The wide world of aircraft is now open to you, but what can you actually fly? Part of being a good pilot is recognizing that sometimes our eyes are bigger than our skill set. While hopping into a high-performance World War II warbird is a great goal, it is probably not the thing to do while waiting for the ink to dry on that new certificate.

That said, there will be a learning curve with any new-to-you model—and the possibilities are nearly limitless. Here are a few options to get you started that you can either step into right away or require just a few hours of further training.

Ultra-Modern: Cirrus SR22

If what turns your head is a sophisticated aircraft with advanced avionics, comfortable cockpit, and safety features such as a whole-airframe parachute, consider the Cirrus SR22 series. It may not be an entirely new model for everyone, given that it does see use in the training environment. However, between the depth of available features and its capabilities, there’s plenty of room for even more advanced pilots to expand their skill sets to take better advantage of all the model has to offer.

The latest version of the nonturbocharged SR22, the recently unveiled G7, boasts a top cruise speed of 181 knots, 1,169 nm range, and useful load of 1,326 pounds. Capable of seating up to five, it comes equipped with the G3000-esque Perspective Touch+ by Garmin avionics suite and offers an array of advanced features, including crew alerting system (CAS) linked checklists and taxiway routing. The SR22 is also a capable IFR machine, so becoming familiar with the model could be a particularly good option if you’re looking toward your next rating.

• READ MORE: This 2017 Cirrus SR22T Is a High-Performance, Parachute-Protected ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

Keep in mind that there can be a lot of variation within a model type. If you’ve flown an early generation SR22 in training, you could find yourself in for a few surprises when you get into the cockpit of a newer version like the G7—or vice versa. This holds true for any model that has seen updates over multiple production cycles, so check that you are familiar with the specific configuration of the version you’re getting ready to fly well before takeoff.

In general, the SR22 is faster than many trainers and a bit less forgiving than something like a Cessna 172, particularly when it comes to approach and landing speeds. If you’re stepping up from a slower airplane, beware of falling behind the aircraft.

To act as PIC, you will need a high-performance endorsement: typically five to 10 hours of additional training with the instructor signing you off once they feel you are competent. Insurance requirements will likely dictate the final amount.

As a side note, if you’re going all-in and buying a used Cirrus rather than renting, the company offers up to three days of instruction with one of its authorized training partners free of charge via the Cirrus Embark program. Free transition training with the experts is hard to come by and extraordinarily valuable, so don’t miss out.

Vintage: Piper J-3 Cub

Is there anything more iconic in general aviation than a little yellow Piper J-3 Cub? If you’re looking to get places quickly, overcoming all inclement weather, and staying aloft for as long as biology allows, move along. This isn’t the one for you.

But if what you want is a nostalgic meander through beautiful VFR days, honing your stick-and-rudder skills while feeling the wind in your hair, the Cub can be a great model to turn to. Introduced in 1937, the two-seat J-3 is among the most recognizable models around with nearly 20,000 produced and a stock paint job so identifiable that the color came to be called “Cub Yellow.”

• READ MORE: This 1947 Piper J-3 Cub Is a Historic, Beloved ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

Turning to the practicalities, if you don’t already have one, you will need a tailwheel endorsement to fly a J-3. It takes a rough average of 10 hours to complete but will put an array of interesting aircraft within your scope. Be warned: It will not be like flying a tricycle-gear trainer. Tailwheel aircraft have their own traps waiting for the unwary pilot—a much stronger predilection for ground loops, for example—so find a good instructor and pay close attention to the differences in handling characteristics. That said, with solid instruction flying a Cub is well within reach for a newer private pilot.

Pay attention to loading once you’re cleared to go up on your own. The Cub is little and light—two good-sized people can overload it, and it’s just not built for carrying much cargo. The stock 1947 version is powered by a 65 hp Continental engine (the earliest model had just 40 hp), offering a cruise speed of around 65 knots, 191 nm range, and useful load of 455 pounds.

To be fair, the J-3 is also not going to win any awards for cabin comfort. What it has, though, is style and history. The Cub is also a reasonable place to start if you’re looking to fly more complicated vintage aircraft in the future.

Solid Performance: Cessna 172 Skyhawk

Sometimes it just isn’t worth messing with a good thing. The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a reliable, stable performer with a long history of taking pilots where they need to go. It is easy to fly, easy to land, and capable of a little bit of everything. That’s why it remains such a popular all-around trainer.

Alongside its general cabin comfort, those same characteristics make it a great option for new private pilots. In addition to being familiar to many, it requires no further endorsements or ratings and keeps to speeds common to other ab initio training aircraft—meaning timing in the cockpit will likely be similar even if you learned in something else. Furthermore, if you’re going to be renting, they’re easy to find pretty much anywhere.

• READ MORE: This 1968 Cessna 172 Skyhawk Is an All-Around Capable ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

Like many of the other aircraft discussed, there is a lot of variation in 172 models even when only considering stock versions. Get to know the specific model you’ll be flying. Among other examples—and it probably goes without saying at this point—if you trained on one type of avionics (i.e. glass vs. analog gauges or Garmin flight deck vs. Avidyne), plopping yourself down in front of another without someone to teach you best practices and pitfalls is, quite frankly, a terrible idea. If what’s available to you is different in any significant way than what you trained on, grab a qualified instructor and log some learning time before heading out on your own.

The latest Skyhawk model has a top cruise speed of 124 knots, range of 640 nm, and useful load of 878 pounds. It comes equipped with Garmin G1000 NXi avionics and can seat the pilot plus three passengers. While it may seem too plain for some—it isn’t the fastest, leggiest, or tech-iest for sure—there’s no reason not to love a jack-of-all trades aircraft like the 172.

