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United Selects Cirrus TRAC SR20 with Airliner-Style Avionics for New Flight Training Academy

United Aviation Academy's new fleet of training aircraft brings new tech and maintenance options to the flight training school.

In February, United Aviation Academy (UAA) signed a purchase agreement for a fleet of Cirrus TRAC SR20 single-engine aircraft. UAA describes itself as the only ab initio flight academy operated by a major U.S.-based airline, and on Feb. 17 it signed a purchase agreement for a fleet of 25 total TRAC SR20s, with the option to purchase 50 additional aircraft.

Curtis Brunjes, United’s Managing Director for Aviate and Pilot Strategy, described the TRAC SR20 as “an innovative force in general aviation,” in a Feb. 17 press release, noting that United is “is thrilled to have chosen the Cirrus TRAC SR20 as the single-engine training aircraft for our United Aviate Academy.  It reflects our commitment to preparing our future Captains using cutting-edge technology and safety systems.”

On January 22, United opened the doors to their new UAA flight training school located at Phoenix Goodyear Airport, where they plan to train 5,000 new pilots over the next eight years. United has prioritized advanced avionics, digital technologies, and software in its training investments for the academy, which received more than 12,000 applications since launching in April 2021. As an example, the 340,000-square-foot facility includes multiple aircraft hangars and seven FRASCA Cirrus SR20 flight simulators with 220-degree wraparound displays.

The Cirrus Perspective+ flight deck will providing flight training in the first aircraft flown by new UAA students, the TRAC SR20. Cirrus

In a LinkedIn article published on opening day of the new academy, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby described it as a key strategic asset for the international carrier due to an aging pilot workforce and a shortage of available quality trained pilots in the industry that “predates COVID-19,” according to Kirby.

“At United, we’re convinced that the root of the problem is that it costs over $100,000 and takes five or more years to obtain all the training to become eligible to fly for a major airline. A commercial pilot’s journey is technically complex, building hours and obtaining certificates in a process that is difficult to navigate without experienced support,” Kirby writes.

Oliver Wyman, a consulting firm that provides aviation data and analytics, estimates that by 2025, there will be 34,000 fewer pilots than airlines need globally, another statistic cited by Kirby. United partnered with JP Morgan Chase to fund $2.4 million in scholarships for qualified UAA applicants last year and plans to train at least 500 students annually as part of a one year of training program.

The most technology-forward aspect of UAA’s flight training program is the new fleet of TRAC SR20 single-engine aircraft.

“Students will learn to fly on Cirrus SR-20 series single-engine aircraft with Garmin flight instruments, and classroom materials are sourced from Jeppesen, a Boeing-owned company, so that students are prepared with professional tools and courses,” Kirby writes of the growing fleet.

The throttle quad featured in the Cirrus Perspective+ flight deck system. Cirrus

Cirrus describes the TRAC SR20 as a flight-training variant of the SR20 Series family that replaces its standard “luxury materials” with an all-weather floor liner and interior. Powered by a single Lycoming IO-390 engine, the aircraft seats up to five and has a composite airframe and useful load of 1,028 pounds. Customized versions of the SR20 Series are also used by flight training schools operated by Airbus, Emirates, the European Flight Academy, Lufthansa, and the U.S. Air Force, among others.

Inside the flight deck, new UAA pilots will find an avionics configuration that prepares them to fly the type of sophisticated twin-engine narrow and widebody jets operated by type rated United Airlines pilots. The Cirrus Perspective+ flight deck by Garmin also features two 10-inch displays and a fully digital three-axis autopilot with a “Blue Level Button” to address instances of spatial disorientation that might occur during flight training. By pushing the button, even with autopilot disengaged, the aircraft will automatically roll level and hold its altitude.

Additionally, the Perspective+ flight deck includes a Flight Management System keypad controller, electronic stability, and protection system as well as integrated engine indication and crew alerting/warning systems—all features found on today’s in-service airliners, according to Cirrus.

“As part of their ab initio training, this is the first aircraft that new UAA students will fly,” David Moser, Vice President of Fleet and Special Mission Sales for Cirrus Aircraft, told Avionics International during a recent interview conducted over a Zoom call. “Some of the features that set it apart from a training perspective include the full flight management system that’s integrated with an automated hazardous avoidance system that avoids both air traffic and terrain. Then, of course, there’s the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) and an electronic stability system. So it really has the perfect blend of the type of advanced navigation technology that future United pilots will see in the aircraft they go on to fly in their careers, as well as some embedded automated safety features.”

The flight management system has a QWERTY keyboard system for FMS inputs. Cirrus

The Cirrus Perspective+ system is based on Garmin’s NXi integrated avionics flight deck, and was first introduced in 2017, promoted by Cirrus as featuring a processing speed that is “10 times faster” than the previous generation Perspective flight deck system.

Moser said that the two large cockpit display screens are also configured for specific functionality.

“There is a primary flight display (PFD) on the left side that provides aircraft attitude, speed, altitude, and all of the traditional type of flight data that you would expect. The right side of the Garmin system features a multifunction display (MFD) that is designed for visualizing situational awareness from the integrated moving map, weather, traffic, and terrain. Then you also have a number of other systems that give data for flight planning, engine health, and performance. Overall, it’s a very flight data heavy training system with respect to all of the information that the student pilot can access within those displays,” Moser said.

UAA has also highlighted another strategic benefit of giving Garmin avionics to its student pilots, with the possibility of some of them eventually flying communication, navigation, and surveillance systems similar to those in the SR20 in a next generation aircraft that United has committed to for its subsidiaries Mesa Airlines and United Express. Garmin’s G3000 system will serve as the standard integrated flight deck on ES-19, a next generation 19-seater electric airliner being developed by Heart Aerospace, the Swedish electric aircraft startup, under a December supplier agreement. Mesa Air Group, Inc., alongside Breakthrough Energy Ventures and United Airlines Ventures, signed an investment agreement last July to add 100 ES-19 aircraft to its regional fleet.

“Aviate participants may have the opportunity to fly the Garmin-equipped ES-19 at regional partner Mesa Airlines, with the first ES-19 scheduled to enter service before the end of the decade,” UAA notes in a post on its website highlighting Garmin’s agreement with Heart Aerospace.

Investing in the TRAC Series SR20 will also give United’s flight training school access to the cloud-based system for managing all of the critical flight operational and maintenance related data about their new fleet as the academy’s aircraft utilization rate increases over time.

“We call it Cirrus IQ,” Moser said. “Every TRAC Series SR20 is equipped with Cirrus IQ, and it’s an onboard system that collects every flight data parameter throughout the flight and automatically uploads it to our cloud-based data analytics service. That’s also where United and others can access flight training applications [and] flight operations quality assurance (FOQA) compliance, as well as anything related to maintenance.”

Deliveries of the first TRAC Series SR20s to become available for UAA students are scheduled to begin in May.