From the existing guide library. Pricing, loan examples and source dates may be historical. Use current written quotes for your purchase. The worksheets use the shared calculation method.

The True Operating Cost of Cirrus SR22

The Cirrus SR22 represents modern single-engine aircraft design with ballistic parachute safety system. Plan for $32,000–$38,000 annually in operating costs at 100 flight hours, or $320–$380 per hour. Lower fuel burn and innovative Cirrus Perspective avionics reduce costs compared to older performance aircraft, though parachute system maintenance adds unique line items.

Quick Specs: Cirrus SR22

Specification SR22 (Turbo / Naturally Aspirated)
Engine Lycoming IO-550 (310 hp naturally aspirated) / Cirrus SR22T (310 hp turbocharged)
Fuel Burn 6.5–7.0 gal/hr (NA) / 7.5–8.0 gal/hr (Turbo)
Cruise Speed 130–145 mph (NA) / 145–160 mph (Turbo at altitude)
Useful Load 1,150–1,250 lbs
Seats 6
CAPS Parachute Ballistic Recovery System; repack every 15 years

TL;DR: Cirrus SR22 Annual Operating Cost Summary

  • Fixed costs: $14,000–$18,000/year (insurance $1,800–$2,500, hangar $4,500–$5,500, annuals $1,200–$1,800, avionics $1,000–$1,500, parachute reserve $1,000)
  • Variable costs at 100 hours: $18,000–$20,000/year (fuel, oil, mx reserves)
  • Total at 100 hours: $32,000–$38,000/year (~$320–$380/hour)
  • Finance a $240,000 SR22: Add $3,600/month ($43,200/year) at 6.5% over 7 years
  • Parachute maintenance: ~$1,000/year reserve (repack $15,000 every 15 years)

What Counts as Operating Cost

Fixed Costs

  • Insurance: $1,800–$2,800/year for $200,000–$250,000 hull with 500+ hours. Parachute system may reduce rates 5–10%.
  • Hangar: $4,500–$5,500/year (aircraft integrates Perspective avionics; benefits from hangar protection)
  • Avionics subscriptions: $1,000–$1,500/year (Cirrus Perspective G2000 NXi, weather, synthetic vision)
  • Annual inspection: $1,200–$1,800 labor
  • CAPS parachute reserve: ~$1,000/year (15-year repack cycle)

Variable Costs (per flight hour)

  • Fuel (naturally aspirated): 6.8 gal/hr × $6.50 = ~$44/hour
  • Oil and filter: $4–$5/hour
  • Engine reserve: $14–$18/hour
  • Propeller reserve: $6–$8/hour
  • Maintenance: $18–$24/hour
  • Landing fees: $5–$12/landing

Fuel Burn and Hourly Cost

Fuel Cost Calculation (Naturally Aspirated)

  • Fuel burn: 6.8 gal/hr
  • Fuel price: $6.50/gal
  • Hourly cost: 6.8 × $6.50 = $44.20/hour

Annual Fuel Cost by Hours

Annual Hours Gallons Cost @ $6.50/gal
50 340 $2,210
100 680 $4,420
150 1,020 $6,630
200 1,360 $8,840

Maintenance & CAPS Parachute

Engine and Systems

  • Lycoming IO-550: 2,000 hours TBO; $28,000–$32,000 overhaul
  • CS Propeller: ~$9,000 overhaul at 1,500+ hours
  • Annual inspection: $1,200–$1,800

CAPS Parachute System

  • Deployment cost: $15,000–$20,000 (one-time if deployed)
  • Repack cycle: Every 15 years (~$2,000–$2,500 labor + supplies)
  • Annual reserve: $1,000/year (amortized)
  • Inspection: Included in annual; visual checks quarterly

Insurance & Storage

Insurance Premiums

  • $220,000 hull, 500+ hours, private use: $1,800–$2,200/year
  • $220,000 hull, 100–250 hours: $2,400–$3,200/year
  • CAPS parachute discount: Many insurers reduce rates 5–10%

Storage Options

Option Monthly Annual
Hangar $375–$460 $4,500–$5,500
Tie-Down $100–$180 $1,200–$2,160

Annual Ownership Scenarios

Operating Cost (Not Financed)

Hours/Year Fixed Variable Total $/Hour
50 $16,000 $7,000 $23,000 $460
100 $16,000 $14,000 $30,000 $300
200 $16,000 $28,000 $44,000 $220

Total Cost of Ownership (With Financing)

Assume $240,000 SR22, 6.5% APR, 7 years = $43,200/year debt service.