On the Water: ICON A5

If you are looking to head toward the water with your new certificate, it is worth taking a look at the ICON A5 amphibious light sport aircraft (LSA). Designed with recreational aviation in mind, it aims to provide a simple, fun flying experience even for pilots new to seaplanes. It comes with many safety features, including a whole-airframe parachute.

As of December when the FAA granted it type certification in the primary category, the two-seat ICON A5 is available in certified and special light sport aircraft (S-LSA) versions. Both have a top speed of 95 knots, a 427 nm range, and a useful load of 430 pounds. Certified and S-LSA A5s are powered by the fuel-injected Rotax 912iS engine and come equipped with the Garmin aera 796.

• READ MORE: This 2017 ICON A5 Is a Fun-Loving Amphibian ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick

When acting as PIC, the primary difference between the two versions is what you are required to have to fly one. To operate the certified edition in the U.S., you will need a private pilot certificate and seaplane rating. However, the S-LSA model, which ICON began delivering to customers in 2017, will continue to require a sport pilot certificate with a seaplane endorsement. Make sure you know what you need to legally fly the model in front of you.

If a seaplane rating or endorsement is all that stands in your way, the time frame for getting one tends to be about the same as the tailwheel endorsement: typically five to 10 hours of dedicated instruction, with the bar being when the instructor feels you are demonstrating proficiency.

Like most seaplane models, it can be quite difficult to find an A5 to rent. However, if you’re in the market for your own aircraft or one is available to you, it makes for a good launch into the world of amphibious aircraft.

Jet-A Traveler: Diamond DA40 NG

The four-seat Diamond DA40 NG has made a name for itself as a sleek, efficient, and easy-to-fly option for everyone from students to experienced IFR pilots. Its Austro AE 300 engine burns jet-A, making it a great entry-level choice for pilots looking to fly cross-country and/or in areas where avgas isn’t readily available. It is worth noting that the NG’s counterpart, the avgas-burning DA40 XLT, is a significantly different airplane, though worthy of consideration in its own right.

Along with offering great visibility through the bubble canopy, the DA40 NG is a comfortable cross-country machine with good range and reasonable speed for its type. As with the 172, no additional ratings or endorsements are needed to fly one. Once introductory flights are complete and you are comfortable with the aircraft, you’re good to go.

• READ MORE: The Diamond Aircraft Story Continues to Evolve

The newest version of the DA40 NG sports a top cruise speed of 154 knots, 934 nm range, and useful load of 897 pounds. Notably, its fuel consumption comes in at just 5.1 gallons per hour. On the avionics side, it is equipped with the Garmin G1000 NXi flight deck.

In addition to its range, the fuel burn in particular makes the DA40 NG an attractive choice for a new private pilot looking to go places. It can travel a long way on much less than many of its competitors. Another point in the model’s favor is the cockpit noise…or lack thereof. The diesel engine runs on the quieter side.

The DA40 NG is a well-behaved flyer, so transitioning to one shouldn’t be too complicated for most—assuming you didn’t learn to fly in one in the first place.

Fair Winds, Clear Skies

There are a nearly endless number of aircraft models out there, with pathways available straight to the left seats of a great many. While it may take step-ups, additional ratings, or endorsements, make a plan, get the training, and go for your dream airplane.

Who knows? You may even fall in love with a few others along the way.

This feature first appeared in the March 2024/Issue 946 of FLYING’s print edition.

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As you will have guessed, since you are reading about this in Aftermath and not in I Learned About Flying From That, the flight did not end well. About 25 minutes after takeoff and shortly after crossing the Arkansas border, the 31-year-old pilot, whose in-command time amounted to 75 hours, lost control of the airplane and went down in a remote woodland. All aboard perished.

A few minutes before the impact, as he was climbing to 9,500 feet msl, the pilot contacted ATC and requested flight following. The weather along his route—which, notably, he had last checked with ForeFlight 17 hours earlier—was generally VFR, with a chance of scattered convective activity. There was, however, one patch of rainy weather just to the left of his course, and the controller advised him to turn right to avoid it.

On the controller’s display, the target of the Cirrus crept eastward just below the edge of the weather. Radar paints rain, however, not cloud. The flight was over a remote area with few ground lights and the harvest moon had not yet risen, but its hidden glow may have faintly defined an eastern horizon. In the inspissated blackness of the night, the pilot, whose instrument experience was limited to what little was required for the private certificate, probably could not tell clear air from cloud.

As the Cirrus reached 9,500 feet, it began to turn to the left toward the area of weather. Perhaps the tasks of trimming and setting the mixture for cruise distracted the pilot from his heading. The controller noticed the change and pointed it out to the pilot, who replied he intended to return to Muskogee. He now began a turn to the right. Rather than reverse course, however, he continued the turn until he was heading northward back into the weather. The controller, who by now sensed trouble, said to the pilot that he showed him on a heading of 340 degrees and asked whether he concurred. The pilot, whose voice until this point had betrayed no sense of unease, replied somewhat incoherently that “the wind caught me, [but now] I’m out of it.”

With a tone of increasing urgency, the controller instructed the pilot to turn left to a heading of 270. The pilot acknowledged the instruction, but he did not comply. Instead, he continued turning to the right. At the same time, he was descending at an increasing rate and was now at 6,000 feet. “I show you losing serious altitude,” the controller said. “Level your wings if able and fly directly southbound…Add power if you can.”

It was already too late. In a turning dive, its speed increasing past 220 knots, the Cirrus continued downward. Moments later, its radar target disappeared.

