It is kind of disconcerting to see this happening, but keep in mind that it
may not be statistically significant compared to the crash rate of Cessnas,
Pipers, Beeches, etc... I expect that we're all a bit more aware of Cirrus
right now because of the recent BRS deployment, so any news regarding Cirrus
is going to be noticed more now than it would be at another point in time.

Someone mentioned they hate the plane... I have yet to fly in one, but I
know it certainly offers everything I could hope to want in a small general
aviation plane (except for the bathroom for my wife!) It's roomy,
redundant, and fast. I really like the idea of the side stick... that must
make dealing with charts soooooo much easier with all the space freed up in
front of you. Not to mention more room for the three course meal mid-flight.


I am concerned though about the incidents I've been hearing about all of the
systems failing simultaneously. That is certainly not something I would
expect to happen with a plane with dual redundant electrical systems.
Especially not one costing over $300k. BRS is nice, but again, there is no
substitute for training, practice, and more training to keep yourself
current. Right now, I'm more than comfortable with the 172SP, and would love
to fly an SR-22... it would make getting from NJ to Atlanta much zippier...
but I know my experience level has a ways to go before I'm ready for the
challenge of stepping up to something faster and more complex.

--
Guy Elden Jr.

"Otis Winslow" wrote in message
...
What is it about these that has them involved in so many
crashes? Are they that difficult to fly? Are there some
gotchas with them?


"James L. Freeman" wrote in message
om...
A four-place Cirrus crashed yesterday near Greenwood, SC. There were
not many details in the paper this morning. There were four on board,
all killed. It went down in a wooded area near a golf course shortly
after takeoff. There was no mention of a parachute deployment. They
had arrived a few hours before for a business meeting and did not
refuel before takeoff, but in the picture it appeared that the
aircraft was destroyed by fire after impact so there must have been
fuel on board.