In Reply To:
"The $10 million question is: Do I open those door before impact, or not??? "
NOT! The doors are an integral part of the plane’s roll cage and should be verified closed AND secured prior to impact. (that’s why the plane comes with an emergency egress hammer stowed in the center console lid!) If the doors won’t open after impact, smash the windows with the supplied hammer to get out – and I’m willing to bet (not with my plane as test platform though [:)]) that the door gaskets will actually help hold an air bubble in the cockpit should the plane start to sink…
Keeping the doors CLOSED will increase the strength of the cabin and possibly save your bacon. Worried about getting out? That is what the hammer is for.
Once again I show my ignorance of Cirrus emergency procedures (not being a Cirrus owner). But it makes perfect sense to keep the door closed. I imagine in addition to the strength, that it would keep the plane on top of the water longer
Never mind the $10 million… I’d settle for the magic wad of cash you found! [:)]
What we do not know is whether it would prevent leakage of water into the cockpit but it clearly is important to keep the doors closed before impact unlike a Cessna. In Cessnas they are afraid the wing will flex down and prevent the door from opening. The windows are too small to crawl out that way. The Cirrus windows are plenty large for egress unless you are prenty large yourself.