In its discussion of the accident, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) focused upon the pilot’s preparedness—in the broadest sense—for the flight. A former Marine, he should have been semper paratus—always ready—but his history suggested a headstrong personality with a certain tendency to ignore loose ends as he plunged ahead.

He had failed his first private pilot test on questions related to airplane systems; he passed on a retest the following week. But this little glitch tells us nothing about his airmanship. His instructor reported he responded calmly and reasonably to turbulence, and was “good” at simulated instrument flight. He had enrolled in Cirrus Embark transition training shortly before acquiring the airplane. He completed all of the flight training lessons, but—again, a hint of impatience with tiresome minutiae—may not have completed the online self-study lessons. The flight training was strictly VFR and did not include night or instrument components.

The airplane was extremely well equipped for instrument flying, but it was a 2001 model, and its avionics were, according to the Cirrus Embark instructors, “old technology” and “not easy to use.” In other words, it did not have a glass panel, and its classical instruments, which included a flight director, were sophisticated and possibly confusing to a novice. The airplane was equipped with an autopilot, and the pilot had been trained in at least the elements of its use.

The airplane was also equipped with an airframe parachute, but it was not deployed during the loss of control. In any case, its use is limited to indicated speeds below 133 kias, and it might not have functioned properly in a spiral dive.

• READ MORE: Dissecting a Tragedy in the Third Dimension

An instructor familiar with the pilot and his airplane—whether this was the same instructor as the one whom he called on the night of the fatal flight is not clear—wrote to the NTSB that the pilot had made the night flight to South Carolina at least once before, and he had called her at midnight before departing to come help him fix a flat tire. She declined and urged him to get some sleep and make the trip in the morning.

“I told him he was starting down the ‘accident chain,’” she wrote. “New pilot, new plane, late start, nighttime, bad terrain, etc….To me, he seemed a little overly self-confident in his piloting skills, but he didn’t know enough to know what he didn’t know.”

He fixed the tire himself and made the trip safely that night. Undoubtedly, that success encouraged him to go again.

We have seen over and over how capable pilots, including ones with much more experience than this pilot, fail to perform at their usual level when they encounter weather emergencies. A sudden, unexpected plunge into IMC—which, on a dark night, can happen very easily—opens the door to a Pandora’s box of fear, confusion, and disorientation for which training cannot prepare you.

There are two clear avenues of escape. One is the autopilot. Switch it on, take your hands off the controls, breathe, and count to 20. The fact the pilot did not take this step suggests how paralyzed his mental faculties may have become.

The other is the attitude indicator. It’s a simple mechanical game. Put the toy airplane on the horizon line and align the wings with it. That’s all. It’s so simple. Yet in a crisis, apparently, it’s terribly hard to do. The fact that so many pilots have lost control of their airplanes in IMC should be a warning to every noninstrument-rated pilot to treat clouds—and, above all, clouds in darkness—with extreme respect.

This column first appeared in the November 2023/Issue 943 of FLYING’s print edition.

The post A Night Flight Leads a Pilot to a Tragic End appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Recent years have seen a general drift toward longer spans and higher aspect ratios. The Beechcraft Bonanza has a span of 33.5 feet and an aspect ratio of 6.2; the Cirrus SR22, which might be seen as today’s Bonanza, has a span of more than 38 feet and an aspect ratio of 10.1. The trend is generally toward greater aerodynamic efficiency, partly in response to fuel costs and partly because the increasing use of turbocharging leads to higher cruising altitudes, where longer wings are more at home.

The two airplanes I’ve built, Melmoth and Melmoth 2, are (or were—the first Melmoth was destroyed in an accident long ago) broadly similar, with low wings, T-tails, bubble canopies, retractable gear, and the same 200 hp Continental 360 engine and Hartzell constant-speed prop. The first Melmoth was aluminum, with 2+1 seating; the second is composite and seats four. Both were built with long-distance travel in mind and have lots of internal tankage: Melmoth’s wing and tip tanks held 155 gallons; Melmoth 2’s completely wet wings hold 142 gallons. The two Melmoths, with the same engine, propeller, empty weight, and cabin cross-section, differ significantly in one aspect: wingspan. The first began life with a wingspan of 23 feet and went through 21-foot and 28-foot iterations before its eventual demise. Melmoth 2 has a wingspan of 36 feet but only a little more wing area—106 square feet to the first Melmoth’s 93. (For comparison, the wing areas of most commercial four-seaters range from 145 to 180 square feet.) The first Melmoth’s aspect ratio was 5.75; Melmoth 2’s is 12.6.

Span and area are entangled with one another in the sense that structural strength and stiffness (not to mention space for retracting landing gear) require a certain wing thickness, and that in turn implies a minimum chord (the distance from leading to trailing edge), because airfoils shouldn’t be too thick. So you can’t just increase span willy-nilly without at some point having to increase chord and area as well. However, increasing the wing area, which was originally selected to permit a certain landing speed at a certain weight, adds drag and makes the airplane heavier.

Increased wingspan—other things remaining the same—rewards you with better efficiency and climb rate, and improved high-altitude performance. The first Melmoth had a maximum lift-drag, or L/D, ratio of about 11.8 and a “Breguet range”—a fictional, greatly exaggerated number that ignores takeoff, climb, and varying engine efficiency and assumes that you always fly at a low and ever-decreasing ideal speed—of 3,000 nm. Melmoth 2, with half again the span, has an L/D ratio of 17 and a Breguet range of 3,600 nm, despite carrying 8 percent less fuel. Rate of climb is less strongly influenced by span than L/D and range are, but Melmoth 2, climbing at 1,800 fpm at full power and a typical weight of 2,200 pounds, betters the original Melmoth by about 20 percent.

