There have been several threads in the distant past about covers for Cirrus aircraft. The apparent consensus from those posts was that Bruce’s covers were the preferred choice. Now that some time has passed since these threads appeared, I am wondering if the owners of Bruce covers are stilled happy with their product, and also if anyone has used a different cover and what their opinion is of that product. Since there are no hangers currently available here at KBCT, my SR 22 is going to have to spend its first months outside in the Florida sun. Not a happy prospect.
John: I just ordered my Bruce cover to be delivered to Duluth prior to my picking up my SR22.
I did order the Bruce sunshield for my Accura over a year ago and it has been durable and as advertised.
I plan to get the
Avidyne satellite Wx receiver which will involve an additional antenna on the roof of the a/c. The fellow at Bruce said no problem, just send the cover in with specifics on the new antenna when it is in place and they can provide a pocket for the new antenna. .
They asked about the a/c color so that the trim on the cover would match the a/c color. The sample materials they sent looked good. Ask them to send you a set of samples together with the specifics for your aircraft.
There were some recent posts to the effect that the baggage door was filling up with water when left unprotected, so whatever cover you get make sure that it covers the area of the baggage door so you don’t have that problem. Apparently water was coming in at the top of the baggage door. I think the fellow that posted that was leaving his a/c outside in the San Francisco area, but you probably have as much rain in Florida as he does!
If someone has experience in the fit and wear characteristics of the Bruce cover, I am sure they will respond here.
I purchased a used Bruce’s cover from a Cirrus owner who is based in Orange Cnty, CA (LA area). The cover had been out in the sun (The sun is out constantly down there) for a year or so and still looks good. He was getting a new Bruce’s cover made to cover the plane further back toward or to the tail in order to reduce the amount of cleaning necessary due to the dirt kicked up and created by the numerous jets and other planes that use the airport. An issue for you to consider if it will be the normal long wait for a hanger.
I have been pleased with the used cover which has been out in the heavy rain and sun of No CA for two months. It will go in the hanger next week. I am quite lucky an SR22 and a hanger to use.
Bob
John: It was good to see Robert’s post. Orange County does get a lot of sun! If you are getting a cover and intend to leave the aircraft outside, you may want to look at the model that goes clear down to the wing root. You can also get a cover that goes as far back as the leading edge of the horizontal tail and also covers the engine area. You can also get covers for the wings and for the horizontal tail and prop, so essentially you can cover up the entire aircraft.
I have a hangar both in Upland, CA and in Portland Hillsboro, OR, so my function is to cover all of the Plexiglass and the top of the baggage door. This is at least as much to cover the avionics for security purposes as to protect the aircraft, although having the windows covered will certainly reduce the amount of cleaning necessary.
I have rarely used my Bruce Cover since my SR20 is lucky to have a home in a hanger. That being said, I used it everyday for a week on a Bahamas trip. It was easy to take on and off each day.
I’ve been using my Bruce’s Cover since I got my airplane… but there are some disadvantages to ANY cover:
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Any sand, dirt, grit etc. caught between the cover and the windows turns into a very effective abrasive. This results in lots of tiny (sometimes not-so-tiny) scratches. So far, I’ve been able to polish them out easily enough, but it’s something that happens virtually every time I use the cover. The problem is obviously worse in windy/sandy environments.
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My cover weighs about 11 lbs - just something to be aware of.
I also have the reflective sunshades which go on the inside of the windows (got mine from Kennon). For the reasons above, and because these are lighter and quicker to insert and remove (especially single handed, and certainly when it’s windy), I tend to use these most of the time, especially in the summer. They’re not without their problems, too – they can also scratch the inside of the windows if you’re not careful, and Cirrus actually warns against using these somewhere (don’t remember where, but I do remember a thread on this a long time back).
So for me, I use the Bruce’s Cover if I’m away and snow/ice/hail/heavy rain is expected, and I can’t get into a hangar (seldom the case); and the Kennon Shields in the summer. All of this makes me very happy that I do have a hangar for the airplane to spend most of its life in.
If you do decide to use a cover, I do recommend Bruce’s - the cover is beautifully made, and I’ve found Bruce’s service to be flawless.
- Mike.
Stephen–I noticed you were interested in the Flightmax DX 50 for realtime wx via the Avidyne on your 22. I have also ordered the Avidyne and was wondering if you are having the factory install the antenna and Flightmax equipment? My delivery date is Feb 14, so I am hoping it will all be available by that time. Thanks, Jim
Jim: I’d love to have Cirrus install the DX50 but I don’t think it is going to happen. I haven’t talked with Avidyne lately. I think the indication was when I talked with them that they had to coordinate between Orbcomm, Avidyne and the government weather sources. I got much the same answer from
Garmin on their satellite weather unit. The Avidyne web site still contains the announcement that was posted at the time of the AOPA Convention stating the following:
“Introductory pricing for the FlightMax DX50 data link transceiver and antenna is $2,950. FlightMax data services start at $29.00 per month, with availability expected in the first half of 2002”
“First half of 2002” could mean June.
I’d be happy to see the first production SR22 roll out with the Avidyne in place. Maybe you could pester Avidyne about getting the DX50 out the door sooner. I think it is likely that they have all the hardware in place, and it is just getting the subscription mechanism and satellite network in place.
ps. I get to Duluth on the afternoon of 2-10-02. I’ll probably see you there. My CFII is coming on 2-12-02 so we will be in town for a couple of days at least after that.
Mike, I believe Cirrus retracted their previous position discouraging use of the Kennon covers.
Andy
I also have the reflective sunshades which go on the inside of the windows (got mine from Kennon). For the reasons above, and because these are lighter and quicker to insert and remove (especially single handed, and certainly when it’s windy), I tend to use these most of the time, especially in the summer. They’re not without their problems, too – they can also scratch the inside of the windows if you’re not careful, and Cirrus actually warns against using these somewhere (don’t remember where, but I do remember a thread on this a long time back).
We just picked up SR20 #240 and at the meeting with the customer service people one of the “bad ideas” along with simple green they said don’t use the inside shields, because excessive heat will develop between the shield and the window. According the cover is the only accepable method of protecting the plane out doors.
In reply to:
We just picked up SR20 #240 and at the meeting with the customer service people one of the “bad ideas” along with simple green they said don’t use the inside shields, because excessive heat will develop between the shield and the window. According the cover is the only accepable method of protecting the plane out doors.
Art,
Yeah, that’s what I was referring to… but I also found somewhere else (in the AMM, I believe) that specifically recommends in FAVOR of using the sunscreens to protect the avionics and upholstery. I pointed out the discrepancy to someone at Cirrus, and the basic answer was that ANY time the airplane is left outside, it’s bad; ANY mechanism for protecting it is flawed in some way.
The individual at Cirrus felt that perhaps the sunshields were the least evil (in the summer), provided that they are put up close to the windows (the less air between, the less greenhouse effect). Another individual also recommended in favor of the sunshields always (in addition to the cover if you’re concerned about precipitation etc.), because of the added security – it’s not as easy to peek inside to see what you have in the panel, etc. The same individual agreed, though, that as long as it’s a Cirrus, chances are that any thief would know what your panel looks like, anyway.
No matter what you do… short of keeping your airplane indoors permanently (never flying it), it will pick up the symptoms of use. The name of the game is to minimize those - do what you think will cause the least harm - and be flexible. Change your methods depending on circumstances. If you use an external cover, be fanatical about keeping it clean, and inspect and polish the windows as needed after each use.
[Also, if your airplane is hangared MOST of the time… the bad aspects of using of covers and/or sunshields will likely not be much of a factor over the long haul].
- Mike.