Why is that? (I personally think the Eclipse certification had all sorts of problems but don't know of any similar issues with Cirrus' certification.)
Ciriii...Cirrusi...Cirruses...?
- Thread starter Boris Badenov
- Start date
Why is that? (I personally think the Eclipse certification had all sorts of problems but don't know of any similar issues with Cirrus' certification.)
OldTownPilot
Well-Known Member
That they were able to play that whole "its got a chute" thing with the feds too. They (the company) would be better off if they just spun the damn thing for the FAA like they did for the JAA cert. I don't know if that was their marketing department (which is very good, BTW) just trying to push the chute, or what, but now there are a bunch of pilots ignorant to the abilities of the airplane out there.
jdlilfan
Well-Known Member
The two based at my airport spend more time in MX then their own T-hangers.
I agree with Boris though, it is extremely nerve-racking the way the strobes on those planes are wired. It is even worse working the ramp and attempting to marshal a Cirrus at night with that xenon-krypton-surface of the sun landing/taxi light on with the strobes going as well. Turn that crap off, It's a well lit ramp and I have lighted wands.
Ah, got it.
I kind of agree about the chute, but probably for a different reason. It wound up costing them far more to develop the chute than it would have to run a full spin program in the first place.
That being said, I'm glad they did because it gives an additional option. One that might or might not save your butt, but at least it's an option. And it's saved some lives, so hey, it's cool with me.
Cirrus has always been pretty open that the chute wasn't a marketing thing (although it is certainly been a nice side-effect) but an outgrowth of Alan K. having a mid-air, surviving and thinking "there's got to be a better way," which is why they persisted with it even though it was harder and far more expensive than anybody first thought.
FWIW, I do teach the airplane but I'm not a Kool-Aid drinker. There are a few things that drive me nuts for sure and it's not the right airplane for everybody. (The strobe thing is annoying, I agree, just turn 'em off when taxiing at night.)
As for the pilots, yeah, they run the gamut from really good to rubbish but that's pretty universal, sadly.
killbilly
Vocals, Lyrics, Triangle, Washboard, Kittens
I've never flown one and don't know much about them, but I will say there was a guy taxiing one on the ramp at AUS last week and he was going FAST - I was surprised the line guy parking him didn't leap out of the way.
The guy I was flying with looked at me and just shook his head.
The guy I was flying with looked at me and just shook his head.
DPApilot
GUYSH! GUYSH! GUYSH!
Great airplane. Strobes stay off if im around other people/airplanes on the ramp. If it's day, not as bad. If no ones around, who cares?
Ive flown the SR22 twice and have 15 hours in the DA40, i guess it comes down to a common sense/courtesy thing. I hate strobes sometimes...
Ive flown the SR22 twice and have 15 hours in the DA40, i guess it comes down to a common sense/courtesy thing. I hate strobes sometimes...
OldTownPilot
Well-Known Member
Yeah, after Alan's midair, the plane was going to have a chute. I'm cool with having the chute, saving lives and all, but it seems that the chute has defined the company and the airplane. That is definitely a byproduct of the marketing people in DLH. Marketing didn't put the chute in the airplane, but they sure have made the chute the airplane, and I think that's a disgrace to the plane and the stereotypes that it has made.
Fly_Unity
Well-Known Member
I know I have to defend the Cirrus's chute to every soul who comes up to my airplane at the hangar, But ...
I have over 300 hours at night in the Cessna, (vs 300 hours in the Cirrus) and maybe its just me becoming a wimp, but that's starting to get to me, my hearts always beating twice as fast knowing full well that if my engine quits I'm pretty much dead meat (I live in the middle of the Rockies). At least in the Cirrus I'm not so jumpy at night, makes my job soo much more enjoyable. Plus the big Garmin screens and XM weather is pretty cool too!
And Cirrus is a VERY well designed airplane in my opinion It takes the old timers longer to admit it hehe, but after one flight in it, even they will admit it cant get much better. There are a few things I would design different, I would put in speed brakes!! Its hard to slow down, and doing approaches in ASE or Eagle is a real chore! Id also add in Cowl Flaps to control Temps a little better when doing them steep approaches.
I have over 300 hours at night in the Cessna, (vs 300 hours in the Cirrus) and maybe its just me becoming a wimp, but that's starting to get to me, my hearts always beating twice as fast knowing full well that if my engine quits I'm pretty much dead meat (I live in the middle of the Rockies). At least in the Cirrus I'm not so jumpy at night, makes my job soo much more enjoyable. Plus the big Garmin screens and XM weather is pretty cool too!
