenious gradual opening system which will literally slow the aircraft and let it fall somewhat gently to the ground. The aircraft will be damaged, but those aboard will be safe.

An hour and a couple of landings later, we parked the SR20, with me barely able to get all of my excitement out of the cockpit. I was ready to leave for anywhere in this fine aircraft. In just one hour it was as comfortable as a my favorite pair of shoes. Scott’s smile matched mine.…

“And they pay you to do this,” was my unspoken thought.

Footnote:

Test pilot Scott Anderson of Duluth, Minnesota, was killed Tuesday, March 23, 1999, during a test flight of his Cirrus Design SR20 aircraft. Although the cause of the crash has not been determined, it is known that Anderson radioed for an emergency landing about five miles from Duluth International Airport, where the Cirrus production facilities are located. The aircraft crashed into the Administration Building at the Duluth Federal Prison Camp, which is adjacent to the airport. No one on the ground was injured. The crash occurred about 1:30 p.m. It was the second day of testing for the first of this aircraft's production units. He died while undergoing emergency surgery at St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth.

Scott was a pilot for the Air National Guard and also an author and adventurer. Scott and his wife, Laurie, were married on June 6, 1998, and were expecting their first child at the time of the accident. Scott was a friend of this magazine's management. The magazine extends its condolences to Scott's family and to Cirrus Design.

Feedback: jrm@lakesuperior.com