Note that I said “half again the span” and added nothing about aspect ratio. That is because, contrary to widespread belief, aspect ratio actually does not enter into it. Aspect ratio is generally thought of as the quintessential measure of efficiency, but if you could double an airplane’s wing area (thereby halving the aspect ratio) without increasing its parasite drag, the L/D ratio and Breguet range would remain the same. But you can’t increase wing area without increasing drag and weight, and that’s why aspect ratio becomes important: It’s a measure of how little wing area you can have with a given span.

Curiously, and I think unexpectedly for most pilots, altitude also does not enter into it. You might intuitively suppose that thinner air would make the airplane more efficient, but in fact neither the maximum L/D ratio nor the maximum range is affected by altitude.

You will object that at 8,000 feet you will go faster, with the same fuel flow, than at 2,000 feet. True. But that is because your indicated airspeed is lower. If you flew at the same indicated airspeed and fuel-air ratio at both altitudes, you would find your fuel flow is greater at the high altitude. The reason is that drag at a given indicated airspeed is the same at all altitudes, but the power required to overcome it is proportional to the square of the true airspeed, not the indicated airspeed. At the bestrange speed, the miles per gallon is at a maximum, however, and is unaffected by altitude except to the extent the engine’s efficiency might vary at different settings of manifold pressure and rpm.

• READ MORE: Do Flaps Make Lift?

“Best range” and “best efficiency” are not seen in normal flying. Under actual cruising conditions, Melmoth 2 is not that different from the original Melmoth. The reason is that maximum L/D and the Breguet range assume speeds that are quite low—around 40 percent above the clean stalling speed—and remote from those we actually use. At real-world speeds, 65 percent or 75 percent power, the differences shrink. Melmoth 2 will cruise at 170 knots at 12,500 feet using about 8.5 gallons an hour—about 60 percent of rated power; the first Melmoth would burn about 9.6, around 70 percent power, at the same weight and altitude. So you see that despite a 50 percent improvement in best L/D, the practical benefit of the longer wing is much smaller.

When I designed the first Melmoth, I was strongly influenced by John Thorp and his T-18 homebuilt, whose wing I copied almost exactly. Thorp, who also designed the original rectangular-wing Piper Cherokee, used to say that low aspect ratio wings perform better than theory would lead you to expect, and he was adamant there was no reason to taper the wings of any airplane weighing less than 12,000 pounds. When I designed Melmoth 2, however, I was more influenced by Burt Rutan’s derisive observation that if I intended to fly long distances, I had certainly chosen the wrong wing to do it. Aesthetics, too—hence the long, slender, tapered wing of Melmoth 2, of which Thorp might have disapproved.

For efficiency—the least fuel burned for the most work done—a large wingspan is necessary. But Melmoth 2’s long wing cost it the rollicking roll rate I enjoyed so much in the first Melmoth. Melmoth 2 rolls more like an Airbus. Sometimes, I think I would pay for the extra fuel just to have the rolls back.

This column first appeared in the November 2023/Issue 943 of FLYING’s print edition.

The post The Importance of Wingspan Can’t Be Underestimated appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Today’s Top Pick is a 2005 Cirrus SR22 G2.

In more than 20 years on the general aviation market, Cirrus has evolved from an ambitious startup to an industry powerhouse turning out today’s most popular GA aircraft. I recently reread Free Flight: Inventing the Future of Travel, James Fallows’ 2001 book that follows the company through the early days of bringing its SR aircraft to market. People who read the book will understand why Cirrus succeeded where so many other aspiring aircraft makers failed. They will also see that starting an airplane company is a monumentally tall order even if you begin with a great idea.

Today a lot of the details that made Cirrus aircraft different from the competition, such as composite construction, design cues taken from the auto industry, and airframe parachute, have become more common and accepted. Two of the three partners who owned my Commander 114B before I bought it are now flying Cirrus SR22s. Both seem smitten. There also are many older aircraft that have been retrofitted with similar parachute systems. One of them, a Cessna 182, lives two hangars away from my airplane. 

This Cirrus SR22 has 2,200 hours on the airframe and zero hours since overhaul on its Continental IO-550-N engine. The aircraft has a new interior installed in 2022. The panel includes an Avidyne Entegra FlightMax PFD/MFD, PMA 450B audio panel, Avidyne IFD 550 and IFD 440, Avidyne DFC 90 autopilot, and  Lynx NGT9000 transponder. 

Pilots who have always wanted a Cirrus but have yet to find one that is “just right” should consider this 2005 Cirrus SR22 G2, which is available for $499,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

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The post This 2005 Cirrus SR22 G2 Is a Thoroughly Modern ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), both aircraft were on approach to parallel runways that were controlled by different controllers on different control tower frequencies at the time of the accident.

Parallel Runway Operations

At approximately 10:23 a.m. local time on May 12, 2021, both the Cirrus and the Metroliner were approaching to land at Centennial Airport. The Cirrus was assigned to Runway 17R, and the Metroliner to Runway 17L.

“The pilot of the Swearingen was established on an extended final approach for the left runway, while the pilot of the Cirrus was flying a right traffic pattern for the right runway,” the NTSB said in its final report released this week.

According to NTSB, data from an on-board recording device showed that the Cirrus’ airspeed on the base leg of the approach was more than 50 knots above the manufacturer’s recommended speed of 90 to 95 knots.

According to the Cirrus pilot’s operating handbook and aircraft flight manual” (POH/AFM), the recommended approach speed for the airplane was 90 to 95 knots indicated airspeed (kias) with flaps up, 85 to 90 kias with 50 percent flaps, and 80 to 85 kias with 100 percent flaps.

