Demo Flight in SR20

Guest Discussion
1

I met Tom Bergeron today at PAO (N145CD, I think) and we went for a flight over to the Altamonte Pass. My two sons (7 and 5) occupied the back seats. I’ve read the traffic on the forum for a few months but there’s nothing like flying something yourself. I love this plane!

The visibility is outstanding. Of course, the low wing design lets me see into turns but the SR20 wing is further aft than in the Cherokee, so I can readily see what’s below and in front of me. The performance is superb for such a simple pilot workload; I saw 158Kts GS at 3,000 feet without fussing with retractable gear, cowl flaps, or pitch control.

The large moving map is a real boon for situational awareness. I know the complex airspace around Palo Alto because it’s my home airport, but if I were traveling VFR in, say, the LA basin, it would be very reassuring to glance at the big screen instead of putting my nose deep in the cockpit while trying to make sense of the yoke mounted Garmin 195 I use in the rental Skyhawk.

The climb out is flatter than I’m used to, especially when accelerating to Vy. Likewise the approach is quicker and shallower (no more high approaches saved by aggressive Cessna flap deployment!).

Strangely, I found myself unable to make a turn without climbing. I guess I’m not used to seeing so much of the ground in front of me in the turn. Whatever the cause, Tom said I’ll get the hang of it once I adjust to the different view.

The sidestick felt strange for the first 2 minutes or so and then it felt fine. I enjoyed the crisp roll response and the small pitch inputs required on landing (no need to haul the yoke into the stomach and bleed speed with the nose pointed skyward as with the Skyhawk). I bet landings are, in general, less forgiving than with the 172 but I’m sure I could nail it with some practice. All in all, I’m thoroughly impressed. My boys loved the trip. My wife, who stayed on the ground, due to the lack of a fifth seat, found the SR20 interior much more passenger friendly than the Wichita product.

If my wife signs off, I’ll send the check in on Monday and get in line.

2

I met Tom Bergeron today at PAO (N145CD, I think) and we went for a flight over to the Altamonte Pass. My two sons (7 and 5) occupied the back seats. I’ve read the traffic on the forum for a few months but there’s nothing like flying something yourself. I love this plane!

The visibility is outstanding. Of course, the low wing design lets me see into turns but the SR20 wing is further aft than in the Cherokee, so I can readily see what’s below and in front of me. The performance is superb for such a simple pilot workload; I saw 158Kts GS at 3,000 feet without fussing with retractable gear, cowl flaps, or pitch control.

The large moving map is a real boon for situational awareness. I know the complex airspace around Palo Alto because it’s my home airport, but if I were traveling VFR in, say, the LA basin, it would be very reassuring to glance at the big screen instead of putting my nose deep in the cockpit while trying to make sense of the yoke mounted Garmin 195 I use in the rental Skyhawk.

The climb out is flatter than I’m used to, especially when accelerating to Vy. Likewise the approach is quicker and shallower (no more high approaches saved by aggressive Cessna flap deployment!).

Strangely, I found myself unable to make a turn without climbing. I guess I’m not used to seeing so much of the ground in front of me in the turn. Whatever the cause, Tom said I’ll get the hang of it once I adjust to the different view.

The sidestick felt strange for the first 2 minutes or so and then it felt fine. I enjoyed the crisp roll response and the small pitch inputs required on landing (no need to haul the yoke into the stomach and bleed speed with the nose pointed skyward as with the Skyhawk). I bet landings are, in general, less forgiving than with the 172 but I’m sure I could nail it with some practice. All in all, I’m thoroughly impressed. My boys loved the trip. My wife, who stayed on the ground, due to the lack of a fifth seat, found the SR20 interior much more passenger friendly than the Wichita product.

If my wife signs off, I’ll send the check in on Monday and get in line.

3

When you get through the factory training you won’t have any trouble with the landings and with a little more practice the SR20 will be very familiar.

With 1500 hours of Cessna 152-172-182 hours I didn’t really have much variety of experience.

A pilot with 250 hours spread across Cessnas, Pipers, Mooneys, and Beechcraft probably would adapt more quickly to the Cirrus.

You can fairly well tell the variety of experience of a pilot first at the controls of the SR20 by the amount of climb in the turns.

