Great to hear about your demo flight Goerge. Now how about mine? I have postion 61 and 323 and have been told since the Woody days that there will be a demo flight next month. ( Remember the open house at Millionare Tom?) So the way I see it they have my $37,500.00 so why give me a ride,why not give it to a fence sitter who could come up with another 15k. Well maybe they do not have my phone number so I called other local position holders and not a word. I just thank my stars the service is done by a sub contractor. Its time for the money line " HEY CIRRUS THIS IS BULLSHIT! So George if you have any question that you need a straight answer call Sherri Reynolds in contracts, from where I stand what the marketing dept says and does is two diffrent things. I guess I will have to wait for delivery to see my C package, 3 blade prop and leather.
Because Cirrus doesn’t charge for demo flights to prospective customers and there is no reliable way to know who really is a good prospect, they are quite busy.
A tendency to go after new sales would seem to be natural and more sales do help all of us.
I felt that they made a valid effort to get me my ride and I got it just within three years of signing up and just over a year and a half before delivery.
It would be interesting to know how many of the first 300 position holders waited until after a demo flight to sign up.
I can’t imagine why you haven’t gotten a ride yet.
Granted your attitude might be better if you had gotten your ride, but it might dampen the enthusiasm of the person with the usually enviable job of getting a demo plane and a money down customer colocated.
Great to hear about your demo flight Goerge. Now how about mine? I have postion 61 and 323 and have been told since the Woody days that there will be a demo flight next month. ( Remember the open house at Millionare Tom?) So the way I see it they have my $37,500.00 so why give me a ride,why not give it to a fence sitter who could come up with another 15k. Well maybe they do not have my phone number so I called other local position holders and not a word. I just thank my stars the service is done by a sub contractor. Its time for the money line " HEY CIRRUS THIS IS BULLSHIT! So George if you have any question that you need a straight answer call Sherri Reynolds in contracts, from where I stand what the marketing dept says and does is two diffrent things. I guess I will have to wait for delivery to see my C package, 3 blade prop and leather.
Great to hear about your demo flight Goerge. Now how about mine? I have postion 61 and 323 and have been told since the Woody days that there will be a demo flight next month. ( Remember the open house at Millionare Tom?) So the way I see it they have my $37,500.00 so why give me a ride,why not give it to a fence sitter who could come up with another 15k. Well maybe they do not have my phone number so I called other local position holders and not a word. I just thank my stars the service is done by a sub contractor. Its time for the money line " HEY CIRRUS THIS IS BULLSHIT! So George if you have any question that you need a straight answer call Sherri Reynolds in contracts, from where I stand what the marketing dept says and does is two diffrent things. I guess I will have to wait for delivery to see my C package, 3 blade prop and leather.
Give Tom Shea a call. This obviously is not acceptable.
Great to hear about your demo flight Goerge. Now how about mine? I have postion 61 and 323 and have been told since the Woody days that there will be a demo flight next month. ( Remember the open house at Millionare Tom?) So the way I see it they have my $37,500.00 so why give me a ride,why not give it to a fence sitter who could come up with another 15k. Well maybe they do not have my phone number so I called other local position holders and not a word. I just thank my stars the service is done by a sub contractor. Its time for the money line " HEY CIRRUS THIS IS BULLSHIT! So George if you have any question that you need a straight answer call Sherri Reynolds in contracts, from where I stand what the marketing dept says and does is two diffrent things. I guess I will have to wait for delivery to see my C package, 3 blade prop and leather.
The ride was a real surprise for me. I received a contract a few weeks ago and have been sitting on it (as you all know, the SR20 may be inexpensive for a new plane but it’s still a major expenditure/investment). Tom called on my cellphone Friday morning to say he was in Monterey and would be in San Jose the next day. I asked if I could see the plane at PAO on Saturday and he was there waiting. Tom said he was flying back to Reid Hillview for the weekend. He may be there taking Sunday off so give him a call.
Great to hear about your demo flight Goerge. Now how about mine? I have postion 61 and 323 and have been told since the Woody days that there will be a demo flight next month. ( Remember the open house at Millionare Tom?) So the way I see it they have my $37,500.00 so why give me a ride,why not give it to a fence sitter who could come up with another 15k. Well maybe they do not have my phone number so I called other local position holders and not a word. I just thank my stars the service is done by a sub contractor. Its time for the money line " HEY CIRRUS THIS IS BULLSHIT! So George if you have any question that you need a straight answer call Sherri Reynolds in contracts, from where I stand what the marketing dept says and does is two diffrent things. I guess I will have to wait for delivery to see my C package, 3 blade prop and leather.
I sent in my contract and 15K with the contingency that I fly a satisfactory demo flight. I flew a demo within two weeks. I suggest anyone who wants to get in line, plunk down your money and make your contract contingent.
Sorry to hear about the lack of a test flight Ed. I am frankly surprised that Cirrus has not dealt with this issue.
