Cirrus aircraft focuses on Alaska: 'useful tool' for business owners.

• Author: Stapleton, Rob
• Position: AVIATION

The Alaska aviation industry has a new Northwest Regional Sales Director for Cirrus Aircraft, Jill "Ivy" McIver. McIver has her sights set on convincing Alaska business owners that the Cirrus aircraft is well suited for their missions statewide.

Not Like Any Other Aircraft

Quick to point out that the Cirrus is not like any other aircraft, McIver says it is able to be flown long distances at high altitudes with a specially outfitted cockpit, autopilot, and up-to-date sophisticated weather and navigation systems on board.

"Once you become familiar with the aircraft's systems and how they can work for you, flying a Cirrus can be a time and money saver," says McIver. "This is the perfect aircraft for a doctor, dentist, engineer, or program managers with business in various Alaskan communities."

This technologically improved, sleek, low wing aircraft is a signal of what is to come with the use of carbon fiber, deicing titanium leading edges for making flights into known icing conditions (Cirrus Known Ice Protection), and the ever efficient 315 horsepower Continental TSIO-550-K Turbocharged power-plant.

Smooth performance, high airspeed, great visibility, and un-paralleled cockpit situational awareness in an easy to fly aircraft: "It doesn't get any better than this," says McIver.

Flying magazine refers to the SR22T five seat aircraft as "the most sophisticated single engine aircraft ever." Despite its near $750,000 price tag, the Cirrus SR22T is the world's best-selling piston single engine aircraft for more than ten years, according to Cirrus.

McIver says the Cirrus Aircraft Corporation has new and used aircraft for sale, different financing options, and will even find a Cirrus pilot to fly the Cirrus aircraft if the buyer is not a pilot.

But the challenge ahead for McIver is not the price or the aircraft's four passenger size, it's the mentality of aviation departments in higher latitudes regarding the use of a low wing aircraft in the Arctic or sub-Arctic regions.

McIver says that there are approximately six Cirrus owners in Alaska; some are located in state and others fly back and forth.

For instance, Anchorage businessman Charlie Hewitt of Mirror Studios indicates how the Cirrus aircraft has benefitted his business. "I use my Cirrus to visit my clients and as a photo platform for aerial photography," Hewitt says.

Hewitt has made flights in Alaska to Cordova, Fairbanks, Valdez, and Homer in his Cirrus. Hewitt says he has flown to the Lower...