Cirrus Aircraft is an American manufacturer of personal aircraft, producing the piston-engined SR Series and the single-engine Vision Jet. Its origins lie in the Klapmeier brothers' aircraft work in Wisconsin in 1984. Composite construction and the inclusion of an airframe parachute became defining features of its certified aircraft.[1]About CirrusCirrus Aircraft · cirrusaircraft.com · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details[2]SR SeriesCirrus Aircraft · cirrusaircraft.com · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details
From kits to production aircraft
Alan and Dale Klapmeier's first project was the VK-30, a pusher-propeller kit aircraft that first flew in 1988. Cirrus expanded into Duluth in 1994 and subsequently established composite production at Grand Forks. It discontinued the VK-30 and developed the SR20, shifting from homebuilt kits to a certificated production aircraft. That transition required the company to combine design and manufacturing with regulatory approval, customer support and a repeatable production process.[1]About CirrusCirrus Aircraft · cirrusaircraft.com · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details
SR Series and safety systems
The SR family combines composite airframes with piston propulsion and integrated avionics. The Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, or CAPS, is intended to lower the complete aircraft during an emergency. Later equipment developments added electronic stability protection, stall-warning functions and, on current offerings, emergency autoland capability. These systems address different situations: attitude protection assists the pilot during flight, while autoland can undertake an emergency landing without continued pilot input. They form part of the company's broader approach to aircraft design and training.[2]SR SeriesCirrus Aircraft · cirrusaircraft.com · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details
Vision Jet and ownership structure
The Vision Jet received FAA certification in 2016, extending Cirrus's product range into turbine-powered personal transport. It also incorporated CAPS, and subsequent versions added updated avionics, an autothrottle and other equipment changes. Corporate development accompanied the aircraft programmes: CAIGA acquired the legacy Cirrus business in 2011. A later reorganisation established a Cayman Islands holding company in preparation for a public listing, while aircraft operations remained concentrated in the group's subsidiaries. This separates the corporate holding structure from the American manufacturing activities associated with the brand.[3]Cirrus Aircraft Unveils Generation 2 Vision JetCirrus Aircraft · cirrusaircraft.com · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details[4]Prospectus: History, Reorganization and Corporate StructureCirrus Aircraft · cirrusaircraft.com · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details