Bravo Zulu Aviation

This past week I spoiled myself and invested in some Cirrus transition training.  I rented a SR20 through Troutdale Aircraft Services at KTTD in Portland, OR.  I was professionally guided through the avionics and a thorough pre-flight before we launched into a typical Willamette Valley sky filled with intermittent rain showers.

The Cirrus is a pilot’s airplane.  I looked hard for flaws in the handling of the airplane and found little.  We climbed to the north at a rate more akin to a twin than a piston-single and negotiated with PDX for use of the only blue sky around which happened to be under their control.  The side stick control is a non-issue for transition; it is natural and intuitive.  You quickly become aware that trim is important in this airplane like any other high performance aircraft, this is easily managed with a light touch of the hat switch under your thumb.  Steep turns were fun and stable, and easily commanded with the flick of the wrist.  Next we cleared the area and explored the slow flight capabilities of the airplane.  There is a considerable difference in control feel due to the drastic change in airspeed, but it is predictable and easy to control.  Here is the statement you’ve all been waiting for…  the Cirrus is likely the most docile airplane in a stall that I’ve flown to date.  The ailerons fly in a full stall and it is possible to maneuver well past the break.  There are many myths about the Cirrus and it’s spin characteristics,  these are presumably derived from the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System which was used to meet the spin recovery requirements for FAA certification.  My understanding is that much like the Cessna Corvalis 350, the airframe was certified as spin resistant, due to a cuffed outboard wing and ailerons effective throughout the stall.  The CAPS is the only ‘approved and demonstrated’ method for spin recovery, that is much more likely an economic decision rather than an aerodynamic one.

After our air work session, we negotiated a quick IFR clearance for the GPS 17 approach to LPV minimums at KUAO.  This included an unexpected hold at the procedure turn and gave us a real-world challenge.  The approach was flown accurately by the autopilot, although it hunted a bit to hold the course while compensating for turbulence as we explored some pretty colors on the NEXRAD radar; this was easily calmed with a steady hand on the side stick to help it along.  I hand flew the final approach segment and prepared for my first landing.  The most challenging part of flying the Cirrus was the landing flare.  The approach is stable, and compensating for a stiff cross wind was a non-issue, but judging the flare attitude will take some getting used to.  Much of my recent time is in high wing Cessna’s and the Cirrus landing attitude seems more like an impending prop-strike in comparison.  By my third landing, I finally felt progress towards the greasers I strive for.  The Cirrus taxis a little bit like a tailwheel airplane with the castering nosewheel.  Differential braking is required to get the nose headed in the right direction.

Much of the safety afforded by the Cirrus is built into the panel.  A full glass cockpit designed with the pilot in mind is a tremendous safety advantage over the traditional steam gauges.  A proficient pilot will find they have much more time to look outside, enjoy the flight, and spend more time on the important aspects of flying: decisions.  The pilot of a Technically Advanced Aircraft has a tremendous amount of information at their fingertips.  Imagine having weather radar, METARS and TAFS for your entire route of flight, a complete set of approach plates, and an accurate fuel monitoring system to help you complete your journey. All of this information can be pondered while the S-Tec 55X auto pilot aptly follows your planned (or unplanned) routing.  This experience in the Cirrus was my first chance to work with the Avidyne Entegra suite.  This flight deck is driven by redundant Garmin 430W WAAS-enabled GPSs and a smartly integrated autopilot and audio panel.  My initial reaction is that the Entegra suite is slightly less ‘powerful’ than the G1000, but that comes with a huge benefit: Simplicity.  I found navigating the unit with the soft keys to be intuitive and the knobs are simple to use.  The G1000 navigation is a little bit dependent on dual-knob navigation due to the chapter/page layout, while the Avidyne is much more straight-forward.  I especially liked the single press Heading Sync feature. This syncs the heading bug to the present heading with a single button press.  This can be combined with two more button presses: HDG and ALT on the autopilot, and *poof* the airplane is flying itself.  Continue this one step further, and turn the heading knob 180 degrees and you’ve just prevented one of the most fatal general aviation accidents: VFR into IMC.  This simple sequence would also be a powerful tool for a non-flying passenger if the pilot were incapacitated.  I could go on and on on how easy it is to use this panel; other highlights include Traffic, Weather, CMax approach plates (with real time aircraft position on the plate!).  There is plenty more information about the Entegra Flight Deck on Avidyne’s Website.  The main shortfall to remember is that the MFD is mostly for information only on the Entegra, all of the real data entry and flight planning info happens on the 430’s.  This task is made much easier with the Flight Director, but is not as streamlined as the G1000 when it comes to automated data entry from the MFD.

This is a great airplane backed up by a strong factory training and ownership program, with Flight Into Known Icing certification due this spring, this could be the airplane that gives general aviation a much needed shot in the arm.  More information at http://www.cirrusaircraft.com

Many thanks to the Cole, the chief flight instructor at TAS for his time and professional instruction.

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