First time here, need advice!

Randy,

Not only the spilled oil on the floor but a few other indications that made me turn the other way.

#1. I understand most of these flight schools run on a limited budget but when I came in the owner of the company was yelling at the receptionist because she forgot to take a name and number down that was interested in flying. For some reason that didn’t sit right with me.

#2. The school looked like they could all pack up tomorrow and be gone.

#3. I asked: “How are the maintenance on these planes”? and the CFI said: Good, I flew this one yesterday. Then I asked him: “Where do you go to get them fixed if something goes wrong” And he said: Umm…I’m not sure nothing ever happens to them. Then I said what year is this Cessna? And he said: 1975!

I have read a few books on flying and I’m not too knowledgeable but I do have this “BS” meter in my head that goes off once in a while!

Thank You, for the encouragement!

David,

Thanks for the response! It’s going to be mostly Florida flying and Georgia. Mostly small towns but they have GA airports. Not much to worry about with ice unless in the higher elevations. I would love to fly from Florida to New York City and go up the east river that would be pretty cool! but I would only do that in the warmer months.

Where did you learn how to fly?

How does the Cirrus respond compared to a Cherokee?

When flying in turbulence does the Cherokee bounce around more?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Thank You,

Thank you,

Beautiful airplane! No doubt I will have to go IFR so I’m going to go straight through. I’m trying to decide if I should buy a Piper and then upgrade. Pipers are much slower and maybe I can grasp what I need to know first for a few hundred hours. Possibly just hiring a CFI and then learning that way instead of going through a school. I’m going to take my time and give a lot of thought into it because I want to be a safe pilot first and the speed of the Cirrus might overwhelm me at first…I’m not sure!

Without reading any of the previous replies:

  1. Welcome!

  2. I only had 15 hours when I bought my first SR22. I got my private and instrument in that aircraft, and had just put 500 hours on it when I became CAPS save 39 (Yes, the chute works).

I think there are a lot of good deals in the early SR22 market to be had. I am on my 3rd Cirrus, and honestly never thought I would have the privilege of owning a new airplane.

I highly suggest read these forums and attend the migrations. Without the information I acquired from both sources, I’m certain I would have been a fatality, and not a save.

This is a great community and Cirrus is an amazing aircraft. I don’t think you would ever regret the decision to join either.

Maybe it was her third screw up that week… [:D]

That does not matter anyway. The hours you fly are in your logbook and the aviation knowledge is in your head. You can change schools. You can change CFIs. You can change planes. Just don’t prepay for training.

Many CFIs are not familiar with the mechanical aspects of the planes. They know how to fly and teach flying, but may not know how to change the oil (for example).

An old plane will have a newer engine than 1975. They get overhauled every 2000 hours of flying. Since they get frequent use, the engines are typically reliable. These planes are dirt simple and easy to check. Before every flight, you will preflight the plane (such as checking the oil and the fuel). Before take off, you will check the mags. With any engine problem, you cancel the flight and get it fixed.

Randy’s idea of checking with other students and the mechanic are good.

When leaning to fly, the most important thing is to fly frequently - several times a week. And keep at it until you have your license (which can take months). Having a nearby school with cheap (and available) Cessna trainers is the key.

Good luck.

To shard:

I learned here in the Triangle (NC) (on a grass strip) back in the 90s. A Cherokee is a great instrument training platform, IMO. It’s slow, stable, predictable, simple and easy to land. It’s much easier to hand-fly than a Cirrus. I think the Cirrus is harder to land than either a Cessna or a Cherokee. That said, I’m sure folks who learned in a Cirrus think it’s easy to land. The automation in the Cirrus make instrument flying as much buttonology as anything else.

I’m glad I trained in old, simple planes. However, I didn’t choose to do it that way–everything you could train in was old back then. If you can afford to buy the plane you’ll fly for several years now and train in it, I say “great!” Not many folks can do that.

I’ll also tell you that transitioning to the Cirrus was not a big deal, and I had been out of aviation for many years when I did it. So, training in something else is not going to put a big obstacle in your path to Cirrus ownership.

One more thing: have you priced/can you get insurance in an expensive complex plane? You’ll be paying high rates on a lot of hull value in a Cirrus. There are lots of planes that are cheaper to buy, fly, and insure than a Cirrus. OTOH, you’ll be working on the magical 100 hrs in type from day 1. (Accident rates generally go down after 100 hrs in type.)