No, I have a laundry list of things that they've done right and I've had lunch with Alan Klapmeier and told him as much a few years back:
-The BRS (great idea, but the application is a little flawed, that's all)
-The "crumple zones" under the seats are a wonderful idea and probably one of the reasons the mortality rate isn't even higher in Cirrus crashes.
-Most of the avionics are what I can only hope for as a GA pilot in almost any other aircraft
The under-seat crumple zones were probably put there so the BRS can do its job - The landing gear is designed to take a lot of energy out of the "fall" as well.
Right, which goes back to a problem in marketing- you market to people who think they are Maverick, things tend to go badly when you get into a flat spin. It's not a fault with the aircraft, but then again the misguided marketing of the aircraft is as much the responsibility of the company as the problems with the design.
They're marketing it to newbies WITH a full complement of training that's actually very well thought-out... They can't help it if Maverick decides he doesn't need that training.
1. It's not the only one with the BRS fitted to it (another little "fact" I hear the Cirrus reps like to tell, so I won't fault you for repeating it), nor was it even the first.
I know - I figured we were still trying to compare apples to apples. It
is the only
certified airplane that has a BRS as standard equipment. It's optional on the Symphony, can be purchased aftermarket for the C172/C182, and is also available on several light sport models as well as the ultralights.
Now it is one of the only ones with it considered standard, but the reasons for that are arguable but given that I like Mr. Klapmeier and respect the hell out of him for his efforts to make a safer plane (even if the end result has an appalling safety record...several of the subsystems in the aircraft should be considered standards by which any future design should be measured), I will take him at his word that it wasn't an engineering shortcut.
There is
one and only one reason that every Cirrus has a BRS parachute.
2. Everyone makes mistakes, even you and even me. Everyone. No one is above a moment of inattention. It's this "I'm better than that guy" or "He's a ****ty pilot and I'm not because...." attitude that gets people into situations where other egotistical pilots describe THEM in those terms when they are no longer around to defend themselves.
I still contend that you'd have to try pretty damn hard to spin it in the first place. "Inattention" won't spin it.
I find it disgusting that you want to put the profits of a company ahead of the lives of our friends, colleagues and their families.
I don't give a rat's patootie about their profits, and don't you dare say I care more about them than people.
Do a search for posts on Cirrus prior to late July of '05, and you'll see I was once a Cirrus-basher just like you. Then, I interviewed Alan Klapmeier... And I did not hold back! But he had an answer for everything, and I gained a great deal of respect for him, his company, and his products. I was really sad to see him go, that is a great loss to the company.
Bottom line, Cirrus tries hard to bring new pilots into the fold, and they try very hard to make their planes as safe and easy to fly as possible. Sure, there's room for improvement - But there ain't a perfect plane's been invented yet.
So I have to give them a lot of credit for what they've accomplished.
It'll be a few weeks before I'm back to normal...
