Pull Early, Pull Often

[ahramin]

The Only successful manufacturer of light aircraft since the early 1980,s has been cirrus.

In February 2011, Cirrus was sold for US$210M to China Aviation Industry General Aircraft (CAIGA), a subsidiary of Aviation Industry Corporation, which is wholly owned by the Government of the People's Republic of China.[38][39][40] The announcement of the sale was met with mixed responses. The Duluth News-Tribune, labelled it "a sinking feeling of impending loss", while Russ Niles of AvWeb said "Chinese participation in the aviation industry isn't necessarily a bad thing and the folks in Duluth and Grand Forks could have suffered a worse fate. In the absence of a sale, bankruptcy was a real possibility for Cirrus and it might have been hard for a trustee to justify operating the business with the numbers it was showing.

[Beefitarian]

Beef, you can't miss a flight if it's cancelled.

As for the Cirrus, go sit in one, I think you'd like it.

So it was intended to imply you could have a longer meeting because you don't need to be on time for a scheduled departure.

I have sat in them. I don't like that yoke stick. It seems like it moves funny (twisting instead of pushing like a regular stick.) and it is at a bad angle for me. I would like to fly one once out of curiosity. Even a sim with the side yoke.

[FenderManDan]

Well maybe this is a part of Cirrus SOP

I was watching a documentary on Russian SU-27 and pilots were commenting that they were happy to transition from the Mig 23 because the engine redundancy. In Mig 23 in the engine out situation the procedure was to eject. Maybe Cirrus has a pull the shute often part of the emergency procedure.

In all seriousness I see the BRS is a good option for the following:
- Night emergency over unknown terrain (good PDM can fix this most of the time).
- Mid air collision.
- Pilot incapacitated emergency.

Cmmon guys, SR 22 is a good plane (planes don't crash pilots do), it seems to me that we are seeing the same type of crowd driving these that had the same issues in Bonanzas in the past. I would love to have one if they were costing less.

[Beefitarian]

At AirVenture there was a BRS sales booth with a red bird to play on. I watched a guy fly to his simulated death and the operator/sales guy explained. "We're not teaching how to deal with emergencies. We're teaching you when to pull the handle."

I went for a turn and tried way too long to get the thing down safely. Eventually I gave in and pulled the handle.

[Colonel Sanders]

SR 22 is a good plane

I'm sure it is. The problem is that the Cirrus marketing
and sales team are intent on putting people in them,
that are simply not competent to fly them. That's their
business model.

I'm amazed that the insurance companies haven't caught
on to this yet, and blacklisted them - sort of like trying to
insure a teenager on a 180hp sportbike.

There's nothing wrong with a 180hp sportbike. There is
something very wrong with trying to market them to 16
year old, brand new motorcycle riders. This is not ethical
or moral behaviour.

This is really pretty simple to understand.

[Shiny Side Up]

Well maybe this is a part of Cirrus SOP

On that topic, I was perusing my pilot operating instructions for the DHC-1, and for many things they just advise the pilot to hit the silk. It didn't seem like they had a lot of faith in some of the trainee's pilot skills.

[Beefitarian]

Wait, when did you get a DHC-1?

[Colonel Sanders]

I shudder to think what a Cirrus pilot would
do to a poor Chipmunk

See, the difference between us and a Cirrus
salesman, is that when we watch this video:



We think, "What a twat! I wouldn't let him
push my lawnmower"

But a Cirrus salesman thinks, "If that guy has
a lot of money, we can sell him one of these:"

[Shiny Side Up]

I shudder to think what a Cirrus pilot would
do to a poor Chipmunk

Fortunately I don't think we have to worry about that. Most Cirrus owners would sneer at the little chipmunk's inconvinience and lack of glass.

Wait, when did you get a DHC-1?

I haven't, but the possibility of flying one has arisen, so I thought I'd better be ready to jump on that opportunity. Besides I like reading that sort of stuff.

[iflyforpie]

On that topic, I was perusing my pilot operating instructions for the DHC-1, and for many things they just advise the pilot to hit the silk. It didn't seem like they had a lot of faith in some of the trainee's pilot skills.

Then according to some they had too much faith in trainee's pilot skills by recommending an intentional spin for cloud breaking in a Tiger Moth.

[Beefitarian]

Wait, when did you get a DHC-1?

I haven't, but the possibility of flying one has arisen, so I thought I'd better be ready to jump on that opportunity. Besides I like reading that sort of stuff.

Hmmm, my coffee offer stands. I'll also buy fluids for the plane and a pizza.

Barring that could I borrow the POH?

[Colonel Sanders]

You can have your own, for $13:

http://www.esscoaircraft.com/p-4919-deh ... tions.aspx

[Shiny Side Up]

Curse you Colonel for posting that link before, I keep shopping there.

[Colonel Sanders]

First, you have to admit that you have a problem ...

PS Pilot's Notes are an additional $17:

http://www.esscoaircraft.com/p-4918-deh ... notes.aspx

Both are available by PDF!

[Shiny Side Up]

I've had that problem for a long time. I collect airplane books and especially pilot instructions (already have the second one of those publications...) I can remember my first favorite airplane that I spotted in a book, a Curtiss P-40 of course. The best part is that I can write off such purchases! Life is good.

[5x5]

Awesome. Now Cirrus has realized better pilot training is a good idea. But not in how to make good decisions or actually fly the plane, but how to use their safety gimmicks. I call them gimmicks as I don't believe they should replace proper piloting. Yet Cirrus is once again pursuing the notion that the problem seems to be not using the safety features enough, rather than avoiding situations where you need them at all. I added the bolding in the following quote from AvWeb.com's newsletter.

Average Safety "Not Acceptable" to Cirrus

Cirrus Deploys Chute Training

Cirrus says it has made pilot safety its new top priority with a program designed to ensure the pilots of its aircraft know how, and perhaps more importantly when, to use the built-in safety features, including the parachute. In announcing Cirrus Approach, CEO Dale Klapmeier said the Cirrus safety record is "on par" with other designs even though Cirrus aircraft have a host of safety features, like automatic levelers and flight envelope detection and overrides, plus the chute, meaning an average safety rating "is not acceptable to us." He said the Cirrus Approach aims to change that. "If pilots do not utilize these features or are not trained properly on how to use them, then these safety devices are not as effective as they could be," Klapmeier said. "Cirrus Approach is our new commitment to making Cirrus pilots safer."

Although there have been more than 40 intentional deployments of the parachute and 69 lives saved, Cirrus believes there have been many more instances when the handle should have been pulled. "We believe a lack of training and practice are the primary reasons pilots do not use CAPS when they should," said Rob Haig, Cirrus's director of flight operations. The company has created new training materials that it's encouraging every Cirrus pilot to go to.

[ahramin]

the Cirrus safety record is "on par" with other designs even though Cirrus aircraft have a host of safety features, like automatic levelers and flight envelope detection and overrides, plus the chute

Yeah saw that one too. So is it that these features aren't any use? Or is it that they do improve safety which is then negatively offset by the poor pdm they "encourage".

[jump154]

An other One:

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/cheltenham-pla ... ml#6P8IzTe

apparently it was a "miracle that he survived" but fortunately enough "The glass in the cockpit was not damaged"

ho hum, and who is Charlie Dimmock?