I did place a contingent contract last September. I had numerous conversations with Bruce Gunter, the Cirrus Regional Sales Manager out of RTP in North Carolina. He had over 100 demos scheduled when he flew into York, PA for my demo flight. In my case, he called at 2:30PM on a Friday afternoon and asked if I would be available at 5PM. I flew N205CD which had been ferried to Bruce several weeks before the AOPA Expo at Atlantic City. In this case, I suspect that I just got lucky that this plane ended up on the east coast for a month or two because of the EXPO.
It was an incredible flight and an amazing plane. While I am not taking delivery until September 2001, I have no doubts that the wait is worth it!
Inspite of your understandable frustration, I know that the wait and the B.S. will be mitigated when you finally get into your plane.
Good Luck!
Great to hear about your demo flight Goerge. Now how about mine? I have postion 61 and 323 and have been told since the Woody days that there will be a demo flight next month. ( Remember the open house at Millionare Tom?) So the way I see it they have my $37,500.00 so why give me a ride,why not give it to a fence sitter who could come up with another 15k. Well maybe they do not have my phone number so I called other local position holders and not a word. I just thank my stars the service is done by a sub contractor. Its time for the money line " HEY CIRRUS THIS IS BULLSHIT! So George if you have any question that you need a straight answer call Sherri Reynolds in contracts, from where I stand what the marketing dept says and does is two diffrent things. I guess I will have to wait for delivery to see my C package, 3 blade prop and leather.
There is a foolproof answer, and one that requires neither promises made nor kept…pay a visit to the factory at DLH!
Its been two years since Bruce Gunther (CD Eastern Rep) arranged to meet my wife and I there for a flight in N202CD, but I continue to carry memories of the plane, the plant and its people–all very impressive even though this was pre-certification 1998 with only two prototypes in a (mostly) bare “warehouse.” I’d have to believe that it would be a fascinating tour today…complete with demo flight!
By the way, don’t say you’re too far away…We live in PA! You won’t regret the time spent.
I got a call from Tom Bergeron tonight, offering a ride over the next few days while he’s in the area. I told him that I appreciated the offer, and suggested, since I had already removed my test flight contingency (14 months ago with Scott Anderson) and since Walt has been so generous with his time (and that of his plane), that he concentrate on the folks that are still waiting for rides.
I made some constructive suggestions regarding the communications issues that have been discussed here.
It sounds as though the message has gotten to Duluth…
I did learn a couple of interesting facts. One is that there are currently only two demo aircraft (ouch). Another is that 109CD is now being flown more or less continuously at the factory in order to try to build hours faster than Walt 
so that they can try to find problems before the rest of us do.
Your point about sales concentrating on new unsigned customers is true; however, Ed’s point is is absolutely true. Cirrus should not have ignored waiting customers. Furthermore, Mr. Bergeron did not call me either, which frankly I find surprising. I fly CA quite a bit and have run into a number of people that have expressed great interest in an SR20. That interest and some names might be of interest to a REAL salesperson. To ignore waiting customers especially customers that are on this web site is just plain stupid! Why didn’t Mr. Bergeron call as many waiting customers (and even SR20 owners) as he could to announce his plans? Better yet why does Mr. Bergeron use email to advise customers in specific geographic areas of his arrival and plans. I agree with ED.
I did request a demo flight before I would buy and Scott Anderson flew up one day with their second demo plane. My son and I each got to fly it and then we did a side by side flight with my Cardinal RG. The demo flight was definately the deal clincher for us. Carl
I don’t disagree with Ed that he should have had his ride long ago.
Being disagreeable is just not the approach that I would take.
His letter however may spur Cirrus toward getting many position holders their rides.
Certainly anyone with a delivery date within the next year should be a high priority.
How do you sell a product like the SR20?
I would think that satisfied customers and position holders would help a lot.
Your point about sales concentrating on new unsigned customers is true; however, Ed’s point is is absolutely true. Cirrus should not have ignored waiting customers. Furthermore, Mr. Bergeron did not call me either, which frankly I find surprising. I fly CA quite a bit and have run into a number of people that have expressed great interest in an SR20. That interest and some names might be of interest to a REAL salesperson. To ignore waiting customers especially customers that are on this web site is just plain stupid! Why didn’t Mr. Bergeron call as many waiting customers (and even SR20 owners) as he could to announce his plans? Better yet why does Mr. Bergeron use email to advise customers in specific geographic areas of his arrival and plans. I agree with ED.
I have asked for a demo ride for 3 years now and I too have been promised a ride as soon as there is a plane available. I have yet to get that demo ride! I am supposed to take delivery on Sep. 15th this year and I will probably get the plane before the demo ride. I live in Atlanta and Bruce lives in NC. He has had a plane many many times and it would have been very easy to make arrangements. How could we recommend this airplane to someone else who is interested. This is UNACCEPTABLE.
For me it isn’t the demo flight per se, but rather, the ability or in this case the inability to manage customer expectations. Cirrus will not likely have the time or, frankly the inclination, to give each customer a demo ride. However, when Cirrus comes to town it certainly doesn’t take much to make a phone call (email) to existing customers. Worse, is to get the information second or third hand that your dream plane manufacturer blew into and out of town without so much as a call. Tacky!
