Is it a parachute? Hold on, is it a plane hanging onto the parachute? It’s a special five-seater small executive aircraft that comes with an inbuilt parachute facility which can carry the entire frame in case of an emergency!
“It’s only an additional safety device and found useful in extreme situations where pilot has suddenly taken ill like a heart attack,” chipped in Capt. Sanjay Kumar, Managing Director, Cirrus India. “Lot of people do get confused about this and keep asking me what is the parachute doing here,” he smiled, on Friday, third day of the ‘Fifth India Aviation 2016’ at the Begumpet airport.
The aircraft which can clock upto 400 kmph (185 knots) and travel to distances to as long as upto 2,200 km could be an ideal one for pilots training, personal travel, weather forecasting, disaster management, surveillance and a host of other uses considering its size and capability. Cost of each of the planes ranges between Rs.3 crore-Rs.5 crore.
“It fits in well with the Indian Government’s plan to give a boost to regional connectivity as it reach the remote corners,” observed Jon Dauplaise, director, emerging markets, Cirrus, Duluth-Minnesota. The plane is also an ideal for pilots training with the US Air Force as well as the French forces having them.
“Several flying schools too have our crafts because the beginners can start off from these before moving on to the Embraers, Boeings and the Airbus jets. Considering that India is poised to become the aviation capital of the world in the next few years, training of pilots is going to be a challenge,” said Mr. Dauplaise, a former chopper pilot himself.
The plane has obtained certification from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the SR22 being exhibited here has flown all the way non-stop from Dubai and belongs to the Emirates Air. In fact, Emirates has 22 Cirrus planes for their pilots training programme, according to Mr. Sanjay. The firm is also getting ready to unveil its brand new single engine seven -seater vision jet later this year.
