hello, I’m reseaching the cirrus line to replace my c182rg. i would appreciate any comments about safety, loading, comfort, reliability, ect that folks have experienced. I’ve flown an Sr 20 and was blown away by the visibility and other features. the NY accident is very concerning however- comments about that?
Jeff,
If you’ve been flying a 182RG you’ll probably want an SR22 rather than an SR20 just on the basis of useful load. We have an SR20 and love it, but we realize that it’s really a 2 people + bags or 4 people + no bags airplane (as is the case for all 4-seat airplanes with 200 or fewer horsepower).
My sense is that the unfortunate pilots in the New York accident were pushing their airplane well beyond the envelope of what any of us would do in ordinary (or even extraordinary) flying. Even the most benign airplane will bite you hard if you provoke it enough, and my conclusion is that this is what happened in the unhappy accident in question. I feel very safe in our SR20, and my feelings have nothing to do with the parachute.
Good luck with your decision-making process!
Cheers,
Roger
A friend of mine has a Turbo C182RG and constantly drools over the Cirrus. But his present aircraft does the job he needs very well, so he’s been unable to justify the extra outlay that upgrading to an SR22 would require. The SR20 does not match the 182 in load carrying capacity. The T182RG does about 170KTAS at altitude, but you have to be on oxygen.
In terms of the comfort level and visibility, the Cirrus has it all over the Cessna.
I think the bottom line is that the SR22 will do the same job as a 182RG, with the benefit of a new and very comfortable plane that goes faster.
As far as safety goes, I would take the Cirrus any day, although the 182 has an excellent safety record - which is not to say they have never crashed.
Having a few hundred hours in a fixed gear 182 and just bought a SR22, I think beyond the benefits of the Cirrus already posted here, the one principal disadvantage of the Cirrus is that it needs a lot more runway, and pretty smooth runway at that due to only 7" of prop clearance and low wheel pants. While a few folks have reported operating a Cirrus from grass, it’s not a back country or rough field aircraft, which the Cessna does quite well. Once it’s off the runway, the Cirrus climbs like the proverbial homesick angel so it’s pretty similar to the 182 as far as 50 ft obstacle distances.
Regards,
Tim
Fly an SR22 and all of your questions will be answered…