On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 16:13:20 +0100, Stefan
wrote:

Dave Stadt wrote:

That is exactly what Dan said...excess pilot confidence which leads to poor
judgment which leads to a dead pilot.

I've understood Dan's post as Cirrus specific, something to the lines
that the SR22 is difficult to fly and requires more training. Flying

Part of that is true. It's not difficult to fly, but it's hot and
slippery and does require more training. Sirrus has a very
comprehensive training program. The transition to the SR22 is little
different than transitioning to an A-36 except for the gear. The
speed is far more of an issue than the gear. There appears to be a
set of pilots who think of it as just another fixed gear airplane with
an extra safety factor to keep them out of trouble. It has fixed gear,
but it is not just another fixed gear airplane.

It takes a different mind set to fly a 200 MPH plus airplane than it
does a 130 MPH airplane and it's not something that many adjust to
quickly. You easily have to be thinking twice as far ahead.

Pilots should think of the Cirrus in the same light as an A-36 without
having to think about lowering the gear. The Cirrus is actually a bit
faster than the A-36 and this creates a situation where we have a 130
MPH mind in a 200 MPH airplane and it is not a trivial difference.

Not only does the airplane travel a lot faster, you can get into
trouble a lot faster and it is far less forgiving than a Cherokee,
172, or even 182.

into icing conditions at night is nothing Cirrus specific. But I may be
wrong.

I think it's part of that mind set that thinks of a fixed gear
airplane with a BRS for safety and they use that to rationalize
launching into conditions they'd never go near in a conventional
airplane such as the 172.

When my insurance company wanted 25 hours of dual before carrying
passengers I thought it was a bit much, but it took me most of that to
catch up with the airplane although a lot of it was under the hood.
After that it took another couple hundred hours before I really knew
the airplane. It still teaches me something quite often.

A late friend who was a Bo specialist once asked after observing me,
come down, slow down, and use minimal runway, "Do you think you could
have done that two years ago?" and the answer was, "no".

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Stefan