We ll pull into an airport and everybody will ask about the plane, McDermott said. I ve never been associated with a product like this before. Indeed, these are heady times for Cirrus, the airplane design and manufacturing firm that was founded in a barn in Baraboo, Wis., by the Klapmeier brothers in 1984. Back then, the company sold aircraft kits that buyers could use to build homemade airplanes. They sold their first plane the following July and late last year delivered their 100th order.
More milestones are just ahead.
Then, later this year, they expect Cirrus to cross the barrier to profitability for the first time. Cirrus doesn t reveal earnings and revenue figures. The planes have created a public sensation, partly because they are the first all-new small aircraft to be introduced to the market in decades. Industry giants Cessna and Piper have made few changes with their models over the years, so the flying public was looking for something new, McDermott said. The four-seat Cirrus models have more powerful engines than traditional small planes and are roomier and more plush inside, including leather seats, cell phones, CD players and cupholders.