I've heard from many sources that it takes about 10 hours to
transition.

It depends on two things - how complete a transition do you want, and
what is your experience going in.

For a novice IFR pilot who wants (or maybe needs) all the automation
and functionality the system has to offer, it can actually take longer.
For an experienced IFR steam gauge pilot who only wants as much
functionality as he is used to having, 15 minutes is closer to the
mark.

Although I didn't fly the Cirrus, I sat
in the aircraft while the owner spoke with someone else. He said we
could push any buttons we wanted to. So, I tried to think of all the
things I could normally do on an IFR flight. Amazingly, I had no
problems with any of the operations.

That was my experience as well. The first flight I ever took in the
Cirrus, I needed about 15 minutes to come up to speed on how everything
worked. 30 minutes into the flight I was teaching the owner how to use
his engine analyzer to operate LOP. At the end of that flight, the
pilot botched an ILS approach enough to peg the GS needle (in IMC, but
with a fly-down indication). By then, I was so comfortable with the
plane, I was able to talk him through a recovery to the approach.
There is still functionality there that I can't effectively use, but
what I can use is way more than what I have available in my Twin
Comanche.

So, I'm wondering if all this talk about a long transition
time is mostly for the generation that didn't grow up with computers.

Actually, I think the long transition is for those who are not already
experienced steam gauge pilots. Think about this - did you learn how
to program the flight plan capabilities of the map display, or were you
doing it all in direct-to mode? I do the latter - after all, that's
all we ever had flying fix-to-fix with VOR/DME. Can you program the
vertical guidance for enroute descent, or do you just figure that at
150 kts you need 5 nm per 1000 ft at 500 fpm, and at 180 kts you need 6
nm? Basically, what I'm saying is that there is probably a lot of
automation capability you're not using, but as an experienced IFR pilot
you probably don't need it.

The all-glass Cirrus has a set of emergency instruments - a card
compass, an ASI, altimeter, and AI. It also has dual 430's. If the
PFD fails, the factory recommends you couple up the A/P to the 430 and
not try to hand-fly it. I would almost certainly screw up trying to do
that. On the other hand, I have no doubt I could fly a good GPS
approach simply using the 430 map and the available panel. Partial
panel with an AI? Luxury!

Basically, I think most of the people getting into the Cirrus are NOT
experienced steam gauge IFR pilots. They mostly don't have the skills
to effectively fly such a fast and slippery airplane IFR in IMC without
the automation the system offers. Therefore, they need the long
transition to learn how to use the automation. For someone with 100+
hours of actual in Mooney/Bonanza/Comanche or similar airplanes with a
steam gauge panel, the complex automation is not at all necessary -
thus his transition is quick.

Michael