Overview

The Cirrus TRAC10 is Cirrus Aircraft’s first clean-sheet trainer: a three-seat piston single designed from the ground up for professional and collegiate flight schools rather than adapted from an existing model. It carries the Cirrus signatures, including the whole-airframe CAPS parachute, a Cirrus Perspective Core by Garmin flight deck, and a NASA-developed cuffed, spin-resistant wing, and takes its power from a 160 hp turbocharged Rotax 916 iSc under FADEC single-lever control. Two crew seats sit ahead of a raised third seat for an instructor or observer. Cirrus announced it in July 2026 at a starting price of $499,900, with more than 100 orders from 13 flight schools and first deliveries planned for 2027 in the US and 2028 internationally. It is not yet type-certified, so the performance and weight figures here are manufacturer targets rather than certified numbers, and certified airspeed limits and operating costs are not yet established.

The name places the TRAC10 in Cirrus’s TRAC training line, but it stands apart from the rest of it. Until now, “TRAC” meant a training configuration of the SR-series pistons: the TRAC20, TRAC22, and TRAC22T are the SR20, SR22, and SR22T fitted with training interiors, dual controls, and a landing-gear simulator, built on the same type certificate and the same Continental or Lycoming engines as the standard aeroplanes. The TRAC10 is a different case, a clean-sheet airframe with its own Rotax powerplant and a training-first mission rather than a re-trimmed SR. For a flight school, its appeal is a purpose-built trainer that still leads into the Cirrus family: multi-fuel Rotax economy near 5.9 gph at 65% power, the CAPS safety case, and students who learn on the Cirrus Perspective Core by Garmin panel they will meet again across the SR-series line.

Key Features for GA Buyers

• Built for the flight line, not adapted to it. A durable, high-wear interior, a dual side yoke with stick shaker, a single-movement power lever, push-button start, and automatic fuel management pare the trainer down to what ab-initio students need to manage.
• Multi-fuel Rotax economy. The 160 hp turbocharged Rotax 916 iSc burns about 5.9 gph at 65% power and runs on 100LL, UL91/UL94, or select mogas blends.
• CAPS and a spin-resistant wing. The whole-airframe parachute is standard, the NASA-developed cuffed wing resists spins, and the GFC 500 autopilot adds Electronic Stability and Protection, a Blue Level button, and autopilot stall protection.
• The same panel as the SR-series. Students train on the Cirrus Perspective Core by Garmin flight deck, keeping them in the Cirrus glass cockpit they will meet again across the SR-series line.

Trade-offs

• Not yet certified. The figures are manufacturer targets pending type certification, and the certified limits, the 2027 US and 2028 international delivery dates, and the operating costs are not yet firm.
• A new type and a new engine to the fleet. The clean-sheet airframe and the Rotax 916, a first for a Cirrus, have no in-service track record yet.
• Three seats and a training mission. With three seats and a cruise near 139 knots, the TRAC10 is a trainer and time-builder rather than a cross-country tourer, and Cirrus has not published a range figure.
• Cirrus-specific upkeep. Like the rest of the line, the CAPS parachute carries a ten-year repack and rocket replacement, a recurring cost a conventional trainer never sees.

See Also

• Cirrus SR20 – the entry SR-series single, also offered in the TRAC20 training configuration, and the Cirrus a TRAC10 student steps up to. Compare
• Pipistrel Alpha Trainer – another purpose-built, Rotax-powered trainer. Compare
• Cessna 172 Skyhawk – the four-seat piston trainer that has been the flight-school standard for decades, the incumbent a new type is measured against. Compare
• Diamond DA40 – the composite four-seat trainer flown by academies, cross-shopped for durability and glass-panel training. Compare