I am that student who has been in a school that makes students quit. I have received the absolute worst training a student could receive in a non Cirrus aircraft. I completely understand why some students quit. a CFI who is not interested in training and aircraft that is unsafe. I am now looking for a CSIP to take over and train in the plane I will own and fly. I am looking for a dedicated patient and professional to train me in becoming a great pilot. I don’t have money to burn but cost is not an issue but professionalism and quality of training is. I live in Orange County but work in Los Angles and Corona area so Open to most local airports.
You have the right attitude. Start by joining on the member side.
James, sounds like you had a tough break.
Take a look at https://www.cirrusapproach.com/learn-to-fly/. You can find a CSIP or a Cirrus Training Center by following the links. All the CSIPs I’ve run across and flown with are top-notch instructors and consummate professionals. I don’t think you can go wrong with any.
(And, yes, you should join COPA, but not doing it shouldn’t stop you from finding an excellent instructor. 
)
Max
Can you detail your experience (without naming anyone)?
What exactly was unsafe?
Training in a cessna 172 is the cheapest and fastest way. Usually there are plenty of planes available and there are plenty of CFIs familiar with that plane.
It would be more cost effective to have a private pilot license first before buying a Cirrus. The Cirrus is not a good plane to start with. It is easy to damage with the wrong landing speed - repair cost could exceed $45k for one screw up.
Be sure to check what insurance will cost - if you can get it.
CSIPs are expensive and hard to schedule. To learn to fly, you need to fly at least 2 to 3 times a week for several months. Check on the cost and availability of a CSIP. You might be shocked…
I would have to concur with Paul Jensen’s comments above as they are spot on IMO!
I have to disagree completely. There are several flight schools / Cirrus Training Centers that have done hundreds of 0 to PPL in a Cirrus and done so quite safely. Full disclosure, I work for Aero Atlanta - we have 5 G6 SR20s that we do primary training in. I have a client who has already bought a new G622T that is going for his PPL tomorrow. The majority of our instructors are career instructors (one or two working their way to the airlines).
The Flight Academy in Seattle would vehemently disagree with you too. There are Cirrus Training Centers all over the country so you SHOULD be able to find something relative close - JATO Aviation in The San Francisco Bay Area, Mach1 Aviation in Van Nuys, CA, All In Aviation in Las Vegas just to name a few.
That would be one way to do it - go to a flight school and train with their instructors and their planes (covered by their insurance).
However the OP stated “I am now looking for a CSIP to take over and train in the plane I will own and fly.”
So my answer was to that question.
He is already training in some non-cirrus airplane. We don’t know how many hours he has, if he has passed the written, if he has solo’d yet and what his particular issue is with his instructor. We also do not know why he thinks it is unsafe.
Going out and buying an aircraft and trying to hire a CSIP to teach him to fly is a totally different deal.
How much would a cirrus flight school cost to obtain a private license?
As you might imagine, there is a wide range by Cirrus age and type and geographic location. But in rough round numbers, take the cost of training in a Cessna or Piper and double it.
Not a different deal at all - every one of those flight schools will also teach in your aircraft. Instructor rates vary by region but generally run $125-150/ hour. I didn’t say it would be the cheapest (you do get what you pay for) or the fastest BUT it has been done hundreds of times and will continue to be done as Cirrus sells the best GA plane year after year.
So lets say the OP buys a plane (SR22) and tries to get insured. He doesn’t have a license yet. How much will that insurance cost? I’ve heard numbers around $20k for the first year.
Now lets say he gets the insurance. Now he has to find a CSIP willing to fly with him twice a week at his local airport in Orange County, California. I’ve heard numbers like $500 a day.
Then there is the CSIP availability issue. Many get booked up weeks in advance. It can be tough to get a single lesson, let alone twice a week for months.
Now your flight school has solved many of those problems. Full time CSIPs on staff, fleet insurance coverage on a inexpensive SR20 (relative to SR22s). The downside is the student must travel to the flight academy location. This might not be practical for some.
So that is a completely different deal than what the OP asked for in his question.
I am that student who has been in a school that makes students quit. I have received the absolute worst training a student could receive in a non Cirrus aircraft. I completely understand why some students quit. a CFI who is not interested in training and aircraft that is unsafe. I am now looking for a CSIP to take over and train in the plane I will own and fly. I am looking for a dedicated patient and professional to train me in becoming a great pilot. I don’t have money to burn but cost is not an issue but professionalism and quality of training is. I live in Orange County but work in Los Angles and Corona area so Open to most local airports.
Not quite. He’s looking for a CSIP that is dedicated and professional to train him in his airplane. There is a whole network of professional, dedicated, and patient CSIPs available to him to accomplish HIS goal of learning in his airplane. Yes, CSIPs don’t come cheap (most CSIPs are career instructors and not just looking to build time to get to the airlines)- I gather he’s gone the cheap route and learned you get what you pay for. If he’s looking to learn in his own airplane, then he’s probably aware of the associated costs of ownership and how steep they will be as a student.
Rather than berate him for wanting to learn in a Cirrus, shouldnt we be pointing him at the very resources available to him to achieve his goal?
Berate?
I simply answered the question with information that he might not know. He is not a copa member.
For example the high cost of insurance for a student pilot. The reason for such high insurance rates is that many low time pilots have had landing accidents, sometimes costing over $40k. Some have had accidents on going around. Some have stalled while in the pattern. Sometimes an instructor was aboard. There have been several fatals.
This is the main reason that Cirrus created the CSIP program. Because of the high accident rate (at that time).
The CSIP program has been an outstanding success. I understand that you and your husband have helped in the creation the program. Congratulations on a job well done.
So the OP is smart in getting a CSIP. What he may not know is how hard it is to schedule one. I’ve always had to fly to another airport (here in Texas). They can be booked up for several days (or weeks). Just getting an IPC scheduled was difficult. Now that my insurance no longer requires it (i’m over 1500 hours), I just use a local CFII.
Anyway I advised him to check on prices and availability of CSIPs at his airport. Some may not do primary training (zero to PPL).
You have given good advice that he should go to a Cirrus flight academy. That solves the insurance issue and the availability of CSIPs.
Have to disagree.
I trained in a Cessna 172 and got my PPL and IFR rating. The CFIs were outstanding. The planes were safe and the cost was reasonable. I could go flying every weekend, both on Saturday and Sunday. The planes and CFI were most always available.
It was a great way to learn to fly.
Since the OP has already started with a non-cirrus plane, it might be best to switch to another CFI and another rental plane (of the same type). Changing to a Cirrus isn’t going to be easy at all. Especially if he is having issues now.