Largest Flight School in China Selects Cirrus SR20 as Newest Addition to Its Training Program

DULUTH, Minn., Nov. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cirrus Aircraft today announced that its SR20 aircraft has been selected by the Civil Aviation Flight University of China (CAFUC) as an aircraft that will be used to train its pilots. CAFUC is the largest flight university in the world with more than 8,000 full-time students studying civil aviation and related subjects. It is the only full-time regular institution of higher education for civil aviation pilots in China.

The fleet of 20 Cirrus SR20 aircraft will join the existing CAFUC fleet of 200 airplanes on the Luoyang sub-college campus. In addition, CAFUC is becoming a training center for Cirrus Aircraft, where it will train technicians to perform maintenance and other service work on Cirrus Aircraft.

"This sale is representative of the growth we see for Cirrus as we enter into global flight training markets," said Ian Bentley, Vice President and Managing Director at Cirrus Aircraft. "We are honored to have been chosen by CAFUC to supply these new aircraft. This sale, and the recent sale to the United States Air Force Academy continues to drive our position as a major training fleet supplier in U.S. and global markets," added Bentley.

Headquartered in Guanghan City, Sichuan Province, CAFUC has four flight training colleges operating over 200 aircraft. CAFUC's additional seven campuses specialize in areas of flight technology, air traffic control, aviation engineering, air transport management, computer science, foreign languages, and aircraft cabin management. It also houses training centers for simulation flight, aero engine maintenance, and aircraft repair as well as the Sanxing General Airline Co., Ltd., and Chinese Civil Aviation Scientific Research Base.

In a statement, CAFUC said, "In a training environment, our students will benefit from flying aircraft with the advanced features that come on all Cirrus aircraft: a large, air-conditioned cabin will give both students and instructors a comfortable learning environment; and easy handling, particularly in cross-winds, makes the aircraft excellent for our Luoyang sub-college. It will prepare them well for the advanced simulator training that will follow."

Each aircraft delivered to CAFUC will be equipped with the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System™ (CAPS), airbag seatbelts, integrated fuselage roll cage, cuffed wing design, Cirrus Perspective™ by Garmin® avionics, and more active and passive safety systems and features that are standard equipment on all Cirrus aircraft.

About Cirrus Aircraft

Cirrus Aircraft is a recognized leader in general aviation. Its all-composite line of personal aircraft — the SR20, SR22 and the turbocharged SR22T — incorporate innovative and advanced performance, electronic and safety technologies, including Cirrus Perspective™ by Garmin® avionics and the unique Cirrus Airframe Parachute System™ (CAPS). As of mid-2011, total time on the worldwide Cirrus Aircraft SR-series fleet surpassed five million flight hours with 48 lives saved to date as a direct result of CAPS being a standard safety feature on all Cirrus aircraft. The Cirrus Vision SF50 jet, with nearly 500 production positions reserved, will provide a new personal and regional business transportation solution: the personal jet. All Cirrus aircraft are made in the USA with a direct sales force in North America and authorized sales centers covering export markets in 60 countries around the world. Cirrus Aircraft is wholly owned by China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co., Ltd (CAIGA). For additional information on Cirrus and its products please visit cirrusaircraft.com.

SOURCE Cirrus Aircraft