Introduction: The Cirrus SR-22’s roots can be traced back to the mid 90’s when development of its little brother, the SR-20 began. In 1998, the SR-20 was awarded its type certification. In 2000 Cirrus Design expanded its lineup when the Cirrus SR-22 first emerged onto the high performance piston single scene. Constructed with composite materials, the SR-22 utilizes advanced aerodynamics, a roomy interior, exotic avionics, and numerous GA safety innovations to create a product that is both beautiful and practical. The SR-22 has been the top selling piston single for the past several years, and thanks to innovations and improvements (Addition of the Turbo-normalizing system, Perspective Avionics Package, as well as hundreds of other changes) it will remain a top seller for years to come. Installation and Documentation: The press copy of the SR-22 that I used was actually installed using the re-install method, and I did not use the standard first time installation method, so I do not have anything to say about that. The documentation of the SR-22 Turbo consists of numerous Adobe .PDF files and a few word documents. The documentation is very thorough as far as the aircraft’s systems go, but is not as detailed as others that I have used. I did have a few issues using some of the avionics systems during my first flight with the SR-22 (Mainly GNS430/500 Differences), but thankfully the manuals addressed all the “problems” that I had and everything is OK now. Review Content Introduction: When I saw that the Eaglesoft SR-22 was available to be reviewed, I jumped at the opportunity. I have been following the development/refinement of the SR series since just prior to the introduction of the Generation two models, and it is the primary flight trainer used by the aviation university I will be attending within the next two years. I really was really looking foreword to flying this SR-22, and due to my slight obsession with Cirrus aircraft, Eaglesoft’s version had high expectations to live up to. After one of the most exhaustive flight testing programs that I have ever conducted, I can definitely say that this SR-22 is as real as it gets! Exterior: After taking a ton of screenshots, I got out all my old issues of Flying and a Cirrus G3 sales brochure and compared the Eaglesoft SR-22 to the real thing. Nearly everything about the exterior model was perfect, down to the factory paint jobs and seams. The model does a spectacular job of replicating the exotic shape of the SR-22.
All the usual animations are present, with a few fun “Preflight” addons (oil door, tiedowns, load pilot, pilot sunglasses, luggage, chocks, and a toggle for the window tint in the VC). Undoubtedly the coolest animation included with the SR-22 is the activation, deployment, and subsequent landing of the SR-22 using the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS). Once the system is activated by the lever in the cockpit, a small rocket fires, pulling the parachute out of its case and gently lowering the airframe under a 55 foot canopy, suspended by Kevlar straps.
When I first tested the CAPS system, I was stunned with the detail of the entire process from the launch to the straps, and landing. The extra animations really add to the SR-22 in my opinion, despite the fact that they probably slow down the frame rate a bit. The exterior is as close to perfect as I have seen, with one exception, on the G3 model, the landing gear sits higher by a few inches than the G2, and this is not reflected in the Eaglesoft version. This is most likely because the G2 and G3 versions are included in the package, and making a completely different model for both versions does not make much sense, as 99% of simmers probably would not know the difference. Editor's
Note from the Developer: The package contains a Preflight Utility
Zoom feature for the exterior view of the aircraft. This was
done becasue the Chute requires a large model radius and the
Zoom addressses the exterior view distance. The interior/virtual cockpit of the Eaglesoft SR-22 is as impressive as the exterior, and THAT is saying something! Even with my low end hardware, this VC was a dead ringer for the real thing, thanks to the little details and included avionics that replicate the complex glass panel nearly perfectly. As soon as I first “strapped” into the Eaglesoft SR-22 (By clicking the “Load Pilot” button on the preflight popup panel of course), I could tell that this would be a fun aircraft to fly. As I turned on the batteries and master, the Entegra cockpit came to life, as the gyros and navigational systems warmed up and aligned themselves, a process that takes about two minutes with progress displayed on the center of the PFD, you can use the MFD to run through the checklists and get ready to start up, and taxi the SR-22. This is also a good time to do any programming of the dual Garmin 430s, which are integrated with the Entegra system, and automatically display the route on the navigational pages of the MFD.
