How do you learn more about the pre-owned market for Cirrus Aircraft? Here’s a list of five areas as a resource to answer almost any question.
- Aviation articles, type clubs, websites
- Cirrus Certified Service Centers
- Cirrus Certified Pre-Owned
- Introductory flight
- Trade shows
I’m writing to the pilot that doesn’t have ready access to Cirrus planes, but wants to know more about the features and model year that might fit their budget. That was my situation, as I approached the pre-owned market from outside the circle of Cirrus flyers, without easy access to fly in different models.
Aviation articles, type clubs, web
You have probably already read aviation articles about Cirrus. Magazines from AOPA, Flying, Plane & Pilot have reported on Cirrus Aircraft for years, and I’ve been an avid reader. The write-ups are well done and document the many innovative & incremental certification changes designed into the aircraft over the past 15 years.
The Cirrus Owners and Pilot’s Association (COPA) is a website you should explore. Content on the site can answer a lot of questions if you’re new to Cirrus Aircraft, and COPA publishes a magazine every two months that’s included with the subscription. All past publications are online for members to access. The site also includes Q&A forums on many topics. I joined a year before purchasing a Cirrus (membership is $65 per year).
The Cirrus Aircraft website, as you’d expect, has extensive information to educate prospective buyers. For some questions, like design changes within model years, I called Cirrus Aircraft directly and spoke with Matt Bergwall.
Design changes are not limited to a model year release, as we have come to expect with other manufacturers. For example, Cirrus implemented many design changes during the model year with Generation 2 (G2’s). To clarify design changes you need to know the plane’s serial number with reference to the model year (refer to earlier blogs for guidance on this topic).
Certified Cirrus Service Centers
Your local Certified Cirrus Service Centers should be a priority visit. They can share maintenance information specific to the model and year Cirrus aircraft you’re considering, and might also offer early leads to owners considering a sale.
Fouad Hussain, owner of, Houston Aviation Center, in Sugarland, Texas is a great help. He met with me several times in person and then answered follow-up questions on planes of interest through email and phone.
Cirrus Certified Pre-Owned
Lone Mountain Aircraft Sales and TAS Aircraft Sales are endorsed as “sales partners” by Cirrus Aircraft. Cirrus claims they are the #1 reseller site for Cirrus Aircraft in the world, and represent the largest, most active marketplace for Cirrus Aircraft. Each certified aircraft has passed a factory-defined inspection to make sure quality standards for cosmetic and mechanical condition are met.
Critics claim they have a corner on the market and do not share prior sales prices i.e. they don’t report sales price information to Vref or other groups.
If you search Controller or Trade-A-Plane you’ll see other brokers offering pre-owned Cirrus planes. Our first offer was through an independent broker but the deal didn’t go through. Our next purchase offer, handled by Lone Mountain Aircraft Sales, went through to a successful close.
Introductory flight
If you haven’t flown the target model you’re considering then put it on your to-do-list. You might be able to connect with a fellow pilot, flight-training program, Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilot (CSIP) or Cirrus sales representative to carry out the task.
Steve Schwarz, at TAS Aircraft Sales, referred us to a local company for an introductory flight with Reid Nelson, Founder of Tidal Aviation in Sugarland Texas. Reid matched us up for a flight in the same model year and type Cirrus we wanted to buy.
My potential flying partner was a prior Beechcraft owner and had not flown in a Cirrus. The introductory flight with Tidal Aviation convinced him to switch. We benefited from Reid Nelson’s knowledge and more than 7,000 hours flight time in Cirrus and years of earlier experience with the company.
Trade Shows
Trade shows & aviation events are a great stop for inspecting aircraft up close and talking with Cirrus representatives. Reps are knowledgeable about their product and more than willing to answer your questions. Todd Simmons, EVP Sales Marketing and Customer Support, spent more than an hour talking with me about Cirrus Aircraft after a seminar event.
If the timing is right, you may also be able to schedule a Cirrus introductory flight.
The Cirrus SR-Series are the best-selling aircraft in their class (4-seat high performance piston single-engine), and annual shipments of Cirrus Aircraft have held worldwide records in market share for years.
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