Cirrus Adds Hypoxia Recognition

Cirrus Aircraft announced that pilot might "never fly single pilot again" with two new features for Perspective-equipped aircraft where the autopilot system can act of its own accord. The Hypoxia Recognition and Recovery system listens to the com radio whenever the pilot is above 15,000 feet. A long period without you talking on the radio will trigger an alert. If you don't respond, the plane will descend on its own to 14,000 feet while continuing to try and alert the pilot. If the pilot still doesn't cancel the alert the plane can The autopilot can also step in if you're flying too slow or potentially losing control of the aircraft.

The Perspective has always had overspeed protection-the system won't allow the pilot to fly faster than a maximum speed while the autopilot is engaged-but Cirrus has now added underspeed protection so the autopilot cannot be made to stall the airplane. Cirrus has also added the Garmin electronic stability and protection system (ESP) that is active when the autopilot is off. If the airplane banks more than 45 degrees, or pitches more than 17.7 degrees up or 16 degrees down, the autopilot servos apply pressure against the control yoke to nudge the pilot back to less aggressive attitudes. ESP can be disabled temporally for flight training. ESP will be offered as an option for new Cirrus Perspective aircraft as well as an upgrade to existing Perspective-equipped aircraft.