In 2003, Cirrus created “The Centennial of Flight 1903 – 2003” SR22 to commemorate the Wright Brothers and 100 years of powered flight. The exterior paint finish is a “linen” white reminiscent of the fabric used on the Wright Flyer. The plane has an exclusive commemorative striping package and displays the centennial of flight logo on the vertical stabilizer.
The plane has other unique exterior touches, added for the first time, like chrome steps, chrome grab handles, chrome door levers and a bright ceramic finished exhaust.
The avionics package, loaded with all options available at the time, included a “glass cockpit” flight deck by Avidyne Entegra with Primary Flight Display and a moving map Multi-Function Display. A Garmin avionics suite included dual GPS navigation and mapping systems, S-Tec 55X fully coupled autopilot with altitude pre-select, TKS inadvertent ice system, L3 Stormscope WX-500 and SkyWatch Traffic Advisory System.
Success with the option loaded Centennial made it the precursor to Cirrus creating the “GTS package” in 2004.
Special attention was given to the interior with luxurious cocoa leather seats, leather door handles, grab handles, throttle lever, and side control stick. Cirrus embroidered each pilot and copilot seat with a special Centennial logo.
The 310 horsepower Continental Platinum IO-550 engine, with six-point engine mount, and a color matched white 3-blade prop, powers the plane. The SR22 Centennial advertised a maximum gross weight of 3,400 pounds and useful load of 1,150 with a cruise speed at 8,000 feet @ 75% power of 180 KTAS, and a total fuel capacity of 84 gallons with 81 gallons usable.
The fully loaded well-equipped IFR Centennial Edition originally sold for $389,550. New owners enjoyed a 5-year manufacturer’s warranty on the engine and received personal accessories to compliment the purchase including: 2 Centennial logo jackets, 2 caps, 2 shirts, luggage, umbrella, flight bag, and aircraft model with matching tail number.
The SR22 Centennial Edition limited production run sold out in 93 days, and Cirrus only produced a hundred of the planes. Many pilots say the Centennial is a best value among pre-G2 planes and a sweet spot for pre-owned Cirrus aircraft.
This is a brief intro to the Cirrus SR22 Centennial Edition aircraft. You can review a high-level price check for Centennials presented in last week’s blog (September 26, 2014).
Related articles:
- How much does a SR22 Centennial Edition cost? click here
- How much does a Cirrus SR22 pre-G2 cost? click here
- 5 Categories – Pre-Owned Market for Cirrus Aircraft click here
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