The data recovered from the Cirrus indicated that during the downwind portion of the airplane’s approach, the airspeed was about 125 kts., and the flaps were up. When the Cirrus turned on the base leg of the traffic pattern, the recorded airspeed had increased to 148 knots, but still had no flaps deployed. When the pilot turned from base to final, the flaps were lowered approximately 50 percent. Four seconds later, the impact occurred, with the Cirrus approximately halfway through the turn to final at an airspeed of 140 knots at an altitude of 6,619 feet msl.

The excessive speed increased the radius of the turn for the Cirrus, causing the pilot to overshoot the extended centerline for Runway 17R. The Cirrus veered into the airspace of the extended centerline for the left runway, where it collided with the Metroliner approximately three miles from the airport.

Both aircraft were substantially damaged. The Cirrus became uncontrollable, so the pilot activated the emergency parachute. The pilot of the Metroliner declared an emergency but was able to make what the NTSB describes as an ‘uneventful landing’ on the runway. The Cirrus came down approximately three miles from the runway.

According to the NTSB, “During the approach sequence the controller working the Swearingen did not issue a traffic advisory to the pilot regarding the location of the Cirrus and the potential conflict.”

However, the controller working the Cirrus did issue a traffic advisory regarding the Swearingen on the parallel approach.

The issuance of traffic information during simultaneous parallel runway operations was required by FAA Order JO 7110.65Y, which details air traffic control procedures and phraseology for use by persons providing air traffic control services.

Excessive Speed in Turns

Per the FAA’s Airplane Flying Handbook Chapter 3, figure 3-14, when the angle of bank is held constant, a slower airspeed will result in a smaller turn radius and greater turn rate. Conversely, a greater airspeed means a greater turn radius.

There have been other accidents where pilots were behind the aircraft as the high airspeed resulted in a turn with a greater radius resulting in a collision. In 2006 New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor Tyler Stanger were killed when Lidle’s Cirrus SR20 collided with a high rise apartment building during an attempt to perform a 180 degree turn over the East River VFR corridor. Twenty-one people were injured, and the building was heavily damaged by the subsequent fire. 

The NTSB determined that the Cirrus was going too fast to make the turn, as it would have taken in excess of 50 degrees of bank to safely do so. The NTSB was unable to determine who was flying at the time of the impact.

The post NTSB Releases Final Report on Colorado Midair appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

That was the case a few years ago when a long-time pilot friend told me she wanted to upgrade to a Beechcraft Bonanza that had come up for sale. It was in the middle of the pandemic, which meant she probably wasn’t alone in her pursuit, as more people were finally deciding to tap into the general aviation market.

The problem, my friend explained, was that while she earned her private ticket years ago, she hadn’t pursued her instrument rating because flying was still just a hobby for her. Years went by while she worked in another industry, and she only periodically kept up with flying, usually going up with friends. However, now, with money in hand from her professional endeavors, she had the means to buy her own airplane.

There’s a reason the Bonanza has been in production since 1947, with more than 17,000 built. For most pilots, it gets the job done. Even older versions with enough retrofits—through engine upgrades, new glass displays,and electronic instruments—will feel almost new. With a Bonanza, you can get in and out of most fields with relatively modest runways and navigate moderately inclement weather with confidence. If you add on tip tanks or even internal auxiliary tanks, ferrying a Bo across the U.S. is doable and allows you to explore many places that an airliner can’t take you. Finally, with a six-seater variant, you can bring a lot of company along. However, all of that comes with a few caveats because of the higher exposure to risks, simply because you can do more.

Therein lies the challenge for many would-be buyers who find that leaping up in the airplane ranks isn’t as easy as they’d like it to be. Insurance companies tend to find pilots who lack an instrument rating or more advanced certifications too great a risk to provide reasonably priced coverage. Providers consider a series of factors that include the pilot’s background, recency and proficiency experience, and the category and class of the aircraft as part of the final policy premium.

Of all these factors, the most pressing is pilot experience and hull value. Simply put, in the eyes of your insurance agent, a bigger, faster, and more powerful airplane will naturally require a more experienced pilot, regardless of the would-be owner’s ability to pay for it. The more my friend realized this, she saw that being able to afford the Bonanza was the easy part.

The logic isn’t unreasonable, since if you want to fly a big, powerful cross-country airplane consistently, you’re going to need the option to file IFR—and it will offer the pilot the ability to get to most destinations more quickly. Popular higher-performance airplanes, like the Bonanza, Mooney M20, Cirrus SR22—and even the Piper Arrow—all allow pilots to climb to higher altitudes, which means there will be more opportunities to run into instrument meteorological conditions during any phase of the flight.

Aside from just the instrument rating, complex airplanes with retractable landing gear, variable pitch propellers, turbochargers, pressurization systems, and even a second engine all mean there are other levels of complexity to master. Those all need someone at the yoke who can handle emergencies if things go wrong. It gets even trickier if the airplane is older with less modern instruments or equipment.

So, as my friend discovered, her airplane-buying options were seriously limited, once she took insurance into the equation—and in her case, until she earned her instrument rating. She had to overcome that first, so she tapped me to help her prepare for her check ride. The first question we needed to answer was, was it practical for her to train in the airplane she wanted to buy, or should she try to complete the certificate in another model? Well, most pilots with an instrument rating will agree that the thinking—and the speed at which that thinking needs to happen to stay ahead of an approach—isn’t intuitive. Consequently, being in a fast aircraft with additional complexities makes it easier to be overwhelmed.

Ultimately, we determined it would be better for her to master the core skills, as much as practical, first on the ground with available simulators or even mobile applications, and then in a slower airplane, such as a Cessna172. After she had truly mastered the skills needed to execute all phases of instrument flight independently and consistently, it would be easier to move up.

