Considering a SR20

Hello -

I’m a 250hr Instrument pilot ready to purchase an airplane. I’ve been reading the forums for a while now and thought I’d just post my question directly.

I currently live in Carlsbad, CA (CRQ) and work in Santa Monica, CA (SMO) about 90 miles away. The commute by car is killing me and I’m ready to buy an aircraft, live the dream and commute to work by plane :slight_smile:

I’ve been attracted to the Cirrus largely due to the marketing hype and pretty pictures, but based on the owner-posts in the forums, it seems like most people love their airplane.

Given this flight as my primary mission, round-trip’ing probably 3-4 days per week - I’d like to know: is the SR20 a reasonable aircraft for me to consider? I’ve never owned an aircraft and am not really sure where to start learning about the process.

Looking forward to the replies!

In reply to:


Hello -
I’m a 250hr Instrument pilot ready to purchase an airplane. I’ve been reading the forums for a while now and thought I’d just post my question directly.
I currently live in Carlsbad, CA (CRQ) and work in Santa Monica, CA (SMO) about 90 miles away. The commute by car is killing me and I’m ready to buy an aircraft, live the dream and commute to work by plane :slight_smile:
I’ve been attracted to the Cirrus largely due to the marketing hype and pretty pictures, but based on the owner-posts in the forums, it seems like most people love their airplane.
Given this flight as my primary mission, round-trip’ing probably 3-4 days per week - I’d like to know: is the SR20 a reasonable aircraft for me to consider? I’ve never owned an aircraft and am not really sure where to start learning about the process.
Looking forward to the replies!


But first . . . you say that you have read, “the forums”. Do you mean the guest forums, or are you a COPA member and are referring to the “member forums”?
It’ll help in answering your questions.

On the AOPA site, SMO, T245, SLI, V165, OCN, CRQ should take 30 min- 81 nm.
You’re gonna love it!
I had a 20 before the 22. It’s perfect for this- there isn’t alot of altitude along the coast, and the plane is great for marine layer IFR.
Good luck!

Case:
I just left two years flying from bay area to thermal in my SR20. Just moved to Ohio this week. Plane continues to amaze me, and it wilkl be perfect for your short hop. I am thinking of moving to an SR22 because of longer trips from Ohio. let me know if you are interested in a great 2004 SR20. PFD/MFD and much more. contact me at jamied@inmocean.net if interested. JD

An SR20 should be perfect for this mission: fast enough, efficient, and comfortable. The pre-PFD planes are a fantastic value right now too.

If you’re willing to sacrifice a fair amount of comfort and some speed–the latter not a significant issue for such a short distance–a DA40 and several other used planes are good for this mission at quite a bit lower acquisition cost: Archer, Warrior, Grumman Tiger, 172. Of course they don’t have BRS although the 172 can be retrofitted.

There are several VFR corridors through LA Class B that should shorten the trip time compared to IFR.

Phillip:

So long as your mission does not change, the SR20 is fine.

However, my flights frequently include Ashland, Oregon; Newport, Oregon; Oshkosh, Wisconsin; Duluth, Minnesota, Sedona, Arizona, etc.

I have also done Angel Flights to South Lake Tahoe, California, Fresno, California and Ashland, Oregon (part of a two leg flight that was originally intended to meet at Medford, Oregon).

All of these flights involve relatively high terrain. While there may be ways to do some of these flights in an SR20, some are clearly not possible.

In addition, the extra power of the SR22 will get you out of situations that may be dangerous in an SR20. Whether it is mountain wave conditions or high terrain, I can recall a number of situations in which I was thankful for every one of those 310 hp up there.

I would suggest looking at a pre-PFD SR22. If you don’t have the Cirrus Pilot that just arrived, call the COPA office and see if they can send you one. That issue has lots of information on the exact history of all changes to the SR20 and SR22 over the years and another article on what prices you can expect to see on various aircraft.

I would stay away from any plane with an Arnav MFD or a Century HSI. I have one of the early SR22s that has the Sandel EHSI and the Avidyne. I have added the engine monitor as well as the Ryan TCAD and a Garmin 396. The Sandel has never given me any problems. I have replaced the bulb as required but it has always been there.

I would also strongly urge adding a Garmin 496 to the aircraft. There are more mounting options available on the pre-PFD aircraft. I have a “bolster mount” that puts the Garmin in a good position.

If the price delta is something you can live with I would strongly advise the SR22.

I originally ordered an SR20 when there was no SR22. When I found out about the SR22 (and a $10K incentive from CD) I bought the SR22. My decision was that in southern California there is high terrain both north and east.

If your plane is for commuting only CRQ-SMO, go with the SR20. Otherwise, I would go with the SR22.

Hello,
My wife and I flew out of San Diego for years with our Grumman Tiger. (KMYF) We were recently there with our 2006 SR20, still under warantee untili 25Jan09- which is better than what Cirrus sells as “certified”, although we bought it from them as such. The first owner is from Brentwood, Ca. We bought it at 362 hrs on the Hobbs. We now have is up for sale because the house sale we thought would go through up here in Oregon didn’t go through. It still looks brand new, N774PT on alarisaviation.com in Phoenix, where the plane is hangared now. It is at $243,500 and is at 364 hours Tach time. The hobbs reads 480, but Tach time is actually about 24% less. If you find a partner, this plane is really a creampuff. Tnx
Ruth and Brian

I live in Santa Monica and have cousins in La Jolla. I fly into CRQ and MYF routinely. I will eventually get into a Cirrus (have time in them), but currently fly a 182 and 210 which I own. I also fly in the CAP.

Shoot me a message, Id be happy to help. you can email me at mtn002@fitscape.com

Hi - I’m not a COPA member yet, but sounds like I should be. I’m on it :slight_smile:

Actually, join the owners’ groups for whatever planes you are seriously considering. Compared to the cost of a plane, user group membership is trivial. Do remember that people generally post only when they have a problem although you will occasionally get the “I flew today and absolutely nothing went wrong” post. Your trip distance is short enough that there are a lot of planes that will work well for that mission. Where a Cirrus will excel will be on long trips where the speed and comfort will be more important.

Paul

In reply to:


Hi - I’m not a COPA member yet, but sounds like I should be. I’m on it :slight_smile:


I should also point out that from now forward, anyone who joins COPA receives a free copy of the Annual Buyers Guide of Cirrus Pilot magazine, which features a wealth of data about models, histories, insurance, brokers, etc.

In reply to:


On the AOPA site, SMO, T245, SLI, V165, OCN, CRQ should take 30 min- 81 nm.
You’re gonna love it!
I had a 20 before the 22. It’s perfect for this- there isn’t alot of altitude along the coast, and the plane is great for marine layer IFR.
Good luck!


Actually it takes about 45mins, and thats assuming the system isnt saturated. VFR is much faster as its a straight shot up the coast and through the special flight rules over LAX.