Cirrus training

[Sean Franklin]

I have to say, even after 15 years of inactivity... flying the Cessna 182 is a bit of a disappointment compared to my old Saratoga. I'm having a hard time imagining taking a 3+ hour trip to Nashville in the Skylane - especially without A/C during our hot Arkansas summers.

So - I'm starting training on the Cirrus. The club has two of them, one NA and one Turbo. It's a bigger investment than I'd have preferred but I think my wife will be a lot more comfortable in the Cirrus than in the Skylane. Looking forward to it!

[Rick Durden]

Let us know how it goes. The extra speed is nice, although boarding over the wing can be interesting.

[Scott Dyer HPN/NY]

Why a/c for 3 hours of a trip, Sean? If you are at altitude, it's comfortable. I really like the 182 for travel, just as much as the PA32. Sure the Cirrus is nice, but I sure wouldn't run away from a 182 because of heat enroute. (Just did 11+ hours out of ABQ with 100dF temps on groundin the heat of the day, through Oklahoma and So. IL and then home. And I don't like heat much.)

[Ray Tackett]

Why a/c for 3 hours of a trip, Sean? If you are at altitude, it's comfortable. I really like the 182 for travel, just as much as the PA32. Sure the Cirrus is nice, but I sure wouldn't run away from a 182 because of heat enroute. (Just did 11+ hours out of ABQ with 100dF temps on groundin the heat of the day, through Oklahoma and So. IL and then home. And I don't like heat much.)

What Scott said. I took an Archer to ELP, and various destinations in NM, AZ, NV, and CA while hot enough on the ground for 10K density altitudes and 6000 AGL dust devils. SWMBO and I were never uncomfortable with the heat while airborne. 182 is easier for pax boarding, too.

If you need the extra speed, consider the value of those extra knots against the price of the airplane.

[Sean Franklin]

The A/C is for my wife more than me plus she’ll appreciate the CAPS; she doesn’t really have the demeanor for a pinch-hitter course.

The cost is definitely higher, $300/hr for Cirrus vs $190 for Skylane. 57% more cost for 33% more speed. And of course, as a club member I can choose Skylane or Cirrus for any given flight. So we have a choice - fast, or economical. I have a feeling my wife will choose fast.

[A. Niemyer]

Sean,
I've been flying my SR22 since we got it new in 2006. If you're going to fly the SR series for any amount of time, I cannot emphasize strongly enough to join the Tye Club, the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association, COPA. Over 20 years of safety, operational, maintenance, best practices, tips, and tricks all in one place. Nationwide one- and three-day safety symposiums, online safety/operational/maintenance lectures now coming on the web. Very robust forums.

https://www.cirruspilots.org

[Sean Franklin]

Thanks Andy. I set up a Free membership, and will consider upgrading to Paid once I’m through training (which will probably be a couple of months, as I have trips to Switzerland and Cabo coming up).

[A. Niemyer]

Sean,
I have seen over the years that the $95/year pays for itself, over and over. Often, folks come on with a problem or question where they've been told the solution is multiple AMUs. COPA members often contribute their own experiences, and it often turns out the solution is way less than that. Way less. Not to mention the inumerable safety, best practices and other discussions. You might even a few old Sigratz show up there, too!

Warm regards,
Andy

[Sean Franklin]

Fortunately the AMUs come from the club, not me

But, I’m already reading good info on there. I spent about an hour browsing the Free content yesterday and have barely scratched the surface.

They’re setting up a class for 3 of us - looking forward to it. The Turbo SR22 was showing metal in the oil filter so it’s down for engine (it was at 1,569hr so they just opted to replace it) but it should be back on the line by the end of September.

With a 2006, you’d have Avidyne I think? The NA is 2014 and the Turbo is 2013 so both are Garmin. Definitely looking forward to learning about that. I have perhaps 0.5hr in a first-gen G1000 Skyhawk from years ago but otherwise my “glass cockpit” experience is pretty limited… 10 or so hours in the club 182’s with G5 is about it.

[Terry Carraway]

For G1000, I was pointed to Max Trescott's book and found it very helpful

Also, I used the Simionics G1000 PFD and MFD apps on my iPad. If you have two iPads, you can run the PFS app on one and the MFD app on the other and they connect via Blue Tooth and interact like the real ones.

[Sean Franklin]

Nice! I haven't looked at the Cirrus Perspective yet; I know it's "Based on" the G1000 but not sure how similar it really is. I like the idea of PFD/MFD on separate iPads! I have just the one iPad mini right now but it's only 64GB and WiFi, so I planned to get a 256/cellular for flying anyway.

I was trying to find a way to simulate the Garmin G5 and the only option I found required Windoze (I'm a Mac user). But I do have the GTN750Xi sim on my iPad, that was invaluable.

[Terry Carraway]

The Max Trescott book covers Perspective also.