Here’s the other thing. Even after my friend gained her instrument rating and could purchase her aircraft, another challenge awaited. She would discover that her insurance rate would be much higher because she didn’t have enough pilot-in-command experience in the make and model. To lower her rate, she’d probably have to fly with an equally or higher-rated pilot who could support her and be on her policy. And, it would help if that person was an instructor.

Most likely, if there is transition training available for the airplane, as some pilot groups of the airplane manufacturer offer, she’d need to complete that too, to get the insurance benefits at a cheaper price. For newer airplanes, some manufacturers, like Cirrus, have established training programs to get owners up to speed to lessen the insurance burden, and if you have the means, it is worthwhile to consider.

So, where did that leave my friend? It was clear that adding an instrument rating would only enhance her flying experience. She’d be able to enjoy more destinations with her friends and worry less about getting stranded or worse, scud-running to avoid marginal weather. Moreover, she discovered that overall, more training would ultimately lower her costs of purchasing and operating bigger, faster, and more powerful airplanes. Frankly, who wouldn’t want that?

The post Moving on Up appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The latest hardware release from Avidyne brings the company back to an innovative platform through which it changed the game two decades ago: the Cirrus SR20 and SR22 equipped with the first large-format primary and multifunction flight displays for light aircraft. The first Avidyne Entegra PFDs introduced pilots to the wide horizon line, granting them intuitive attitude assessment—and the multifunction displays offered the ability to see GPS-driven moving maps in grand scale, along with digital engine indications and checklists.

On July 21, Avidyne announced its new avionics suite, the Vantage flight deck. With certification expected by 2022, Avidyne is aiming at the aftermarket, with the first round of certification poised for Cirrus aircraft, as owners of those Entegra-equipped SR20s and SR22s delivered in 2002 to 2008 have been asking for the ability to update their panels. Eventually, Avidyne expects to expand the product line into more airplane models, and helicopters as well. Following the aftermarket, the company plans to work with OEMs on factory installation, and also with advanced air mobility manufacturers.

“This is our marquee product announcement,” said Dan Schwinn, in an interview with Flying. “This is based on a brand-new hardware platform that’s the third generation of our display system. We decided that the generation of Cirruses that had our original Entegras was a good place to start. The oldest of those displays is 20 years old. We actually have no end in sight for our support for them, so it’s not like people can’t keep using them—but some people want to upgrade to the newest, latest, greatest.”

The Cirrus single-engine piston line is unique in that its instrument panel is unimpeded by a panel-mounted control yoke or wheel—the sidestick helps free up a lot of real estate on the panel itself. Combined with the placement of the Avidyne IFD series GPS nav/coms in the central pedestal, the new Vantage’s 12-inch screens fit neatly into the models targeted by the first release of the hardware. With roughly 4,000 aircraft that are candidates for the Vantage initially, the new flight deck is likely to gain good traction.

The XGA displays themselves are a distinct level up from legacy systems, with much improved brightness and clarity, as well as processor speeds. On the PFD installation, 3D synthetic vision comes standard and can be viewed on the MFD installation in a full reversionary mode. A hybrid touch user interface—which means you can use the touchscreen for given functions, or physical knobs and buttons on the display bezel. The page-and-tab interface keeps the menu structure shallow, so a pilot is less likely to drown in a cascading feature well. An AHRS in each display unit offers redundancy, and the system can use the existing aircraft magnetometer.

According to the press release, “The Vantage MFD will provide full and split screen displays of maps and flight plans, Jeppesen approach charts and airport diagrams, multiple user configurations, editable datablocks, checklists, and will share much of the same operational user interface as the popular IFD550/540/440 FMS/ GPS/ NAV/ COM systems. Avidyne Vantage will interface with existing engine instruments and SIU for engine instruments displayed on the Vantage MFD, or with newer DAUs that add primary engine instruments displayed on the Vantage PFD.” The system also integrates “tightly” with the DFC90 autopilot, according to Schwinn.

The introductory price per display is $12,500 with an Entegra core trade-in, and Avidyne anticipates a dual-display installation in those aircraft. Those wishing to be at the head of the list can make a reservation now.

The post Avidyne Debuts Vantage Flight Deck for Entegra-Equipped Cirrus Aircraft appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Cirrus Aircraft has revealed a 2019 Special Edition SR22T that is as noteworthy for its new look as for what’s included in the price. Each buyer who takes delivery of the $1.124 million airplane, dubbed the Arrivée model (French for “arrive”), will also receive complementary dining for four at a Michelin Starred restaurant and a luxury experience to go with it including VIP transportation to dinner and hotel accommodations in the city where the restaurant is located.

The gourmet dining perk continues a move by Cirrus to offer certain buyers luxury experiences when they take delivery of special airplanes. Last year, Cirrus sold seven 7,000th commemorative edition SR22s with special paint schemes and interior accents that included in the $1 million-plus purchase price the opportunity to spend a few nights at the renown Blackberry Farm resort near the Cirrus Vision Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, and other experiences.

The paint schemes offered on the special edition airplanes are striking: Monaco is inspired by the azure waters of the Mediterranean; Speyside, the lush green countryside of Scotland; and Sonoma, the deep crimson red of an aged Cabernet Sauvignon. The Arrivée models are delivered with five-year spinner-to-tail warranty matched with five years of CMX covered maintenance. Also included are five Bose A20 headsets in custom headset bags, and the “exclusive behind-the-scenes culinary experience for four at a Michelin-Starred restaurant, hosted by Michelin and Cirrus.”