To be honest its not about the flight. Do to the kindness of Walt Conely I have about 4 hours in the sr20. What gets me is total disregard for the people who were around when it was not even certified. In silicon valley we would be known as the ugly ex-wife or pre ipo wife. As for the factory visit we are planning a July visit to see our bird being built.We are to take delv 9/15/00. Walt Conely has done more for Cirrus on the west coast than Cirrus itself. He attends our make shift fly-ins and gives rides to position holders. This is the man who should be the Cirrus sales rep. We were in Stockton and top gun wanted to look under the hood. Walt to my suprise let them pull the cowling and crawl through the bird. To him many thank you’s… As I drove to rhv today to see the new bird (found out where it was because of this forum)I thought of how many position holders would be happy to see the plane for the first time. How about when a plane gets to a city Cirrus could post it and have it on static display for 4 hours? Sounds simple to me.Well time to get off the soap box, and this is not coming from a spoiled cry baby position holder it is coming from a position holder who wants customer service and a hint of courtesy…Sorry sales guys I know that showing existing position holders the plane does not generate revenue but thats life.
Signed …The Pre IPO Wife Edna
Sorry to hear about the lack of a test flight Ed. I am frankly surprised that Cirrus has not dealt with this issue.
I did place a contingent contract last September. I had numerous conversations with Bruce Gunter, the Cirrus Regional Sales Manager out of RTP in North Carolina. He had over 100 demos scheduled when he flew into York, PA for my demo flight. In my case, he called at 2:30PM on a Friday afternoon and asked if I would be available at 5PM. I flew N205CD which had been ferried to Bruce several weeks before the AOPA Expo at Atlantic City. In this case, I suspect that I just got lucky that this plane ended up on the east coast for a month or two because of the EXPO.
It was an incredible flight and an amazing plane. While I am not taking delivery until September 2001, I have no doubts that the wait is worth it!
Inspite of your understandable frustration, I know that the wait and the B.S. will be mitigated when you finally get into your plane.
Good Luck!
Great to hear about your demo flight Goerge. Now how about mine? I have postion 61 and 323 and have been told since the Woody days that there will be a demo flight next month. ( Remember the open house at Millionare Tom?) So the way I see it they have my $37,500.00 so why give me a ride,why not give it to a fence sitter who could come up with another 15k. Well maybe they do not have my phone number so I called other local position holders and not a word. I just thank my stars the service is done by a sub contractor. Its time for the money line " HEY CIRRUS THIS IS BULLSHIT! So George if you have any question that you need a straight answer call Sherri Reynolds in contracts, from where I stand what the marketing dept says and does is two diffrent things. I guess I will have to wait for delivery to see my C package, 3 blade prop and leather.
There is a foolproof answer, and one that requires neither promises made nor kept…pay a visit to the factory at DLH!
Its been two years since Bruce Gunther (CD Eastern Rep) arranged to meet my wife and I there for a flight in N202CD, but I continue to carry memories of the plane, the plant and its people–all very impressive even though this was pre-certification 1998 with only two prototypes in a (mostly) bare “warehouse.” I’d have to believe that it would be a fascinating tour today…complete with demo flight!
By the way, don’t say you’re too far away…We live in PA! You won’t regret the time spent.
Addendum: Forgot to mention that after 1.6 hrs on the Hobbes, I bought on the spot–in such a hurry that I charged it to my credit card!
Another is that 109CD is now being flown more or less continuously at the factory in order to try to build hours faster than Walt
I heard this recently, too. It may have been inspired by Diamond (I think) who are flying an aircraft around the clock to build time for certification purposes. They have a relay of pilots doing continuous circuits, night and day, on one aircraft.
I did learn a couple of interesting facts. One is that there are currently only two demo aircraft (ouch). Another is that 109CD is now being flown more or less continuously at the factory in order to try to build hours faster than Walt
so that they can try to find problems before the rest of us do.
Trying to build hours faster than Walt? Wow! that’s a challenge. Keep up the great work and keep the PIREPS coming Walt.
I, too, got a phone call from Tom Bergeron last night. I suspect that DLH and Tom has some words. Anyway, I am glad he got the message and is making contact. Whether the number of people on this formun are 2, 10, or 100, it is nevertheless a forum whose message(s) may be seen by quite a few more.
As for the more-hours-than-Walt remark ;-), I just got back from the LAX area. Added another 5 hours and am at just a few hours shy of 300. The trip down was fun … big time tail winds. Trip from Monterey to Cable-Upland (near Ontario took only 1:40. We topped out at about 210 knots ground speed … that is a kick having never big stuff.
I bet they could get a lot of volunteers from this forum to do all that flying for Cirrus!!! And I bet that anyone from this group would not even need to be on the Payroll – could save Cirrus a lot of money!!! — any volunteers???
Another is that 109CD is now being flown more or less continuously at the factory in order to try to build hours faster than Walt
I heard this recently, too. It may have been inspired by Diamond (I think) who are flying an aircraft around the clock to build time for certification purposes. They have a relay of pilots doing continuous circuits, night and day, on one aircraft.