When 2016’s billing numbers were released this week by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, Cirrus Aircraft easily captured the top slot, having delivered 317 aircraft, fully a third more airframes than its nearest rival, Textron Aviation’s Cessna Aircraft Company.
Last year’s totals represent the third year in a row the Duluth, Minnesota, aircraft builder topped 300 aircraft in a single year, bringing the fleet total to more than 6,500 aircraft. The company also unveiled the sixth generation of its single-engine piston line, the Cirrus Perspective+ by Garmin-equipped G6. Cirrus closed out 2016 by delivering the first three of its recently certified Vision Jets and said it holds orders for more than 600 of the new single-engine jets.
The company’s recently opened Knoxville Global Customer Experience Center campus at the McGhee Tyson Airport (KTYS) is expected to soon become the hub for all piston and jet aircraft deliveries. The facility currently includes the Experience Center, Factory Service Center and Delivery Center, in addition to the brand-new pilot and mechanic training center still under construction.
Cirrus was recognized in 2016 as a leader in safety when it received the first ever Joseph T. Nall safety award from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots association. An AOPA Air Safety Institute spokesman said during the award ceremony that, “Over the past decade, Cirrus has rightly earned one of the best safety records in the industry, and we are proud to acknowledge their work with this first Joseph T. Nall Safety Award.” The Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), standard on every Cirrus produced, has returned 146 people safely to their families to date.
