The Cirrus SR22 is the best-selling single-engine GA aircraft in the world and the modern reference for high-performance piston singles. Side-stick control, composite airframe, and a parachute (CAPS) make it a different feel from a Cessna or Piper. Landings are tightly tied to airspeed — the narrow chord wing has less aerodynamic margin than a 172.
Landing technique
- Approach speed: 80 KIAS short final, 78 over the threshold (POH for normal landings).
- Round out at 15–20 ft AGL. The SR22's nose attitude in the flare is higher than a 172.
- Hold pitch — the SR22 wants to settle when speed bleeds; don't fight it.
- Land mains first, then fly the nose wheel down. The nose-gear strut is firm and dislikes hard contact.
- Crosswind: wing-down + opposite rudder works fine. The composite wing tolerates the asymmetry.
Common mistakes
- Carrying too much speed — 5 kt extra means 200+ ft of float in a 172, more like 400+ in the SR22.
- Hard nose-wheel touchdowns — the composite gear leg is stiffer than aluminum and transmits shock.
- Treating it like a Cessna in the flare — the SR22 needs less pitch input to flare cleanly.
Aircraft data
- Manufacturer
- Cirrus
- Model
- SR22
- Variant
- —
- FAA approach category
- A
- MTOW
- 1633 kg (3600 lbs)
- Vref reference
- 80 kt
- MSFS source
- Default Premium
- FLARE matches
- Cirrus SR22 · SR22
Related reading
- → How FLARE grades a landing — the composite formula behind every score
- → What "stabilized approach" actually means — the 1000-ft gate, four criteria, technique
- → High-Performance Single scoring thresholds — per-category curves applied to this airframe
- → Full scoring methodology reference — complete breakdown in the help docs