For the 2020 model year, Cirrus has built in what it calls Cirrus IQ. Using cellular communications, a smartphone app and cloud storage, it has real-time trend and data monitoring that ultimately can be used to keep tabs on how Cirrus pilots are flying these aircraft, how the engine and systems are performing and provide early warning for component failures. In this video report Aviation Consumer Editor Larry Anglisano spent some time with a new SR22T with Cirrus’ Cliff Allen.

Larry Anglisano
Larry Anglisano
Larry Anglisano is a regular AVweb contributor and the Editor in Chief of sister publication Aviation Consumer magazine. He's an active land, sea and glider pilot, and has over 30 years experience as an avionics tech.

11 COMMENTS

  1. Good vid, Don’t like the idea of blackbox reporting back to its Cirrus base and think that idea will be dropped fast with a big off switch front and center for private owners. It might work for flight training schools and the like but for an owner shelling out a million dollars on an airplane just to have it tell you your a lousy pilot……it ain’t going to happen.

  3. Seems like the info should only be stored on your phone/tablet and not sent to Cirrus. I wonder if this information can be subject to subpoena by the FAA.

    • “… it has real-time trend and data monitoring that ultimately can be used to keep tabs on how Cirrus pilots are flying these aircraft”

      It clearly sends data, but I would presume that it is anonymized.

    • There ought to be an ‘on’ or ‘off’ switch for IQ. I’d bet that if the data is in the cloud, it could be callable by the FAA. I doubt if it can by anonymous … how else would they know Larry Anglisano ain’t flying so good these days … by “N” number. And if you file a plan … the PIC would be ID’ed.

    • Sure it could. However, I think it would more likely be of interest to the NTSB in the event of an accident. I find it interesting that people are more open to private companies being big brother more so than their own government. It makes sense that Cirrus would release this now as they are the top seller with very little competition in their category. I would be surprised if there is a method to pull the plug . Like it or not this is the direction big data is taking us and there may not be a case to ask the FAA to mandate it be an option for privacy protection. It would be difficult to make a case that would over rule the potential safety advantages. It will turn off several would be buyers like it did for Icon but Cirrus already has a customer base and this bold move doesn’t appear they are concerned about it.

  4. OH NO! Don’t anyone tell Icon about this system …

    What a beautiful airplane … despite the fact that it’s a “Rat!”

  5. Poor Cliff wasn’t well briefed by the Cirrus MarCom people. Instead of saying “The airplane will rat you out”, he should’ve said “When its time for re-currency training, you and your CSIP/Pilot Mentor will review your flying performance together and identify areas to work on”.

    Oh well, by Oshkosh the messaging will be more ‘on point’.

    • I appreciate the honesty. Call it what it is instead of insulting our intelligence. That may make it just a tad less bitter.

  6. I think if you can choose to turn it off, that should make most folks happy. At the airlines, we have this sort of reporting to the company when we fly out of parameters (pilot, AC, or weather induced), so I guess we are numb to it. I will say, as a tool to help you and your CFI recognize any weaknesses in GA flying is a safety plus. Pilot egos can be very sensitive (oh yes Captain, there must have been a gusty quartering tailwind) and folks may not admit they have an issue, but the simple fact is unused skills deteriorate over time, and aging doesn’t help. Safety plus in my book, just give folks the option to turn off.

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