"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:OiQhc.2643$aQ6.415323@attbi_s51...

What's the group-think on this one? Is Cirrus just good at attracting
crappy pilots? Or is there something else at work here?

I think this will become the subject of lots of human factors research in
the future.

Personally I think a big part may be that Cirrus have oversold the plane by
planting the seed in pilots' minds that their equipment makes it an
all-weather airplane that reduces pilot workload. The fact is that no
piston airplane can compete with jets in terms of weather capabilities
and -- more importantly -- no amount of cockpit automation can replace the
required pilot dispatch judgment.

On top of that, the Cirrus is being sold to pilots with serious
high-utilization cross-country aspirations, yet the plane has no weather
datalink, no radar, is not known-ice certified, and only has a Stormscope if
that is purchased as an option.

So I think Cirrus has underemphasized the weather experience and equipment
needed if the airplane is to be used on serious IFR flights. And even at
that, there is still a limit on what is practical IMC for a piston airplane,
no less a piston single.


--------------------
Richard Kaplan, CFII

www.flyimc.com