The Michelin 3-Star rating is the French tire company’s highest honor, and only 13 restaurants currently have the designation in the United States. All but two are in New York City or San Francisco and California’s wine country.

Flying had the chance to fly a Monaco-themed Arrivée model from New Jersey to Washington Dulles recently. Washington, D.C., is home to a number of 1- and 2-Star Michelin-rateed restaurants. Besides the special Arrivée inset stitching in the seats that carries over from the design on the tail, the airplane includes a number of upgrades to its Garmin Perspective avionics system, as well as a long list of standard features, as you’d expect in a Cirrus SR22T offered for over a million dollars.

As part of the partnership, Cirrus now offers new airplanes with Michelin tires.

The post Cirrus and Michelin Team on 2019 Special Edition SR22 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

TOMATO FLAMES? Are you kidding? I’m sitting with my friend and CFI Paul Sallach in the restaurant at the Inn at Furnace Creek in Death Valley, California, nibbling on a turkey BLT while doing the ground portion of my flight review, what people used to call a biannual flight review. All is well thus far. I know my airspace and cloud clearances. I know what I need to know about sunset, sunrise and the beginning and end of civil twilight. And I’ve got all the buttons, switches and functions of the Cirrus Perspective by Garmin avionics suite dialed in. But TOMATO FLAMES? Seriously?

A short while ago, I alighted here at the lowest airport in the continental United States and could feel that the air was quantifiably thicker by my little balloon in the flare. Then again, what am I even talking about — felt quantifiably thicker? Until today, I hadn’t flown a Cirrus SR22 for about a year, and before that quick round trip from Los Angeles to San Diego and back I hadn’t flown one for at least two years prior. During all that time, the only other flying I’d done was some right-seat time with my friend in his Citation 501SP — SP as in single pilot, or in my case, superfluous pilot. And heck yes it was fun to scratch my flying itch with some stick time in that jet. But really, in the past seven years, the only things I’ve truly been pilot in command of are my Audi, my Sony cameras and my TV. And my fridge, definitely my fridge.

So on that first flight of the day, when I flared over the numbers at Furnace Creek Airport, elevation minus 210 feet, I was still just trying to get my sea legs in the SR22 and not really noticing the below-sea-level elevation at Death Valley. At that point, rusty as I was, I probably wouldn’t have felt the difference between flying 200 feet below sea level, or 200 above, or even 200 feet deep in the sea — that’s six atmospheres to scuba folk.

Still, when I decided to get current again after so many years away from the left seat, far longer than the 24 calendar months stipulated by the FAA for a flight review, there was no question which airplane I wanted to fly for my training. I’d been flying the SR22 since January 2003, and there is no plane I know better. Back in the day, when I was fully current with lots of recent experience, I could jump in the ’22 and head off as if I were hopping into my car (after a preflight, of course); I was that comfortable (but never complacent). So, realizing now that there is also a whole new frontier of technology and many regulations to get up to speed with, there was no way I wanted to learn a new airplane at the same time. I wanted the SR22 to feel like I was pulling on a well-worn baseball glove. Really, I wanted to stack the deck in my favor as much as possible as I embarked into a brave new world of iPads, ADS-B, medical reform and scenario-based training.

What did it really feel like to slide back into the left seat of that SR22? Let’s just say that my broken-in mitt needed a lot more glove oil and a good beating, which is what I got when we started the airwork. But first …

Flying In a NextGen World

I started flying integrated flight decks as soon as they were introduced into piston singles. And I became used to, even spoiled by, those glass displays, having flown hundreds of hours behind Avidyne Entegra- and Garmin G1000-based systems. But oh, how things have changed. The panel in the SR22 is familiar, sure, but as I sat there in Death Valley, with my Garmin Pilot-running iPad cooling off from the flight over, I found that I had become an “ExGen” pilot flying in a NextGen world, and I felt like a fish out of water.

But even before I stepped back into the Cirrus cockpit earlier that morning, which felt great, by the way, I spent a few hours brushing up on everything I needed to know to satisfy the review. This began a few nights prior, when I fired up my MacBook Pro, logged on to the Sporty’s website and started to run through its Flight Review course. I also signed up for the private pilot Learn to Fly course for even more review. Both courses are downloadable to a tablet, so I also studied with my iPad over a double espresso at a nearby cafe.

I was impressed with how engaging the courses were, and I couldn’t help but note that the last time I did any computer-based review of aviation material it was from CD-ROMs and DVDs — online courseware just wasn’t ready for prime time back then. After progressing through the material, I secured the downloadable endorsement noting my completion of the course by taking the review quiz, which requires a score of at least 80. I did rather better and would not have accepted less.

The Sporty’s course has a chapter on tablets and their use in the cockpit. I ran through it a couple of times, as this was all new to me. Until I started this review and downloaded the Garmin Pilot app, picked up Garmin’s GDL 39 3D ADS-B receiver and installed the Cirrus interactive flight operations manual (IFOM), my iPad only saw use as a fancy way to read books and magazines. And thinking now about what I just saw my iPad do on the flight over from North Las Vegas Airport (KVGT), I’m stunned. It’s witchcraft, I tell you. The Garmin Pilot app, paired by Bluetooth to the GDL 39 3D — 3D because it sports an AHRS sensor and provides attitude information — is a jaw-droppingly capable device. Since I have so many years flying boxes like the GNS 430 and Garmin glass, I chose this app out of familiarity, and it doesn’t disappoint. Because it has that Garmin look and feel, getting up to speed with its use was pretty intuitive.

I also found the iPad Pilot News website from Sporty’s quite informative. And the Cirrus IFOM impresses with interactive tools, instructional videos and coverage of single-pilot resource-management theory and procedures. Using this new technology made my training and review a pleasure.

