The Cirrus SR-22, the small airplane a New Jersey man crashed in Edgewater on Tuesday, is a highly technical aircraft that aviation insurers consider difficult to fly — but that hasn’t stopped Cirrus Design Corp. from aggressively marketing the plane to novices in Maryland.

“One of our missions is to introduce the non-flying public to joys of personal aircraft,” said Kate Dougherty, spokeswoman for the Duluth, Minn.-based Cirrus Design Corp..

Cirrus’s brochures were mailed around Anne Arundel County this week, residents reported, and the company also appeared at the Annapolis Boat Show this spring.

In the brochures mailed to Anne Arundel County residents, the $350,000 single-engine Cirrus SR-22 is touted as a good alternative to buying a car: “Consider making your next set of wheels a new pair of wings,” the brochure reads.

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However, aviation insurers said the plane’s avionics are too advanced to be used by a flying novice.

“There is a lot going on at once, a lot of avionics that are usually different than almost anything that person has ever seen before,” said Jeff Graber, a commercial aviation specialist for Alexander Aviation Associates Inc., a Florida-based aircraft insurer.

In fact, many aviation insurers require potential clients to show they completed a special training program for the Cirrus airplanes.

“Operating the instruments has been the most difficult for people,” said John Sweeney, the regional manager of Falcon Insurance Agency Northeast Inc. in Frederick. “It can be overwhelming.”

Dougherty said Cirrus stands by its decision to market to new fliers.

“We don’t believe it’s a harder plane to fly; we believe it’s an easier plane to fly,” she said.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, since 1999, when the Cirrus SR-20 — a model similar to the Cirrus SR-22 — was first rolled out, there have been 19 fatal accidents and 33 nonfatal accidents involving both models reported.

The industry considers Cirrus airplanes to be safe, said Chris Dancy, spokesman for Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Safety features include energy-absorbing seats, a ballistic parachute system, and a four-point harness restraint system.

“Overall, there are a lot of really good safety features in this airplane, assuming of course you know how to use them.” Graber said.

Ralph Dilks, 64, the man who crashed Tuesday, was a licensed pilot’s since 1988, according to Jeff Guzzetti, a National Transportation Safety Board investigator who is investigating the crash.

Guzzetti said he does not know whether or not Dilks had the special Cirrus training for the plane, which belonged to his brother.

Dilk was in critical but stable condition Thursday at Shock Trauma, a hospital spokeswoman said.

About Cirrus

» 970 employees

» Based in Duluth, Minn.

» Offers five different types of planes priced from $199,000 to $448,685

» 2,650 of the Cirrus SR-22 have been sold worldwide

Source: Cirrus Design Corporation

mmcilroy@baltimoreexaminer.com