I don’t think the landings are any more difficult and crosswinds seem quite a bit easier to handle.

From the reactions I’ve seen, the best way to get spousal approval has got to be to get her (I haven’t heard of a female purchaser yet - come on ladies this doesn’t have to be an old boys club) into the plane and even better up for a flight.

A couple of pilots’ wives mentioned that they’d approve of their husbands getting an SR20 after only sitting in the plane - of course a ride only increases their enthusiasm.

I enjoy reading these SR20 demo flight reports - keep them coming.

I met Tom Bergeron today at PAO (N145CD, I think) and we went for a flight over to the Altamonte Pass. My two sons (7 and 5) occupied the back seats. I’ve read the traffic on the forum for a few months but there’s nothing like flying something yourself. I love this plane!

The visibility is outstanding. Of course, the low wing design lets me see into turns but the SR20 wing is further aft than in the Cherokee, so I can readily see what’s below and in front of me. The performance is superb for such a simple pilot workload; I saw 158Kts GS at 3,000 feet without fussing with retractable gear, cowl flaps, or pitch control.

The large moving map is a real boon for situational awareness. I know the complex airspace around Palo Alto because it’s my home airport, but if I were traveling VFR in, say, the LA basin, it would be very reassuring to glance at the big screen instead of putting my nose deep in the cockpit while trying to make sense of the yoke mounted Garmin 195 I use in the rental Skyhawk.

The climb out is flatter than I’m used to, especially when accelerating to Vy. Likewise the approach is quicker and shallower (no more high approaches saved by aggressive Cessna flap deployment!).

Strangely, I found myself unable to make a turn without climbing. I guess I’m not used to seeing so much of the ground in front of me in the turn. Whatever the cause, Tom said I’ll get the hang of it once I adjust to the different view.

The sidestick felt strange for the first 2 minutes or so and then it felt fine. I enjoyed the crisp roll response and the small pitch inputs required on landing (no need to haul the yoke into the stomach and bleed speed with the nose pointed skyward as with the Skyhawk). I bet landings are, in general, less forgiving than with the 172 but I’m sure I could nail it with some practice. All in all, I’m thoroughly impressed. My boys loved the trip. My wife, who stayed on the ground, due to the lack of a fifth seat, found the SR20 interior much more passenger friendly than the Wichita product.

If my wife signs off, I’ll send the check in on Monday and get in line.

4

George, great to hear about your experience. A few of us have had rides–thanks to Walt, no thanks to CD, and concur with your impressions. Hope you’ll join the queue!

However, once you’re in the queue I imagine you won’t hear a whole lot about other demo ride opportunities, except perhaps from friendly, generous customers who already have their planes and seem to care a lot more about customer relations than the West Coast CD sales force!

C’mon, Tom B, even a phone call to your local customer base–at least seven I can name immediately, and there may be more–to say there would be a plane at PAO to see while you were giving demo rides to prospective new customers would have been a basic courtesy. Moreover, if you think about it for, oh…let’s say 60 microseconds, the presence of a group of friendly, enthusiastic deposit holders would add additional appeal to your sales pitch too. Please try harder next time!

Kevin Moore #249

I met Tom Bergeron today at PAO (N145CD, I think) and we went for a flight over to the Altamonte Pass. My two sons (7 and 5) occupied the back seats. I’ve read the traffic on the forum for a few months but there’s nothing like flying something yourself. I love this plane!

The visibility is outstanding. Of course, the low wing design lets me see into turns but the SR20 wing is further aft than in the Cherokee, so I can readily see what’s below and in front of me. The performance is superb for such a simple pilot workload; I saw 158Kts GS at 3,000 feet without fussing with retractable gear, cowl flaps, or pitch control.

The large moving map is a real boon for situational awareness. I know the complex airspace around Palo Alto because it’s my home airport, but if I were traveling VFR in, say, the LA basin, it would be very reassuring to glance at the big screen instead of putting my nose deep in the cockpit while trying to make sense of the yoke mounted Garmin 195 I use in the rental Skyhawk.

The climb out is flatter than I’m used to, especially when accelerating to Vy. Likewise the approach is quicker and shallower (no more high approaches saved by aggressive Cessna flap deployment!).

