I own a Mooney and am thinking about upgrading. I’d like to take my wife for a ride in a Cirrus to see if she likes it. Any ideas where I can get a demo ride? I prefer out of HPN, but FRG, TEB or CDW would be ok.
I would call Eric Sanderman the Cirrus Rep based out of KHPN. He has a new 22 Perspective available for demo.
Eric cell # 914-319-4684
You also might want to join COPA and get a viewpoint from existing owners, many of whom transitioned from other aircraft, including several Mooney owners.
Dennis - Just a quick perspective from this previous Mooney owner. 1) First ride with the better half - “Two Doors and all this room, I will even sit in the back” 2) I’m 6 feet even and find the head room crowding in the Cirrus compared to the Mooney. 3) Fully adjustable seats in the Mooney make it more comfortable when single pilot, but elbow wrestling with two. 4) The Chute clearly is a big advantage to me in the Cirrus - Took a while to convert to this mindset but now the facts clearly show the advantage 5) The costs of maintenance are closer than you think if you back out the CAPS overhaul costs, but they are always higher than you think they should be. This is based on owning a 2004 Cirrus SR22 and comparing to a similar vintage Ovation, not a new one. Some parts are tough to find on either plane 6) Some on COPA say the Mooney handled like a truck, but I thought it was a true and stable feel. The Cirrus is really a pain for me to get trimmed right for hand flying straight and level. My Cirrus has the bungee’s and doesn’t give me a sense of slow flight feel I felt in other planes. 7) Touch up and small repairs are easy on the Mooney, but you can run into bigger issues and costs when repairing fiberglass properly with the Cirrus. 8) My airplane is a NA and I enjoy the relative simplicity, but you have options if the Turbo is preferred. Many discussions about this and the relative cost on the paid COPA side.
Conclusion for me: If it were just me 90% of the time in the plane I’d own a Mooney Ovation. Aviation is full of compromises and I often have 4 in the plane. My usual passengers enjoy the extra room and Chute option so I own a Cirrus for now. I’m happy we have choices and great to see Mooney back producing airplanes.
Thanks to everyone. I left a message for Eric.
I’ve owned a Mooney Eagle for about 2 years. Other planes I’ve owned have been an MU2, 421, Baron and Bonanza.
Most of the time it’s me with or without my wife. I’m absolutely enthralled by the efficiency. I get about 170 kts on about 12 gph +/- depending on altitude. My wife complains it’s too small and noisy and won’t go on a long trip with me. My daughter is a freshman at Purdue. It’s about 620 nm. I’ve done the trip 5 times in the Mooney and it’s really not bad, but she won’t do it. The trip time would be about the same in a non-turbo SR22, better by 20-30 min in a turbo.
I’m happy with the Mooney, but as the saying goes, “happy wife, happy life”. If she says she’ll take a long trip in the Cirrus that will probably be the decision maker. I have to plunk her rear end down in one to find out.
Dennis, I live on LI and I have two at James Madison University- which is about a 7 hour drive with moderate traffic. It takes me about 2 hours to fly to KSHD which is 10 minutes from JMU. I had a similiar scenario with my wife.
My wife is getting more and more comfortable in the Cirrus, and the chute helps, I guess the fact that she just knows it’s there. She won’t go in another plane on that far of a trip. We are flying alot more to JMU then we were driving, which I don’t mind one bit! It allows me to get down there more often and see some of the games and my two daughters!
They are a very comfortable cross country plane, plus the Satellite radio helps take her mind off things a bit…
Good luck, I know Eric well, great guy, and the demo flights are in his job description, and he loves it!
Terry
Yes but… the fiberglass is so much less prone to damage than metal that this is moot. When Alan K was talking to insurance companies way back at the beginning they expressed concern about repair costs, until Alan pulled out a baseball bat and smashed a Cirrus leading edge section repeatedly, which did nothing to it. The point being that if you did that to a conventional metal wing it would be trashed.
There have been bird strikes (including turkey vultures) to Cirri that have resulted in repairable damage but would have likely destroyed a conventional wing. I’ll take the modern materials, please.
You are certainly familiar with cost issues then… If your wife can be happy using O2 and wearing the associated “stuff” the Turbo version sounds like a good decision. FIKI another decision for ya with the Turbo and that opens up a lot of flights you might not take otherwise. Enjoy!
Well tell that to those who dropped baggage that wouldn’t do a thing to aluminum but takes a structural repair near the wing walk in the Cirrus. Fiberglass really isn’t a modern material, just modern to certified plane use. It is funny how we seem to see different sides to a lot of things. You are a smarter man than me so I’ll go with your view. Let him know how easy the use of oxygen is too. I know you are a fan of the oxyarm and I have no experience. It may help me if you and I have a boxing match one day? In all seriousness Gordon, I learn a lot from our differences so thanks. [:P]
I know what you mean. There’s no airline service to West Lafayette and it’s a 12-13 hr drive. One has to fly to Indianapolis (70 mi southeast) or Chicago (125 mi northwest) and drive. Even nonstop to IND my plane beats dealing with the airport, renting a car, and driving. Costwise it’s a wash for two people. The only fly in the ointment is weather, which so far hasn’t been a problem.
BTW- WOT/ LOP in a 22 at 8000’ you can see around 12.7 gph at indicated around 160.
My wife absolutely loves flying in the Cirrus. Very comfortable and gets us to so many places so quickly!
I spoke with Eric. We’re going to arrange a flight. I’ll let everyone know my impressions. Thanks for all the input.
Put your wife in the front seat for half the trip. That’s where she’ll be later. Back seats are good, front seats are better.
I was thinking about that. Good idea!
I don’t think Dennis’s intended missions requires a Turbo. He is mostly flying in the NE with occasional trips to KLAF. The trip to KLAF is mostly flatland and a quick look at at Low Altitude IFR charts are seems to show the highest MEA’s to be around 6 to 7000’. Unless Dennis is planning on cruising at 16k, which with a skiddish wife doesn’t sound that way, a NA22 should suffice for the intended missions.
I am good friends with another COPA member that lives on LI and owns a 22TN. Although Dave loves the plane, I don’t think he would buy another Turbo for flying the NE or the occasional trip to FL.
If Dennis resided out West, it would be a different story.
Dennis,
After you ride with Eric, let’s sit down and discuss what you really need for your mission.
Dennis, i must second Alex’s post. I waited until AFTER i purchased my plane to speak with Alex and i definitely regretted it… Plus, with your last name yall are practically family, so you know he wont lead you wrong! lol
I would third that, I respect Alex’s opinion as well, and any conversation with Alex is time well invested.
I disagree. You don’t fly the Turbo because you need to fly high (i.e., terrain) but because it is overall just much better to be in the high 'teens for myriad reasons, such as 200 KTAS on only 17 GPH, almost always smooth air, hardly any traffic, better routing in metro areas (e.g., fly right over the top of Class B’s rather than around), above the ubiquitous eastern US summer murk, and high enough to be able to see TCU’s and TRW’s to avoid them. Oh, and many say with some justification that the best weapon against icing is a turbocharged airplane. Gives you the real capability to top many icing situations and to climb out of unexpected icing since you have full rated power at any altitude.
I think the “skittish” wife will be a lot happier to be above the bumps and the murk. Mine certainly was. With the O2D2 and OxyArms, O2 is a non-issue and is comfortable.
I would NEVER go back to a normally aspirated piston airplane, having enjoyed so many benefits from the TN.