Avionics News January 2023 - 36

CIRRUS IQ TAPS FLIGHT DATA FOR SAFETY
Continued from page 35
* Fuel quantity for the right and left tanks obtained
real-time from sensors to make sure the fuel order
was filled correctly and that the aircraft will be
ready to go upon arrival at the airport.
* Oxygen quantity.
* TKS de-icing fluid quantity.
*
Oil temperature.
* Flight time, distance traveled and details on each
flight.
* Personal best data such as highest elevation
airport visited, longest distance or duration flight
and highest ground speed.
* A summary of total flights.
* Warranty: This section references the date and
flight hour limits of coverage for Spinner-to-Tail
warranty, and CMX coverage, if applicable.
* Maintenance Minder tracks approaching
inspections and sends notifications when they
are due. When flying, the flight hour meter
automatically updates the inspection cards by
providing a progress bar and countdown to the
upcoming inspection event.
* My Trips module automatically logs every flight
and curates key trip statistics and achievements
earned while flying. My Trips was released in
2022.
Cirrus Aircraft added two new features to the Cirrus
IQ mobile app at the 2021 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
in Wisconsin, including Technical Publications and
Find Us. Technical Publications, or Tech Pubs, lists
each update that applies to an aircraft and sends push
notifications of these updates. This includes service
bulletins and airworthiness directives. Find Us helps
aircraft owners locate nearby Cirrus Authorized Service
Centers and Cirrus Training Centers.
Before leaving home for the airport, an owner of an
SR Series SR20, SR22 or SR22T can check to see if
the fuel tanks have been topped off. If they requested
that the fixed-base operator plug in the engine preheater
in their aircraft, they can see if the oil temperature is
rising as expected. If TKS de-icing fluid is needed for
the flight, the level can be checked and the amount of
oxygen if the aircraft will be operating at altitudes where
it will be needed.
Jeff Unruh is the owner of a new SR22T. He decided
to buy a new rather than a used aircraft partly because
it won't depreciate 15% to 20% like a new car does the
minute you drive it off the dealer's lot. As a new pilot,
he moved from flying a G1000 equipped Cessna 172
36 avionics news * january 2023
directly into instrument training and now has about 220
hours of total time.
Unruh finds the Cirrus IQ application useful for
checking for engine temperature and looking at other
data. He is a sales director for a steel plant where a
combination of skills are needed, including technical
know-how and the ability to get along well with
customers. " I'm probably not the stereotypical pilot, " he
said. " I tend to pay close attention to the numbers, and
I look through the engine logs. " Cirrus IQ helps him in
this regard, and it helps him plan trips.
He found the app useful on a recent cross-country trip
from Indiana to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where his sister
lives. He cruised at 15,000 feet and made it to Lancaster
in 2 hours and 15 minutes with a 25 to 30 knot tailwind.
" In some ways, Cirrus IQ is a mini logbook, and I use
it more for monitoring total hours flown and 50-hour
inspections, " he said. " It's the easiest way to get a quick
snapshot of fuel, oxygen, TKS fluid, total hours and
flight hours. As a data nerd, it is nice to pull up data and
look at something. " When he is getting ready to fly, he
doesn't need to walk out to the plane to check the fuel
level. He can pull the data up on the app in a matter of
minutes. Cirrus IQ also provides reminders that an oil
change or an inspection is needed.
" THE MOBILE APP ALLOWS A PILOT OF
CIRRUS SR PISTON MODEL AIRCRAFT
NOW IN PRODUCTION TO CHECK ON KEY
SINGLE-PISTON ENGINE AIRPLANE VITAL
STATISTICS REMOTELY WHILE ON THE
GROUND. IT PROVIDES REAL-TIME ACCESS
TO AIRCRAFT DATA SUCH AS FUEL QUANTITY,
OIL TEMPERATURE AND TKS FLUID FROM
ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. "
Avionics News January 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News January 2023
