New Cirrus Aircraft App displays remote airplane status data
Cirrus continues to lead the certified single-engine piston airplane market in terms of both the number of deliveries and technological innovations. While the airframe and engine technology is fairly mature at this point, recent technological advancements from Cirrus have centered around avionics and flight control automation, connected cockpit features and creature comforts adapted from the automotive industry.
The newly released 2020 Cirrus G6 SR20/SR22/SR22T models take the connected cockpit concept one step further with the addition of new wireless preflight connectivity and the new Cirrus Aircraft App.
The new technology is called Cirrus IQ and allows pilots to check on key airplane vitals remotely while on the ground using the app. At first glance, the app resembles those developed by modern automakers to track pre-flight status information, like current fuel load, battery voltage, aircraft location, flight hours and more.
Pre-flight Status Information Displayed includes:
- Fuel Quantity – displays accurate, real-time right and left tank fuel quantity retrieved directly from the fuel tank sensors. Ensure that your fuel order has been fulfilled and that you have enough fuel to make your intended flight before you arrive at the airport.
- Oxygen Quantity – displays accurate, real-time oxygen tank pressure. When planning for flight above 12,500 ft, it’s critical to know if you have an adequate oxygen supply for the flight or know if you’ll need to add oxygen before departure.
- TKS Ice Protection Fluid Quantity – displays accurate, real-time right and left tank TKS fluid quantity. Always know if you have enough TKS fluid when preparing to fly into known icing conditions.
- Aircraft Battery Voltage – displays accurate, real-time aircraft battery voltage.
- Oil Temperature – displays accurate, real-time oil temperature. If the oil temperature is less than 20° F, engine pre-heat may be necessary.
- Current airport location of aircraft.
- Aircraft Total and Flight Times – displays estimated total hours and flight hours, updated after each flight.
The Cirrus Aircraft app also allows aircraft owners to invite and manage additional users to view and refresh the pre-flight status of their aircraft.