Hours/Year Operating Finance Total $/Hour
100 $30,000 $43,200 $73,200 $732
200 $44,000 $43,200 $87,200 $436

Financing the Cirrus SR22

  • Typical purchase price: $200,000–$280,000 (depends on year, avionics, engine time)
  • Down payment: 15–20%
  • Loan amount: $180,000–$240,000
  • Term: 7–10 years
  • APR: 5.75–7.0% (2025)
  • Monthly payment: $2,600–$3,600

Lender Requirements: 600+ credit, private pilot, $120,000+ annual income, hull insurance, pre-purchase inspection, appraisal. Lenders like JakenAviation view SR22s favorably due to modern design and strong resale.

Alternatives to Consider

  • Beechcraft Bonanza: Similar price; higher fuel burn (8.5 gal/hr) but 6-seat comfort without parachute complexity.
  • Piper M350: Pressurized twin; more expensive to operate but twin-engine safety and ice capability.
  • Cessna 210: Older, retractable single; lower purchase/operating cost but less modern avionics.

Get prequalified for SR22 aircraft financing »

Sources: Cirrus Aircraft Specifications | AOPA Owner Reports | FAA TCDS

Operating-cost worksheet

Defaults are round assumptions, not a shop quote. AOPA’s worksheet splits fixed costs (insurance, hangar, the annual), direct costs (fuel and maintenance), and a reserve (overhaul cost divided by hours to TBO). Their old teaching example used half the hourly fuel bill as a maintenance starting point. Type your own gph and prices.

Stop dividing one year’s costs by too few hours

The expensive mistake on a Cirrus SR22 is to take insurance, hangar, and an annual, divide by 80 or 100 hours, and call the result the cost of flying. Those bills arrive if you fly or not. AOPA’s operating-cost worksheet treats them as fixed costs, then adds direct costs that do move with hours: fuel, oil, and maintenance. A reserve for the engine or propeller is a third bucket, optional in their sheet and not optional in real life if you intend to keep the aircraft through an overhaul. The worksheet on this page follows that split. Any annual dollar range printed higher up on this page, if it does not cite an invoice or AOPA, is an illustration. Do not repeat it as a quote.

Fuel is a multiplication, not a rumor

AOPA’s instruction is price per gallon times gallons per hour. The gallons per hour belong to the way you actually fly the Cirrus SR22, not to the brochure cruise at the most flattering altitude. Oil is the same idea: price per quart times quarts per hour. Type both into the worksheet. If you do not know burn, leave a conservative guess and replace it after five tanks of your own notes. A blog’s “cost per hour” that hides the burn and the fuel price is not usable, because you cannot tell which assumption broke.

The maintenance starting point AOPA actually published

For a first pass, AOPA equates routine engine and airframe maintenance, on an hourly basis, to about half the hourly fuel and oil bill, and says to adjust it once you have your own invoices. The checkbox on the worksheet does that and nothing fancier. Turn it off and type a maintenance figure when you have one. A separate AOPA line for avionics is 5 percent of the avionics’ replacement value per 500 hours. That is a starting point from their sheet, not a prediction that your Cirrus SR22 panel will fail on schedule. Unsupported radios cost more than that formula, because the fix is often a replacement, not a repair.

The overhaul reserve is a division

AOPA’s method is the shop’s overhaul or remanufacture price divided by hours left until the published TBO, not divided by the full TBO if the engine is already mid-time. Their sheet walks through a Cessna 172 example: $17,000 over 2,000 hours is $8.50 an hour, while a $27,000 reman with 900 hours left is $30 an hour. Those dollars are the example in the article, and they are not a 2026 quote for a Cirrus SR22. The arithmetic is what you copy. Propeller overhaul, in the same AOPA sheet, is penciled at about $0.25 an hour for a fixed-pitch prop and about $1 an hour for a constant-speed prop, with more for a three-blade. Treat those as historical placeholders and ask a prop shop.

Sources