And Cirrus is a VERY well designed airplane in my opinion It takes the old timers longer to admit it hehe, but after one flight in it, even they will admit it cant get much better. There are a few things I would design different, I would put in speed brakes!! Its hard to slow down, and doing approaches in ASE or Eagle is a real chore! Id also add in Cowl Flaps to control Temps a little better when doing them steep approaches.
The problem is people who look at the chute as a sure-thing. The chute has an envelope that it'll work in, and if outside that envelope, it won't. Was the same with ejection seats I had for the past 12 years. For both systems, they can only do so much; and there are so many other factors beyond just them that have to play out right. So long as people realize that, then it is what it is.
Don't they know only freight dawgs should be up there in the middle of the night.
OOTSK!
TFaudree_ERAU
Mashin' dem buttons
What! You're kidding, right? Best I can do is 175 on 18 gph.
How about a yaw damper and a "soft" mode on the autopilot. I often disengage the autopilot and hand fly when it is turbulent. No excuse for the autopilot to chase the flight director like it does.
And some more fasteners on the fairings would be nice as well. Right now it is mostly silly putty or double sided tape or whatever that crap is that they use. We had one fly off in flight (at 4 am, over water; talk about getting your attention) and I'm starting to see more and more of it working lose.
And why is there no air/oil separator on the engine from the factory? We had to plop down $1500 to get one put on because we were spitting out a quart or so every couple of hours. I feel sorry for those owners with white paint jobs; the bottom surely gets caked with oil.
I HATE the single power lever. You can't get the power settings to correspond to the performance charts, no matter how hard you try. I'm not a fan running balls to the wall during climb either. I always bring it back to 2600 RPM at a safe altitude after takeoff. It is quieter, saves a little fuel, and I sure as hell can't see any performance decrease.
CoffeeIcePapers
Well-Hung Member
Still, floating into a mountain at 30 knots won't be fun either.
Fly_Unity
Well-Known Member
You must be running rich of peak. 75% power LOP I get around 195 True, and burn 15.3 GPH, bump it up to 85% and and its a 200 knot airplane, The book says 212 is max airspeed. Another thing is I normally cruise 16 thousand or higher which gives it a higher TAS. Minimum vectoring altitude is usually above 14 K here in the rockies. And I also got the Turbo which is a bit faster.
Also I not sure what year of Cirrus your flying, my 2008 has the yaw damper and softener. Its one of the few auto pilots that I flew in that can actually fly smoother in turbulence then myself. My white Cirrus's Belly also stays pretty clean, I think in the newer models its burned in the exhaust instead of just coating the underside with oil.
I teach my students full power in a climb, you need max fuel flow going into your engine, anything less is not the best on your engine, sure you save a little fuel, But you will pay for it later.
killbilly
Vocals, Lyrics, Triangle, Washboard, Kittens
Is that thing pressurized or do you have O2 in the plane?
OldTownPilot
Well-Known Member
No such thing as a pressurized Cirrus.
Fly_Unity
Well-Known Member
yes, you are exactly right. Look at this article...
http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2009/090326md.html?WT.mc_id=090327epilot&WT.mc_sect=tts
He shouldn't be flying in my opinion. This story amazes me every time I read it.
I remember reading forums where everyone was complaining about GPS when it was a new thing. Everyone was gonna forget how to navigate, and it would ruin aviation. Now I dont hear that as much anymore. I think it just takes a while for people to adjust to new technology.
rd757
Well-Known Member
OldTownPilot
Well-Known Member
Ahhhh, yes 'that guy'
We hosted a WINGS seminar a week after that pull. I thing we talked about that more than the original agenda.
braunpilot
What day is it?
They have, most GPS pilots flying forget to deal with VORs. In fact we have had one pilot fail and one pilot need remedial training during a recurrent 135 checkride because they couldn't use the VOR to navigate. It's still going to be an issue, same thing was probably said the same thing when VOR/LORAN was just coming out.
As far as ALL PILOTS who leave their strobes ON at night is just plain dumb! I had a DPE one time try to convince me that he never heard of anyone getting spacially disoriented at night because of strobes. He had the ear of my boss so I didn't say much more but I just wanted to read him the riot act. When I was working line service at SUS I couldn't tell you how many pilots think that the checklist is GOD and that there is no reason ever to deviate from the checklist. Baffles me.
So totally there with you Boris.:banghead::banghead: