The brothers, along with friend Jeff Viken, formed Cirrus Aircraft Corporation, eventually becoming Cirrus Design Corporation in 1987. Soon enough, they had the bones of the first Cirrus airplane, and a working prototype just a few years later. By 1985, they had acquired space in a barn on the family’s property, and began manufacturing the first components of the VK-30, the fuselage. It seemed they had found a path forward with this unique assembly. Plus, rather than have the engine in the front of the aircraft, they moved it to the middle, while repositioning the three-bladed prop and exhaust on the rear. The design promoted an improved natural performance due to increased laminar flow over the fuselage, with a low-drag tail and wings. Thus, Alan dug up his old designs for the VK-30, a composite pusher-propeller airplane, which offered four to five seats. The next step was to build an aircraft that people would want to buy. This coincided with Dale’s graduation from Ripon College, who with his newly received degrees, built the initial business plans that would lead to the formation of Cirrus Design Corporation. It took four years, but in 1984, the brothers had completed their first flight in the newly built Glasair. Though the idea of the VK-30 was dreamt up in 1979, the Klapmeier Brothers started their first foray into the world of aircraft design when they purchased a Glasair kit plane at the 1980 Oshkosh Fly-In. It would be the latter brother who, in his senior year, first developed the outlines of what would soon become VK-30. Shortly after, the two would embark to college, and although both knew they wanted to have a career in aviation, their degrees may not display that much Dale graduated with degrees in business, finance and economics from Wisconsin’s Ripon College, while Alan studied physics and economics at University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Because the love of airplanes was a family affair - with older brother Ernie an avid military equipment enthusiast and father Larry an owner of a Cessna and C-Skylane - the next natural step for the pair was to buy their own aircraft, a 1947 Cessna 140, which they slowly grew into. He mastered his basic pilot courses in a Cessna 140, while his brother Alan joined the Civil Air Patrol at the young age of 17. I’d watch airplanes and stop crying.” As the two progressed into DeKalb High School, Dale learned to fly, even before hopping behind the wheel of a car (licensed, at least).
From an Airport Journals interview, Alan even claimed that as a needy baby, “Mom said the only way she could get any peace was to drive out to the airport and sit at the end of the runway.
Raised in the rural but growing Chicago suburb of DeKalb, both Alan and Dale Klapmeier had a strong interest in aviation from a young age.
But to understand the roots of this revolutionary company, you have to start the story much earlier than that. In 1984, founding brothers Dale and Alan Klapmeier constructed what would be the first of many home-built kit airplanes, a pusher-propeller, five-passenger VK-30. The Founding Years of CirrusĮven though today, Cirrus Aircraft is a company worth hundreds of millions of dollars, their beginnings remain humble. With that being said, let’s take a look at Cirrus Aircraft, from the company’s humble founding on a family farm to the history of their planes, impact of their designs and how they’re transitioning toward the future. Because, one day, you may likely find yourself in the pilot’s seat in one of these planes. n Since Cirrus has become one of the most important airplane manufacturers in the industry, and iconic in its own right, it’s in your best interest to learn a bit more about their background. But, for those new to the game, your knowledge may not be as extensive. Although relatively new compared to other iconic aviation brands, any seasoned private pilot will likely be able to rattle off a few Cirrus airplanes that they’ve flown - likely an SR-20 or SR-22.
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