Before I even got to see the Garmin Pilot app strut its stuff, Sallach, president of Las Vegas-based All In Aviation, put me through the wringer minutes after my first takeoff in over a year. I was a bit apprehensive initially about handling flying duties and the radio, but with a few local-knowledge prompts from Paul I got us up and out of KVGT pretty smoothly. During the taxi to run-up, I had memories of how my checklist and operational flows for the Cirrus were second-nature. Today, this was not to be.

As we climbed out of KVGT, I started to get back up to speed with the buttonology of the Cirrus/Garmin panel, hand-flying for a while before setting our initial altitude and selecting a 130-knot-indicated-airspeed automated climb. I was moving through the systems a bit slower than I once could, but I was doing it without help, which I considered a win.

Then the real fun started. Paul fired up his iPad and opened a cool app for instructors called the Cirrus Training Binder, a PDF agenda and checklist for training events just like this. Paul asked me to click off the autopilot.

First up was slow flight in a 30-degree-bank turn to a specific heading, because, you know, Paul wanted to start easy. This was a great exercise in coordination, of not getting fixated on the big screens in front of me and instead dividing my attention between inside and outside, of learning how to feel an airplane again, and of the relationship between pitch and power. Let’s just say I didn’t fly these to ATP standards.

Paul then glanced down at his agenda and decided it was time for stalls. Already? Really, though, ever since my aerobatic and spin training years ago, I was never worried about drilling stalls during airwork. It’s just that I hadn’t done a stall for perhaps seven years — and boy, was I rusty. There’s a reason AOPA calls its flight review seminars “Rusty Pilots,” for folks like me. “Hi, I’m Jeff, and I’m a rusty pilot.” “Hello, Jeff.”

My first couple of stalls were ugly. We did a couple of autopilot stalls, which I don’t recall having ever done before. My feet were so all over the place it felt like the airplane was practically falling — leafing out of the sky. I’ll bet the electronic stability protection in the Garmin system was thinking, What’s up with this guy?

A couple of stalls in, though, I was starting to get my air legs back, and I flew a couple of handsome approach-to-landing stalls with a nicely stabilized approach, a smooth flare into the stall and a good recovery. And even though the ailerons in the Cirrus remain mostly attached to the air during stalls, my spin and aerobatic training ingrained in me that I use my feet to keep upright, and that was still automatic for me — like riding a bike.

We also reviewed high-performance engine management. Just about all of my recent experience in the SR22 has been in turbocharged models, and it has been ages since I last flew a nonturbocharged engine. As such, I was a bit unsure about the procedures for leaning. Paul had me set us up for our cruise to the airport at Death Valley (L06). He then reminded me about the lean-assist function in the Garmin, and I used it to find peak EGT and then pulled the mixture back a bit further to set for best economy cruise. Lightbulbs in my mind were flickering. It was all starting to come back.

We had some terrain to cross on the way to Death Valley. The TAWS alerts on my tablet were impressive and exactly like what I was used to seeing on the Cirrus MFD. That I was also able to check current weather conditions at my destination and even check winds aloft, I mean, wow. Regardless of the fact that there was so much information and capability available in the Garmin Pilot app — terrain, weather (FIS-B), traffic (TIS-B), sectional and instrument charts, SafeTaxi, model-specific checklists, flight planning, and a PFD with synthetic vision and attitude information — I couldn’t help but think that the way an airplane flies hasn’t changed, but how we fly an airplane is totally altered. And to think I used to navigate by running my finger along a paper chart and following the largest moving map — the one outside the window. I’ll always appreciate that I learned to fly in planes with the most basic of instruments, but now, situational awareness is next-level, and as a pilot, I appreciate that even more. It’s just incredible, as though I have a mini G1000 in my pocket.

After our airwork, I was feeling back in my groove. No doubt my familiarity with the SR22 helped me get up to speed in a reasonable amount of time, and my second landing at Death Valley was a squeaker, like butter. It’s great to be current again. Just don’t ask me what TOMATO FLAMES means.

Note: TOMATO FLAMES was a bust for me during our Death Valley stopover. It’s an acronym for minimum VFR equipment for dispatch. Do you remember what those letters mean? I didn’t.

The post Back In the Saddle appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

When 2016’s billing numbers were released this week by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, Cirrus Aircraft easily captured the top slot, having delivered 317 aircraft, fully a third more airframes than its nearest rival, Textron Aviation’s Cessna Aircraft Company.

Last year’s totals represent the third year in a row the Duluth, Minnesota, aircraft builder topped 300 aircraft in a single year, bringing the fleet total to more than 6,500 aircraft. The company also unveiled the sixth generation of its single-engine piston line, the Cirrus Perspective+ by Garmin-equipped G6. Cirrus closed out 2016 by delivering the first three of its recently certified Vision Jets and said it holds orders for more than 600 of the new single-engine jets.

The company’s recently opened Knoxville Global Customer Experience Center campus at the McGhee Tyson Airport (KTYS) is expected to soon become the hub for all piston and jet aircraft deliveries. The facility currently includes the Experience Center, Factory Service Center and Delivery Center, in addition to the brand-new pilot and mechanic training center still under construction.

Cirrus was recognized in 2016 as a leader in safety when it received the first ever Joseph T. Nall safety award from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots association. An AOPA Air Safety Institute spokesman said during the award ceremony that, “Over the past decade, Cirrus has rightly earned one of the best safety records in the industry, and we are proud to acknowledge their work with this first Joseph T. Nall Safety Award.” The Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), standard on every Cirrus produced, has returned 146 people safely to their families to date.

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