I looked at this really hard. I went and flew some Cirrus because I heard it was “twitchy”. After numerous spreadsheets, for me to upgrade a 172/182 to anywhere near the technology in even a six pack SR I was going to spend almost as much as a used Cirrus. I’m under contract and closing on an SR22 at the end of the month and I’m really happy I’m spending a little more. I could afford it but I was trying to be frugal. I know those dont mix in aviation but much like you I thought I’d buy a 50-60k Cessna, put the chute in, then upgrade the nav system and other small things to bring it up to par with flying club planes I have flown thus far. I ended up at 120-130k. Granted I could do some of these things as my budget allowed, but I wasn’t sure such an upgraded Cessna would be worth it on resale. I could be wrong but when you compare apples to apples it’s pretty tough to deny the value of the first gen SR’s. There are a lot of great SR20s I saw for some good prices in the last few months if you can swing it.
In my opinion, there are no better values in aviation than early Gen Cirrus. I watch all these V35s and other 4 seat 550 class airplanes with new panels like we have and they end up spending more money on 45 year old airframes. But, if you want the 172 go get it…but when it come to overall value, you might can do better.
I did the 150 to 182 to SR22 route. Should have just gone straight the the SR22. Easier to fly, land, easier everything. I listened to everything and everyone except my own gut…which was to get the SR22 in the first place. The one good thing about going the route I did is how much I appreciate my plane.
Hard to beat this right here. Got my 7 year old and wife in here on our way back from Starkville with our tails tucked between our legs after getting beat in football but still can’t wipe the smiles off our faces looking out over this…3.4 on the hobbs last night with the 22 and 4.2 on the 182…
Was the airport there crowded for a game day? I haven’t flown there for a game yet, but plan to soon enough (I’m a Bulldog)
That’s a little sideways. People had been dying for decades in GA aircraft due to loss of control and resulting spins. CAPS was designed to give them an out.
In fact, the Cirrus passed the extensive spin tests required by EASA for certification in Europe.
The airplane didn’t need CAPS to be certified, as has been misconstrued by many.
But where’s the fun in that, Paul? [:)]
I purchased an SR22 before I had my pilots license or really knew much about general aviation at all, and by the time I started my training, I had 300-400 hours of right seat time in the cirrus - maybe more. I decided I didn’t want to fly any piston single without a chute, and I also thought the SR22 was a bit much to start with.
So I bought a 172 with a BRS, and didn’t regret it at all. Easy to fly and things don’t come at you too fast. And the chute is very comforting during those first solo hours. After the 172, I got an SR20 and it did seem easier to fly. Definitely easier to land in the wind.
I also tried my hand at some of the early light sports (CT and another composite), and they were way to squirrly in the wind for my taste.
– Dikran
I would not add a BRS to a 172 unless my plan was to personally fly that 1950s-designed Wichita rust bucket for the rest of my flying career.
But … since you asked your question here, on COPA, I’m guessing you see life beyond the 172.
The measurably safest planes in piston GA right now are the Diamond DA40, 172, 182 and Cirrus SR/20/22. The Cirrus SR20/22 safety record was average or worse from 2000-2010, but has improved by leaps and bounds in recent years, thanks largely to COPA (kudos, again to Rick Beach) and its evangelical preaching of (1) use the BRS parachute “early and often”; (2) don’t fly pattern speeds too slow or land too fast; (3) manage your plane’s maintenance so as to avoid MIF accidents; and (4) keep learning, all the time.
How many Cessna chute saves have there been?
There is a Peterson STOL conversion on Trade-A-Plane that has BRS installed. You can see how much baggage the chute takes up.
Everyone has a different position on the risk spectrum, but I wouldn’t give up the baggage area on a 172 or 182 for the chute.
If you ask a question of millionaires, you could get an expensive answer.
I owned a C172 that we bought for about $45,000, and it was a pretty nice airplane. It was an old steam gauge plane, but it had a 430, which was enough.
Everybody everywhere knew how to work on it, nobody thought it was worth an upcharge for maintenance. It was a commodity. It flew like every other C172 we’d flown, You needed to pay some attention to the rudder, and it was worth remembering how to hold the ailerons when taxiing in a crosswind.
It was a near perfect trainer, and for a 2-300 mile trip, it was an inexpensive and efficient magic carpet.
I had a partner in it, and we taught quite a few people how to fly in it, which is to say it was a forgiving, resilient plane.
It was a safe plane- safe enough I let several people fly their first solo in it, which felt like putting my money where my mouth was, out there sweating on the tarmac, thinking about my liabilities, repeating, without much conviction, my #2 mantra: “there are no lawyers.”
It is safe enough that with proper maintenance and attention to your own skills, you will never need a chute.
If your budget is accurate, I believe you should not get a chute.
Don’t get me wrong- I like chutes. I believe in them.
Boris Popov’s company has a relatively steep sliding scale for parachutes. Even so, the repack and chute maintenance costs are still considerable. For a guy with your budget, those costs are too high, in my estimation.
I would put some of that money into excellent training, and hold the rest for maintenance and avionics upgrades- get it just right, and keep it so.
To me, for this plane, and with this budget, safety improvements rank this way:
Pilot first, structure second, chute a very distant third.
Scratch that last part, about “for this plane”- make that for ALL planes.
Well…you get to see Tony and you never know when your SWA flight might need a stand-in pilot.