I could not possibly go through all of the features and functions of the Avidine Entegra cockpit here, or even the Garmin 430, so I will just say that they seem to be nearly 100% copies of the real thing and function as such. The rest of the interior is also very well done, but does not blow me away as much as the avionics did. The passenger/copilot areas were completely modeled, down to seatbelts and the “Cirrus” name stamped into the headrest. I moved around the cabin (with the autopilot on of course) and experienced flying in the SR-22 as a passenger, and I was quite impressed by the plane’s roominess and the view out of the gracefully curving windows. Though I prefer flying by far, it was fun to look out the window from the back seat and watch the ground pass by, 8,000 feet under the wings. Once I was safely back on the ground, I took a look around the cabin, and compared it to the pictures that I have of the interior of the SR-22. It was not difficult to tell which one was virtual, but it is more of a fault of my computer’s processing power than the Eaglesoft SR-22 as nearly every detail matched the real McCoy perfectly, save for some jaggies.
2D Panel/Popups: Though I find it easier to use than the Garmin G1000, the Avdine Entegra system is still an extremely complex avionics package in its own right, and accordingly some if its data is too small to see in a convenient zoom level in the VC. This is where the popups and 2D panel come it to play. Once, again, I will refrain from going into detail of the Entegra avionics system, and focus on what the 2D Cockpit/Popups have to offer. The list of 2D popups for the VC/cockpit is not long, but is quite important, espically if you get into a jam and need to make a quick “pull” (of the BRS ‘chute handle that is). The standard 2D panel contains just the basics; the PDF and MFD, switches, and the backup/standby instruments. Popup windows are provided for an enlarged PDF and MFD, throttle, GPS/Radio, Preflight, CAPS, standby instruments, autopilot, and the ADF/DME. During flights and when programming the flight plan on the ground, I found the GPS/Radio and the MFD popups very handy, as I could work on preparing and navigating the flight without having to bury my head in the VC. Sounds:I did find the sounds on the SR-22 to match the aircraft quite well, despite the fact that it had some default sounds mixed in. The real SR-22 utilizes a Continental IO-550 engine that puts out over 300 horsepower. It is related to the engine in the Cessna 172 (Where the default sounds came from) so it still sounds realistic. The Turbo soundset is based on actual recordings of the engine. The SR-22 sounds also cover all the details, such as flaps, landing bump, opening doors, etc. While I think that the sounds are the low point of this package, this product is so good that even with the sound issues it is still a spectacular package, and the sound is not all that bad.Airfile:
Having never flown a real SR-22 (Well, as of this writing anyway), I cannot guarantee accuracy on this part of the review. That said, I found that this aircraft flew exceptionally well, and as expected and matched the characteristics reported in numerous real world reviews that I read while researching for this project. The SR-22 is a high performance piston single, so it is not going to perform quite like a 172, more like a Mooney or Cessna/Colombia 350/400. The SR-22 is definitely fun to fly, in that the aircraft performs and reacts as expected in all flight regimens and gets where you are going fast, with sporty handling, and in style. The flaps on the SR-22 help tremendously when taking off and landing, getting this 190 knot aircraft off the ground at a hair over 65 knots with a 1000+ foot per minute climb. In the landing pattern, the first flap setting allowed me to fit in with slower traffic while remaining comfortably above stall speed. Cirrus added leading edge “cuffs” to the outer portion of the SR-22 wing to enhance stall performance, but MSFS’s flight model limits this effect, so I do not have much to say about that. After a few landings to get used to the sight picture, the SR-22 was a cinch to land, with that low wing providing a ground effect cushion that can help make any pilot look good. Your friends in the multiplayer towers will definitely be impressed, and probably a bit jealous when you buzz them in this sleek new ride.
Summary / Closing Remarks:
To say that I enjoyed my time with the
Eaglesoft SR-22 would be a
huge understatement. I enjoyed nearly every single feature of this
aircraft, as it truly re-created its real world counterpart almost
perfectly. The high degree of systems accuracy combined with
excellent modeling, spectacular factory paint jobs, a decent soundset, and realistic airfile (I think…)make
this the perfect selection for any GA fan!
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