Took delivery of SR20 #173 (N262GM) this past weekend. This message is being posted just to let those of you still waiting want it’s like to now have an SR20 in the hangar.
First, the employees at Cirrus were wonderful, very accomodating in every way. Second, Ron Scheibe of Wings Aloft had us scheduled for training (Friday 1:00pm-6:30pm), (Saturday 9:am-6:00pm) and finally (Sunday 8:00am - 2:00pm. The ground and flight schooling was done extremely professional and was fit between some minor squawks.
For those of you that have not yet visited the Cirrus factory, the tour was GREAT!! As for the training and etc., plan on doing a lot of paperwork, listening to a lot of discussions relating to the new ownership of the plane, as well as a lot of fun just talking about flying in general - Allan K. even joined in on some of the casual conversations we were having with the staff. Very informal, extremely helpful and we surely learned a lot about both the SR20 & SR22’s, as well as the company itself.
Duluth is not, however, a place you want to be in March - each morning the outside temp was in single digits with winds ranging from 15-28 knots (I must tell you however, that they claim the normal temp at this time of year is in the upper 20’s to mid 30’s). The only good thing about the weekend weather is that it didn’t snow - hard anyway! Flying was rough until you got on top, but the SR20 rides right through it without any difficulty. Besides the beauty of the airplane itself (both exterior & interior) it’s the handling that truly stands out the most. As many have already posted on this site, “it’s very slippery”, the roominess and comfort is unbelievable, as is the panel (C package w/Stromscope) - also, 3 blade prop, grey leather with cobalt blue “millennium” graphics.
Flying home was the most fun of all…we had a 20-30 knot tail wind most of the way, so our trip back to Kenosha (ENW) Wisconsin from Duluth (320 nm) took only 2 hours, as our highest indicated speed was 196 kts at 9000 with an average of around 178 kts.
That’s all the comments for now, as I’m leaving the office early today to go flying (I wonder why)? So those of you still waiting - just remember that time does pass and yours too will be delivered shortly.
Best regards,
Gerry Mengo, SR20 #173 (N262GM)
PS. Can’t wait for my SR22 #067 to be made ready for delivery some 7-8 months from now!
PSS. My original contract was SR20-#279 which is now SR22-#067. If I hadn’t purchased the earlier contract #173 from a gentleman in Florida, I’d still be waiting. So, was it worth it - my answer is a definite - YES!!