Great responses. Can you run a G1 engine LOP if the aircraft does NOT have Gamis? The aircraft has a JPI 800.
I have a G2 and I have a PFD and a lot of the extra “goodies”. BUT I would have to 100% agree with Jerry. You DO NOT NEED all of that stuff to have a fine airplane. The newer stuff is helpful in a lot of ways but the G1 basic airplane is a FINE airplane compared to 90% of the pre-Cirrus airplnes out there.
The G1 is a great bargain right now. It all comes down to what you want.
Yes, provided your injectors and induction air provide roughly equal power for each cylinder. When you test fly do a GAMI test and see the spread in gph from the first cylinder to reach peak and the last. If they’re within 0.5 GPH or so you will have no problems. Otherwise you may run rough LOP since the last to peak will be putting out significantly different power from the first to peak.
My plane has factory injectors and has been run LOP from engine break in to now with no problems.
Roger, where did you have your annual done?
Yes. I have the factory injectors. My GAMI spread is about .3-.4 gph. Some early owners swapped first and last to peak injectors to reduce the GAMI spread. I always cruise LOP at about 170-172 knots. The higher I go, the lower my fuel burn, but the TAS remains about the same. At 17K feet I typically burn 10.0-10.5 gph (I don’t remember exactly). If it’s a relatively short trip (say, less than an hour) I just do a “Big Mixture Pull” (slowly lean until you feel the plane decelerate) and leave it there.
Not a SC [;)] - don’t get me wrong, SC’s have there place but… I know this is way more than you asked for, but a shop name is nothing without the maintenance philosophy behind a more comprehensive maintenance strategy.
For a long time I used a IA at a remote airport outside of Phoenix for my work (non Cirrus). A good wrench and a reasonable guy. Then I bought a Cirrus and for the first two years it went to a SC. Although I never bought parts because the plane was under warranty, those remain my most expensive annuals on the plane. The hours are similar, the rate is the difference. I posted a while ago about my process for choosing a shop. Having taken the Savvy Aviator class I think I have a sound process. Here it is again:
If the work is routine maintenance and I have the time/tools/inclination I do it myself under either the Preventative Maintenance provisions for owner performed work or under the supervision of several A&P friends. The work is always by the book and logged. I like to do this and it keeps me in touch with the plane. For example, I installed my GAMI’s - its logged and 337’ed as required. For me I am nearly as satisfied working on it as flying it, so I find it rewarding. This does require you have the time, skills, network of mechanics, maintenance manuals and willingness. If you don’t, do not try.
If the work is standard stuff (eg annual, remove Mags for rebuild, repair a wing fuel tank leak, etc…) and I don’t want to do it - I go to a A&P/IA I trust. I have several I use based on a long time owning airplanes. I like a guy that is open to my helping and does not mind my being involved in the decision making process. See below for an example. I know a couple of IA’s that would supervise me through an annual, but so far I have not done that with the Cirrus.
If the work is more involved Cirrus work (real examples, rigging, convert to a 6 pt engine mount, composite work, etc…) that I feel I need jigs or more type experience, I go to a SC I trust. I have one main one that I am very pleased with and I travel to them for the peace of mind of having a top notch shop. Its time consuming and a pain, but its worth it to me.
Let me give a real repair example and how you can help yourself. I found a seep in one of my right fuel tank access panels. Unfortunately it was full of fuel and I had a medium distance flight to do. So I called him and we arranged for me to be at his place at 2 PM. That would let me do the flight and burn off the fuel (which he was very happy about - saved me shop hours too). I arrived low on fuel in that tank and circled counter clockwise high over the field until the remaining fuel was gone. Landed and we put it in his hangar. He and I took off the panel, cleaned it and applied sealant. It was winter so he put a light near it for heat and he gave me his airport car to drive home. Went back 24 hours later and flew it home. Total charge, $105. The repair was made much shorter by my actions.
If you (or any COPA member) intends to come to Phoenix for an annual, I would be glad to pass on his name and even meet you there or fly you back to town. Anyone who would like it can email be off line at flycirrus@aol.com
Frank, as the resident safety grouch, let me amplify some cautions about this question.
As others have pointed out, you can get “comfortable” in a modest number of hours. But will you be safe?
Please remember that you are 1300 hours total time but zero time in a Cirrus – and that seems to matter more.
The Cirrus has lots of sophisticated avionics to help you with workload, but at a cost. And that cost has a steep learning curve. Flying with Garmin 430 units in your other planes will help. But integrating them into a Sandel or Avidyne PFD brings up a whole bunch of different issues, mainly failure modes. Low time-in-type means that, by definition, the pilot has little experience with what shows up when things go bad. What do those red-X’s mean? Why is it complaining about that? Etc.
Another caution is with your choice of instructor. Yes, the Cirrus is just like any other airplane with fixed wings, so any instructor might do. Yet, we’ve seen some fatal accidents in which the instructors had less than 30 hours of time in a Cirrus. I would encourage you to go with experience – pick someone who has taught many Cirrus pilots and can help refine your skills during a several month-long transition.
Glad you posted on COPA. It helps to put some of this information on the Guest forum. Now, engross yourself in the COPA community on the member side!
Have a great Cirrus day.
Cheers
Rick
I flew in the G1 today – no excessive vibration noted, and it really was impressive on the departure roll and lift off. What’s the best way to find an instructor who is a Cirrus approved CFI? If anyone here can recommend an instructor who would work in Santa Monica or Van Nuys, Ca, and really train me to be a good Cirrus pilot, I would appreciate the recommendation. Please send me a private mail. Thanks. Frank
Frank if SMO give Jesse a call @ http://www.seasideaviation.com/index.html. Joe Justice @ Justice aviation is also great and Im sure he or 1 of his staff instructors could help you out.
Hope this helps!
Craig
Craig,
I appreciate your info. Lately, I have been renting some Cessnas, so it did look like a “hot” landing when the owner brought the Cirrus in yesterday. He was at 90kts over the threshold which seemed a bit fast to me, but the speed bled off pretty well, and we touched down about 70 kts indicated, with no stall warning. I haven’t read the POH, so I don’t know what the normal vs short field technique would be, or where the IAS would be at VSo. Sometimes there is a big difference between the book numbers for CAS for Vso and the IAS on the airspeed indiciator at Vso. Of course, typically the CAS used for the stall numbers is much less than the IAS, providing a safety margin, but also making for longer landing distances. We used a lot of runway yesterday. The owner also commented on the need to be extra careful about braking to avoid causing some brake O rings to become overheated and need replacement. I heard about some brake fires, but thought that issue had been addressed.
You got that right. [:P] Way too fast (unless it was a no-flap landing). With full flaps–the normal procedure–most SR22 pilots use 77 kt less 1 kt for each 100 lb under MGTOW as target speed on short final, then hold it off to touch down with full aft yoke, somewhere around 60 kt or less with stall horn blaring. With just me aboard I have used an over-the-fence speed as low as 72 after a 3-4 hr flight. Landing the way your pilot did invites diminished control after touchdown, porpoising, or worse, uses a lot of runway and is unneccessarily hard on tires & brakes. If you buy, get thee with a good CFI who knows how to teach Cirrus landings properly. Your airplane will be grateful.
Frank,
Very recently - we had a situation where a CSIP was teaching the wrong numbers, which seem eerily similar to what you quoted. 120 downwind, and 90 crossing the fence. Be extremely careful if you get the aircraft on having extra speed - it doesn’t do you any good when you touch down and the plane still has 30 knots left in it where it wants to fly. Those of you who remember that thread know what I am talking about.
Alex