Cirrus TRAC

Terribly Rich Airplane Consumer?
 
I read through every word of the original article and the link page. No definition of TRAC was stated. Approx $500,000 for a trainer. Good or bad pricing?
 
TRaining AirCraft (my guess as its not even explained on their website).
 
BTW - is the $410K...$542K price tag for this model more than a SR20 or less? And is this more or less than the latest Archer's and 172's the University programs are buying. Seems if the price tags get close enough the aviation programs will dump them for the Cirrus. Landing gear simulator is interesting.
 
Love that outline around the door. Even a hungover instructor on an early morning training flight should be able to find it. :D
I'm sure some wag is going to install a sticker with an arrow that says "Cut Here".

We should run a poll to see if they should offer that, along with the landing gear simulator, as options on the SR-22T. Gawd knows they are running out of ideas for new entertainment options to fit to the G8, or 9, or whatever... ;)

Cirrus TRAC trainer.jpg
 
BTW - is the $410K...$542K price tag for this model more than a SR20 or less? And is this more or less than the latest Archer's and 172's the University programs are buying. Seems if the price tags get close enough the aviation programs will dump them for the Cirrus. Landing gear simulator is interesting.

A new Cirrus SR-20 MSRP is $454,900 base price, but I suspect most customer aircraft are fitted with options that drive that higher. I also doubt there will be many $410,000 trainers going out either; the $132,000 spread to check off all the options suggests the base aircraft may be a real stripper. :eek:

A new 180 hp Cessna 172S currently carries a Textron MSRP price of $398,000. I believe these are all G1000 equipped now?

The Piper Pilot 100 VFR trainer with a 180 hp Continental injected engine and Garmin G3X Touch avionics has a price tag of $259,000 and the IFR version with a GFC500 autopilot and GNX375 navigator is $285,000.

You don't really need a half-million$ Cirrus to learn how to fly well. I doubt you'll see them corner the training market. Let's remember their production capacity is largely fixed and they won't make low margin trainers at the expense of higher margin customer aircraft. If the trainer takes off (groan) they might justify adding factory floor space and supplier component volume, but the jury is still out on that imo.
 
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The advent of SR20 TRAC spells the end of the SR18 program, in my mind. Which is too bad. But then Mooney M10 didn't make it to production either (although it was unveiled to the public).

In memoriam, an SR18 prototype in May 2018:

sr18x.jpg
 
The advent of SR20 TRAC spells the end of the SR18 program, in my mind. Which is too bad. But then Mooney M10 didn't make it to production either (although it was unveiled to the public).

In memoriam, an SR18 prototype in May 2018:

View attachment 78136
They're still flying it. https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N881AG
84208_1534983932.jpg
 
To match the training role, the normally luxurious interior of the SR20 is replaced by “a durable all-weather floor liner and easy to clean wear-resistant seats.”

That's hilarious.
 
"With more space than any other
5-seat training aircraft in the world..."

What are the other 5-seat training aircraft in the world?
 
Your mom and pop flight school isn’t buying this.

The European airline pilot mills will.
 
Your mom and pop flight school isn’t buying this.

The European airline pilot mills will.

Exactly. A lot of them are already teaching in cirruses (cirri? Cirus'?), and I suspect drove the "gear simulator", which while it made me chuckle at first, makes a lot of sense for a primary trainer.
 
Exactly. A lot of them are already teaching in cirruses (cirri? Cirus'?), and I suspect drove the "gear simulator", which while it made me chuckle at first, makes a lot of sense for a primary trainer.
Does it make simulated metal crunching and grinding noises if you land with the gear handle up?
 
Brilliant product. Cirrus will sell a ton. Piper was flooded with sales inquiries from private owners for their trainer. Too many small GA planes have gotten too heavy with low cost lux/plush interior bits that add weight and perceived valued for the higher prices.

Shows again the marketing genius of Cirrus to make a dedicated trainer with special mission training equipment. The CFI side console control to simulate different failures is brilliant, along with the simulated gear switch/lights, and the FMS style user interface.
 
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Does it make simulated metal crunching and grinding noises if you land with the gear handle up?

LMAO. I remember the Chuck Yeager flight sim game from the early 90's. Awesome if the G1000 popped up that pixelized face image with the audio "You bought the farm on that one son".
 
Exactly. A lot of them are already teaching in cirruses (cirri? Cirus'?), and I suspect drove the "gear simulator", which while it made me chuckle at first, makes a lot of sense for a primary trainer.

Yeah, that's why this trainer still has the FMC style avionics even though you'd figure it'd make more sense for it not to if it were just a trainer. They want to teach that stuff.

Huge schools like that one out in Arizona for Luthansa will eat this up.
 
Huge schools like that one out in Arizona for Luthansa will eat this up.
Not exclusively, I'm sure. For example, a university is based at Cedar City, Utah, with a fleet of SR20s in red-orange livery. Their flight line had maybe 5 or 6 of them when I taxied by.
 
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