Today, we're diving into the world of high-performance piston singles,
talking about some of the fastest on the market: the Cessna TTX and the Cirrus SR22 Turbo.
Which one is better? Let's find out!
We'll look at the history, design, safety aspects, and various characteristics of these two aircraft, comparing them so that you
can walk away with a complete understanding of the differences between these two planes.
Let's start with the history of these two aircraft. The Cirrus SR22T has been
the best-selling single-engine piston on the market for quite some time now. In the first
three quarters of 2023, 225 SR22 Turbos were delivered to customers. The next bestseller
was the Cessna 172S, with only 120 units. The SR series was designed in the mid-1990s, and the SR22
received certification around November 2000. Ever since this launch, many people have found
the SR22 to be their favorite point A to point B airplane. The success of the Cirrus cannot
be doubted; it is by far the best-selling single-engine piston in the 21st century.
On the other hand, we have the Cessna TTX, which has had a long history of name changes over the
years. It was originally called the Columbia 400 and was manufactured by Lancair. So how did Cessna
claim the rights to this airplane? Well, for many years, Cessna wanted to expand its single-engine
piston line to include a 200-plus knot airplane. In 2007, the company saw its opportunity. You see,
Lancair was in bankruptcy at the time, and Cessna bought the Columbia line somewhere between the $20
million and $26 million mark. That's a fraction of what it would have cost to certify an in-house
design. Cessna changed the Columbia 400's name to the Cessna 400, then the Cessna Corvalis TT,
then the Cessna Corvalis TTX when the Garmin G2000 avionics were introduced in 2011, and finally,
they simplified everything with the Cessna TTX. At the time we're recording this video,
a well-equipped 2024 Cirrus SR22 Turbo G7 goes for $1,285,000. The Cessna TTX
is not manufactured new anymore; they stopped production in 2018. However,
this opened up a lot of opportunity in the pre-owned market. For example,
this 2013 TTX is for sale right now. A Cirrus equivalent 2013, which would be their G5 model,
would be in the higher 600s to lower 700s, depending on the total time, hours, quality, etc.
Alright, now it's time to talk about these two airplanes' construction and design. Both
airplanes are constructed primarily of composite materials. This allows for advanced aircraft
design and uninterrupted airflow over the contour of the wings, fuselage, and other parts of the
aircraft in flight. This is pretty standard in aircraft design in the 21st century. Regarding
airframe certification, the TTX is rated up to 4.4 Gs, which puts it in the utility category.
The SR22T is rated only up to 3.8 Gs, which is the normal category. What this means is that the
TTX is a more maneuverable airplane. Practicing spins is not approved in either aircraft. However,
in a real-life spin recovery situation, the TTX is rated for it; however, the Cirrus is not. Well,
in order for an airframe to be certified with the FAA, it needs to be able to recover from
a spin. So how was the SR22T certified? Well, it was certified with an equivalent level of safety
using CAPS, which is Cirrus's parachute built into the airframe as the approved method of
recovery. So what does this mean? It means that the SR22T has a parachute that is integral to
the design and certification of the airplane. It also means that if you're looking for an airplane
you want to maneuver, the TTX is going to be a better option. Does this mean that the Cirrus
is a dangerous or poorly designed airframe? No, it doesn't. All it means is this is how
Cirrus chose to certify their airframe to the FAA's spin recovery standards. And either way,
if you're getting either of these airplanes into a spin, it probably would be more of an
indication of the pilot's situation rather than a poor design of the aircraft itself.
Now, let's say you're cruising along at 14,000 ft with oxygen and your engine quits. Well,
the TTX glide ratio is much better than the SR22T's. Cessna actually put out a quote that
says the TTX can glide 30 nautical miles, which beats the competition by 10 nautical miles. To
put it differently, the TTX has a glide ratio of 13 to 1, whereas the SR22T has a glide ratio
of 8.8 to 1. The TTX is powered by a Continental TSIO-550-C, whereas the Cirrus SR22T is powered
by the TSIO-550-K. For all practical purposes, these engines are pretty similar. In general,
the TTX goes about 5 to 15 knots faster than the SR22T, but of course, there are
a lot of factors involved with speed, such as the configuration of the airplane, whether it has AC,
TKS, the altitude at which the airplane is flying, and the weather. Cessna even says
in a direct quote that the TTX has better runway performance, a better climb rate,
and it will fly an 800 nautical mile trip 26 knots faster than the Cirrus, saving 19 minutes in time.
Let's take a closer, in-depth look into these two airplanes. The Cirrus doors open up to the side,
compared to the TTX that's a little bit more up and down. So all you do is you lift the
handle like this, pull it up, and the door just opens just like that. Makes it a little
bit easier for getting into the airplane. When you're getting inside, these seats are on seat
tracks. You lift the bottom, and they can slide forward and back. This is as far back as this
seat goes right here. So I'm 5'9", and I can get in pretty comfortably with this handle right here.
Alright, let's talk about the TTX doors. These doors are less in front of the airplane,
and they go up and down. I'm going to show you how they work. This handle goes down,
and you pull up, just like that. So if you're a little bit taller,
you're going to have to watch your head. But personally, for someone who's more my height,
I like these doors better because I feel like I have more room when I'm getting in. Cockpit,
it feels really nice. Got lots of room. You have your side yoke right in front of you right here.
Overall, very similar feel between both of these airplanes, with their massive doors,
one on each side for the pilot and the co-pilot. Simple turn of the key, open it up,
and we have very easy access to everything that we could possibly want, whether it's a cleaning
kit or some of our bags. Everything that you could possibly need would fit right back here.
Alright, let's look at the TTX's baggage door. If you open it up,
you'll see that it also has a big storage compartment with lots of things inside,
lots of headsets, lots of room for me to hop in here, look around, and grab anything I need. The
Cessna's is definitely a little bit bigger. I would be proud to own either of these two
airplanes. The reality of it is your decision will come down to your preferences, whether you
want the G2000 or the G1000, whether you want a higher payload, or you want to go faster,
have more fuel, and so we hope that this video gave you guys a full understanding of how these
airplanes are different so that you can decide for yourself which one will be best for you.
Both of these airplanes are on sale right now and available, so if one of them peaks your interest,
contact us at lifestyleaviation.com, and we'll be happy to chat further with you about them.
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learned something. We'll see you next time in our next video. Thanks for watching.