For owner-pilots stepping up to an SR20 or SR22, the SR22 transition KFXE course is run on the Cirrus syllabus and taught by a Cirrus CSIP transition instructor who knows the airframe cold. Typical course is 10–15 hours dual.
A Cirrus CSIP is an instructor specifically certified by Cirrus to teach on the airframe. The CSIP credential matters because the SR20 and SR22 are not Skyhawks with a parachute: they reward an instructor who knows the system, the energy management, the CAPS decision tree, and the syllabus the way Cirrus wrote it. Our transition courses are taught by a CSIP-credentialed instructor only.
The Cirrus Transition course is the syllabus Cirrus publishes for moving pilots into the airframe. We teach it as written, with three additions that come from running a working ramp at KFXE: a real South Florida cross-country, a night arrival into KFXE, and a CAPS deployment scenario flown to the decision point and debriefed.
The Garmin Perspective+ flow, the autopilot logic, the CAPS rocket and decision tree, the airframe icing certification limits.
Slow flight, stalls, steep turns. Find the airplane's edges in a controlled block.
The SR-series rewards a stabilized approach. Power settings, descent rates, and a clean pattern at KFXE on RWY 9 / 27.
A real South Florida XC to an unfamiliar field. Fuel planning, weather, traffic awareness in the Bravo shelf.
Night arrival back into KFXE with the runway lighting up. Visual illusions, fatigue, and the SR-series at night.
Engine-out drill to a landable field. A CAPS scenario flown to the decision point and debriefed in full.
If the owner's airplane is an SR22 (turbocharged or NA) or a G6, additional time on the specific airframe configuration. Variable hours.
Most pilots finish the Cirrus Transition in 10 to 15 hours of dual instruction. Faster than that, and a corner has been cut. Slower than that, and the airframe is still teaching. We sign the endorsement when the airplane is teaching nothing the pilot has not learned.
A Cirrus Transition Course is a structured ground and flight syllabus designed to bring a licensed pilot into the Cirrus SR20 or SR22 to the standards set by Cirrus Aircraft. It covers the Garmin Perspective+ avionics, the airframe parachute system (CAPS), the SR-series Flight Operations Manual, and the maneuvers and scenarios that make the airplane safe to operate solo.
The transition course is not an FAA requirement, but it is required by virtually every aircraft insurance underwriter before they will issue or renew a policy on a new Cirrus owner. Insurance carriers treat the standardized transition as the baseline competency for the airframe. In practice, no responsible owner skips it.
A standard Cirrus Transition Course runs roughly 10 to 15 hours of flight time spread across three to five days, paired with two to three days of ground school. SR20-to-SR22 transitions and high-time pilots can sometimes compress that; pilots new to glass cockpits typically need the full course.
A Cirrus Standardized Instructor Pilot (CSIP) is an instructor specifically certified by Cirrus Aircraft to deliver the factory transition syllabus. The Pilot Port operates with CSIP instructors so transition graduates leave with the credential their insurance carrier and Cirrus Service Center expect to see in the logbook.
The SR22 has a 310 horsepower Continental engine, turbocharging on TN/T models, and roughly 50 to 70 knots more cruise capability than the SR20. The flight controls feel similar, but speed management, fuel planning, and energy on approach are materially different. The transition course handles those deltas specifically.
Yes. The Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) is treated as a primary emergency tool, not a last resort. Transition training covers the decision matrix for when to pull, how to brief CAPS with passengers, and the specific altitude and configuration envelopes inside which deployment is recommended.
The Cirrus Flight Operations Manual is the operating doctrine that sits alongside the Pilot Operating Handbook. It defines the company's recommended procedures for everything from preflight to passenger briefings to weather minimums. The transition course walks through the FOM in ground school, then applies it on every flight.
Yes, materially. Aircraft insurance carriers price Cirrus policies against the operator's training record. A completed factory-standard transition with a CSIP often unlocks both binding and a lower premium versus an uncompleted or non-standard transition. Many carriers also require annual recurrent training that the same syllabus structure supports.
Yes, with the right training plan. A low-time pilot stepping straight into an SR22 usually needs more dual hours than a high-time pilot, and most insurance carriers will write an open pilot warranty requiring a specific minimum. We scope the transition honestly based on logbook, recency, and the mission the airplane will fly.
Tell us what you bought — SR20 or SR22, generation, panel — and where you are in the buying process. Insurance often wants the transition signed off before the keys change hands. We can scope a timeline that lines up with your closing.
fly@thepilotport.com · Fort Lauderdale Executive · CSIP-led