Cirrus introduces all-new training app

Almost from the beginning, Cirrus has been deeply involved in training the pilots who fly their airplanes. Instead of leaving this up to flight schools and independent instructors, the compnay has developed detailed training syllabi and online video courses that focus on key areas of SR20/22 operation. There’s even the option of learning in the airplane with Cirrus-approved instructors. Over time, this safety focus has paid off with a steadily improving accident record.

Until recently, taking a Cirrus online course was a little clunky. Pilots had to use an online learning management system that was separate from the main Cirrus website and not very mobile-friendly. Now there’s a better way to access some of this factory-direct training, with the release of a new Cirrus Approach app.

This app consolidates all your Cirrus courses in one place, and is an easy-to-use training platform. Sign into your Cirrus Approach account and you’ll see all of your purchased courses. You can sort them by airplane model or avionics:

Tap on a course to bring up the overview:

From there you can move through the workbook of lessons, which includes text, graphics, and videos:

Some courses include flight lesson outlines, which are a good way to organize your training with a flight instructor:

Progress can be synced with the online course portal, so it’s fairly easy to move back and forth between laptop and iPad while you’re training. The Cirrus Approach app is free to download on the iTunes App Store but does not include any courses. To unlock those, purchase specific courses online from the Cirrus training portal. These range from about $35 to $250.