What is it like to fly a Cirrus?

VWGhiaBob said:
More on landings...other things that make the Cirrus harder to land right....

1. Faster...in some cases a lot faster...80 knots short final (77 short field); I believe in preserving brakes, and use every inch of our airfield's 4,000 foot runway every time.

2. Little / no feedback from the yoke...a real adjustment when you flight Cessna' and Pipers

3. Zero forgiveness in a Cirrus. Want to porpoise? Come 5 in knots too fast. What to smack the runway? Come in 5 knots too slow.

The Cirrus is EASY for me to land now after 80 hours. I check airspeed every couple of seconds. It takes way more skill than any other plane I've flown so far, and I've flown them all.
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Sometimes things that are difficult becomes easier with practice.
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Isn't the chute in that portion of the plane?
I dont know how much space the chute takes up.
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No, there is no overlap between the chute and the luggage area.
You can gain even more luggage space by folding unused seats.
 
Coming from a Grumman Tiger, I never found the Cirrus unusual or difficult to land.

Handles "stick all the way back/full stall/60kias" landings just fine.

Here's one a student did that I thought was superb:

http://youtu.be/XR4OBrYTRrA

Some might consider Wimpy's a short/difficult mountain field. Really no issue at all with good airspeed control.
 
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Reading the most recent issue of Cirrus Pilot there was an article
on Cirrus accidents and it mentioned how safety has improved dramatically.
It also mentioned how landing accidents stayed the same.
So there is probably something to landing difficulty
in a Cirrus.


Happy Turkey day everyone!
 
FloridaPilot said:
So there is probably something to landing difficulty
in a Cirrus.
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Maybe, but in my opinion no more so than a Grumman, or a Mooney for that matter

None does well if forced onto the ground fast and flat - bouncing and/or porpoising are likely results.

But there is a simple solution: don't land fast and flat!
 
FastEddieB said:
Maybe, but in my opinion no more so than a Grumman, or a Mooney for that matter

None does well if forced onto the ground fast and flat - bouncing and/or porpoising are likely results.

But there is a simple solution: don't land fast and flat!
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Agreed. Airspeed control is important. It will land amazingly smooth...also I feel crosswind control is much better in an SR22 as compared to other aircraft
 
N801BH said:
There is a gal who comes through here yearly from Cirrus giving intro flights...

I never had the nerve to lie to her to get a free demo ride under the pretense of me being a future buyer...:no:.........:redface:
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They send out postcards around here. Similar moral problem, for me. I'm sure they give plenty of one time joyrides though.
 
I am surprised by some of the comments. I found the G5 I demoed (another thread) to be super easy to fly. I seriously wonder how anyone could get into trouble in one. Bring it onto a 2 mile final at 170 indicated and land on brick one easily. Try that in a Mooney and you'll land in the next state. Stalls? Please what stalls, super forgiving. i've flown the G3 and G5, both about the easiest aircraft I've ever flown.
 
Alexb2000 said:
I am surprised by some of the comments. I found the G5 I demoed (another thread) to be super easy to fly. I seriously wonder how anyone could get into trouble in one. Bring it onto a 2 mile final at 170 indicated and land on brick one easily. Try that in a Mooney and you'll land in the next state. Stalls? Please what stalls, super forgiving. i've flown the G3 and G5, both about the easiest aircraft I've ever flown.
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That can be part of the issue. After enough time in the aircraft it is easy to let ones guard down because it is so easy to fly and situational awareness is easy with all the data piped into the flight deck. It breeds complacency that can sneak up on you and result in a negative outcome to the flight. It's not just a cirrus issue. I have seen the same thing happen to pilots in the 121/135 environment flying jet aircraft with all the fly by wire and flight deck automation goodies. I think aircraft like the cirrus introduce the same issues into the GA environment.

Cool things like GPSS roll steer, single lever power management, radio auto tuning and computer queuing of systems management require the pilot to monitor and manage the flight in a passive rather than active manner, something that is contrary to the way we are wired.
 
I don't get it what kind of landing it would be doing 170 kts 2 miles before runway. It would be a demo of no-flap landing I guess, on sufficiently long runway it would probably work, don't understand the point though.
 
olasek said:
I don't get it what kind of landing it would be doing 170 kts 2 miles before runway. It would be a demo of no-flap landing I guess, on sufficiently long runway it would probably work, don't understand the point though.
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It was really just an example of a fast plane that slows down fast. If I remember approach flaps were 150. Pull the power, big prop feels like an air brake, in seconds you're at 150, flaps, slow further, etc. Basically a normal landing. Closest thing I could relate it to is a Caravan, bring it in fast, pull the power, big prop adds tons of drag. Take a ride in one if you haven't, it has some surprising attributes.
 
Alexb2000 said:
Pull the power, big prop feels like an air brake, in seconds you're at 150, flaps, slow further, etc.
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OK, this is unexpected, I kept reading how slippery and difficult to slow down in descent those aircraft are. Somebody was even complaining that Cirrus doesn't come with optional speed brakes whereas Cessna 400 can have them.
 
olasek said:
OK, this is unexpected, I kept reading how slippery and difficult to slow down in descent those aircraft are. Somebody was even complaining that Cirrus doesn't come with optional speed brakes whereas Cessna 400 can have them.
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If you pull the power back the SR22 will slow and sink pretty fast. The prop changes pitch automatically and becomes a lot more resistant.
 
It depends on what version you have. My SR22T G5 has a BIG prop and a 50% flap speed of 150 knots. It drops like a brick particularly when heavy. I've never had the need to go from 170 to landing in two miles but I've had the need more than once going into B/C airports with jet traffic where I had to keep my speed > 140 knots until short final and it's easy to do in the version of Cirrus I fly.
 
olasek said:
I don't get it what kind of landing it would be doing 170 kts 2 miles before runway. It would be a demo of no-flap landing I guess, on sufficiently long runway it would probably work, don't understand the point though.
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The demo is in being able to get it slowed down rapidly.
 
Doing that in a Cirrus, (Going from fast to slow) is a bad habit that I wouldn't want to adopt. I would have the technology in case I needed it, learned how to use it but I wouldn't make a habit out of it. Coming in fast is one of the worst things you can do while flying. Technology or not!
 
Actually it's an extremely important skill to have. There is nothing wrong with flying a 170 knots final IF Atc has asked for max forward speed. You aren't landing fast of really approaching fast. The cirrus will slow to flap speeds quickly and the flaps will bring you to a regular approach speed with 1/2-mile final left. I see absolutely no problem using the speed of the cirrus to fit into busy airports.
 
Barettaj said:
Actually it's an extremely important skill to have. There is nothing wrong with flying a 170 knots final IF Atc has asked for max forward speed.
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That is true, when asked but why would you make a habit out of it and do it every time you final?
 
FloridaPilot said:
That is true, when asked but why would you make a habit out of it and do it every time you final?
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You don't, but 1 in 5 approaches to keep in practice is good. I used to do 1 in 3 solo landings with one engine zero thrusted in twins. When you are a Pt 91 pilot, you are responsible for your own recurrent training, I just use a 'progressive' model where I do a bit here and there on every flight.
 
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