The fact is that we all chose Cirrus for all the obvious reasons. It’s a good airplane for a reasonable price and well equiped. So, when we express opinions about options and add-ons, etc. some people get so insulted, they are ready to kill. Take it easy folks. It’s just simple expression of ideas. We all want Cirrus to succeed. We are already customers(investors). Cirrus will need to compete for future customers with other good and coming manufactures like Lancair. I don’t have an IFR ticket yet, but plan on flying as much VFR as possible and resorting to IFR when I have to. So, again, what’s the right choice. “A” for occassional IFR or “C”. Pros/Cons. I could stretch the dollars but it’s tight.
I don’t have an IFR ticket yet, but plan on flying as much VFR as possible and resorting to IFR when I have to. So, again, what’s the right choice. “A” for occassional IFR or “C”. Pros/Cons. I could stretch the dollars but it’s tight.
Reza,
Get your IFR ticket as soon as you can. You will be amazed at how it improves your piloting skills and how much freedom it gives you to use an airplane as a business tool. No, you cannot fly in all types of weather (very high winds, icing and t storms w/out spherics) but you don’t have to cancel a trip every time it rains.
I find flying IFR to be much safer than VFR. I like flying in the ATC system and even with reroutes and the occasional huffy controller, it is challenging and fun.
Get your ticket and plan on using your Cirrus to its fullest.
Mark
Ps - You are right by the way, we did make the right choice. I fly a well equipped 1983 turbo Cessna 210 now and I think the only thing I am going to miss with my new Cirrus is the ability to go high when needed. However, the 210 is a complex airplane and is expensive to operate (insurance, fuel, maintenance). It’s an old design (albeit good) with the wing in the wrong spot (I was weened on mustard yellow Cherokee 140). I, like you, am looking forward to getting a new, very good looking, very functional airplane. Plus, my wife likes the chute thing. Good luck!
“Stretching” is a relative term, isn’t it? 
Borrowing money vrs less to invest vrs no new furniture for your wife vrs going on a weight loss
diet because you cannot afford food!
I still say If you plan to do IFR for more than a few minutes at a time and actually make real IFR approches you want to make it as easy
as possible with as many redundancies as possible. The “C” with the more reliable electric HSI, dual alternater and vaccum pumps
and more advanced autopilot is the way to go. (If the AI dies, turn on the autopilot if you are in the soup and let it fly you on course and
down the ILS!) These things could literally save you life! (I know, the chute is the last backup and an important reason for some of us -
including me - for buying the sr20 or sr22.)
If I was a VFR only guy the A would be it. Don’t need anything more. (Although I like the idea of having two identical GPS/comm units) I
also tow gliders with a Scout 180 taildragger at our local glider club where I am the CFI. I love the stick and rudder flying with the most
basic (and I mean basic) of instruments, often flying with the side window open on a hot and sunny day. Note: on a SUNNY day!
For me, planning to fly IFR in the summer at least, “stretching it” is adding leather (no) or three bladed prop (maybe) or stormscope
(later likely) and finally, bigger motor (I wish but I am not sure - it may be a final stretch that the bank will not accomodate!)
If known icing was an option I would look for partners to get make sure that I got that option. Maybe Cirrus will have a “trade up
program” like Piper on day???
IFR and Ice can be deadly: A Cessna 340 just crashed on real IFR final to CYYC here last night - 4 miles north of my house. There was
known rime ice happening - I heard it on the ATIS. He crashed in train yard, flipped in between to rail cars. He and two passengers
WALKED AWAY - obviously not their day to die! I am glad we will all have a parachute so we don’t have to count on being this lucky
after we screw up.
I don’t have an IFR ticket yet, but plan on flying as much VFR as possible and resorting to IFR when I have to. So, again, what’s the right choice. “A” for occassional IFR or “C”. Pros/Cons. I could stretch the dollars but it’s tight.
Reza,
Get your IFR ticket as soon as you can. You will be amazed at how it improves your piloting skills and how much freedom it gives you to use an airplane as a business tool. No, you cannot fly in all types of weather (very high winds, icing and t storms w/out spherics) but you don’t have to cancel a trip every time it rains.
I find flying IFR to be much safer than VFR. I like flying in the ATC system and even with reroutes and the occasional huffy controller, it is challenging and fun.
Get your ticket and plan on using your Cirrus to its fullest.
Mark
Ps - You are right by the way, we did make the right choice. I fly a well equipped 1983 turbo Cessna 210 now and I think the only thing I am going to miss with my new Cirrus is the ability to go high when needed. However, the 210 is a complex airplane and is expensive to operate (insurance, fuel, maintenance). It’s an old design (albeit good) with the wing in the wrong spot (I was weened on mustard yellow Cherokee 140). I, like you, am looking forward to getting a new, very good looking, very functional airplane. Plus, my wife likes the chute thing. Good luck!
I tend to be more of a reader of this forum than a participant but I had to chime in on this.
As a recreational IFR pilot I have a few “hanger tales” about actual IFR where you can’t even see the wing tips. One was on a “slam dunk” (high, hot & close in) due to spacing or a busy controller, ILS approach with vectors to final turning right at the outer marker. Needless to say it was a busy time indeed. Just as I was turning to final I got an attach of the “leans”. I would swear that I had just come off of the merry-go-round I use to play on in the third grade. I think my eye-balls were scribing little circles. It took a massive effort of will to put all my faith in the A Horizon. I hate to think how this would have ended if a vacumn failure had occured at this time. Bottom line its a lot of difference standing on the ground looking up at the clouds than in the clouds looking for the ground. My opinion for what its worth is “C” is the only way to go for any type of IFR except going through a broken layer. Also the favorite part of this airplane for my wife is the chute. What ever it takes to get her up I am for. Maybe next time I can figure out how to make more than one paragraph.
I hope I have posted this right, lets see…
Regards all
Mike