Strangely, I found myself unable to make a turn without climbing. I guess I’m not used to seeing so much of the ground in front of me in the turn. Whatever the cause, Tom said I’ll get the hang of it once I adjust to the different view.

The sidestick felt strange for the first 2 minutes or so and then it felt fine. I enjoyed the crisp roll response and the small pitch inputs required on landing (no need to haul the yoke into the stomach and bleed speed with the nose pointed skyward as with the Skyhawk). I bet landings are, in general, less forgiving than with the 172 but I’m sure I could nail it with some practice. All in all, I’m thoroughly impressed. My boys loved the trip. My wife, who stayed on the ground, due to the lack of a fifth seat, found the SR20 interior much more passenger friendly than the Wichita product.

If my wife signs off, I’ll send the check in on Monday and get in line.

5

If I had an airplane (SR20) I would be giving Demos with pleasure. It is a very fine piece of equipment.

This may be a litle of the subject but it was so great I just want to pass on.

On a recent trip from East Coast to West coast to deliver an airplane I stopped in Abilene, TX. Mr. Bob Fender and his wife BJ run a very nice Prairie house “Bed and Breakfast” He is a pilot himself and a Col in the CAF. He will pick you up at the airport, take you to some great historical sights to include the C.A.F. museum and then to his Historical home (Bed and Breakfast) this was a great experience. I will try my best to always stop there 800-673-5855 let him know you are a pilot when you call for reservations. Also ABI will put you in a hangar for overnight at no cost and fuel is cheap, they are great too. Have a great Cirrus day.

When you get through the factory training you won’t have any trouble with the landings and with a little more practice the SR20 will be very familiar.

With 1500 hours of Cessna 152-172-182 hours I didn’t really have much variety of experience.

A pilot with 250 hours spread across Cessnas, Pipers, Mooneys, and Beechcraft probably would adapt more quickly to the Cirrus.

You can fairly well tell the variety of experience of a pilot first at the controls of the SR20 by the amount of climb in the turns.

I don’t think the landings are any more difficult and crosswinds seem quite a bit easier to handle.

From the reactions I’ve seen, the best way to get spousal approval has got to be to get her (I haven’t heard of a female purchaser yet - come on ladies this doesn’t have to be an old boys club) into the plane and even better up for a flight.

A couple of pilots’ wives mentioned that they’d approve of their husbands getting an SR20 after only sitting in the plane - of course a ride only increases their enthusiasm.

I enjoy reading these SR20 demo flight reports - keep them coming.

I met Tom Bergeron today at PAO (N145CD, I think) and we went for a flight over to the Altamonte Pass. My two sons (7 and 5) occupied the back seats. I’ve read the traffic on the forum for a few months but there’s nothing like flying something yourself. I love this plane!

The visibility is outstanding. Of course, the low wing design lets me see into turns but the SR20 wing is further aft than in the Cherokee, so I can readily see what’s below and in front of me. The performance is superb for such a simple pilot workload; I saw 158Kts GS at 3,000 feet without fussing with retractable gear, cowl flaps, or pitch control.

The large moving map is a real boon for situational awareness. I know the complex airspace around Palo Alto because it’s my home airport, but if I were traveling VFR in, say, the LA basin, it would be very reassuring to glance at the big screen instead of putting my nose deep in the cockpit while trying to make sense of the yoke mounted Garmin 195 I use in the rental Skyhawk.

The climb out is flatter than I’m used to, especially when accelerating to Vy. Likewise the approach is quicker and shallower (no more high approaches saved by aggressive Cessna flap deployment!).

Strangely, I found myself unable to make a turn without climbing. I guess I’m not used to seeing so much of the ground in front of me in the turn. Whatever the cause, Tom said I’ll get the hang of it once I adjust to the different view.

The sidestick felt strange for the first 2 minutes or so and then it felt fine. I enjoyed the crisp roll response and the small pitch inputs required on landing (no need to haul the yoke into the stomach and bleed speed with the nose pointed skyward as with the Skyhawk). I bet landings are, in general, less forgiving than with the 172 but I’m sure I could nail it with some practice. All in all, I’m thoroughly impressed. My boys loved the trip. My wife, who stayed on the ground, due to the lack of a fifth seat, found the SR20 interior much more passenger friendly than the Wichita product.

If my wife signs off, I’ll send the check in on Monday and get in line.