Cirrus without a chute...attractive plane?

Skylane81E said:
Here are its honest limitations.
Small, tightly faired wheels, no ruff strips (a trade for speed, fair for most pilots who never even see grass)
Non flat folding or removable back seats
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I agree totally with the exception of the last comment. I put the seats down on a 2002 I was flying for Katrina relief. The new 2+1 rear seat is easier to fold down plus it reclines.
 
If you want to see how pretty a certificated composite aircraft, with retractable gear, can bee, see the Windecker Eagle. I dearly wish this plane were in production...

Windecker.jpg
 
What I find interesting about the Eagle is how close the published performance numbers are to the SR22 despite having retractible gear. It did use a smaller engine but not much smaller.
 
peppy said:
What I find interesting about the Eagle is how close the published performance numbers are to the SR22 despite having retractible gear. It did use a smaller engine but not much smaller.
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It's also an old wing and fuselage design that have considerably more drag. That rapidly tapered down tail reduces a lot of surface area which is drag.
 
Cirrus did a lot of work getting those speeds from a fixed gear plane. Look at it this way, a 20 and a 200HP arrow have very very similar performance numbers for speed, load fuel burn etc.

How much bigger is the 20's cabin?
 
olasek said:
Its is a form of religion, you got to understand that ...
Plus it is a lot more fun to root for the underdog.
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... which is why Mooney pilots feel the need to defend their planes... SO many OWT's out there about 'em, and if you ask the average just-finished-their-private-never-flown-anything-but-Cessna-or-Piper pilot whether a Mooney or Bonanza is better, they'll say Bonanza every time... Because the myths get perpetuated.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
... which is why Mooney pilots feel the need to defend their planes... SO many OWT's out there about 'em, and if you ask the average just-finished-their-private-never-flown-anything-but-Cessna-or-Piper pilot whether a Mooney or Bonanza is better, they'll say Bonanza every time... Because the myths get perpetuated.
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But they are cramped and the tail is on backwards!
 
peppy said:
But that data is not only incorrect it isn't even close and a very easy to do search of the NTSB database will show that. It is frustrating to see highly inaccurate data get perpetuated as fact. It seems people feel if they repeat something that isn't true enough times it will magically become true.
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Not sure how it is incorrect or inaccurate because all I did was read the NTSB reports from last year for the SR22.
 
DavidWhite said:
But they are cramped and the tail is on backwards!
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Well yeah...

And on the Bravo the engine is a PITA to work on as there is so much crap crammed into a small space.

But there is a reason for it, drag reduction!

I do however really like the QD belly that lets you get at EVERYTHING in there quickly and with a minimum of fuss!
 
Skylane81E said:
Well yeah...

And on the Bravo the engine is a PITA to work on as there is so much crap crammed into a small space.

But there is a reason for it, drag reduction!

I do however really like the QD belly that lets you get at EVERYTHING in there quickly and with a minimum of fuss!
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Yeah the first time I changed the oil filter was a religious experience on my 201.

One of the few mods my Mooney doesn't have is the QD belly, it never been gear upped so noone ever bothered to install it.
 
Just remember that the Mooney engineers had to make some tough choices to keep the profile that slim. But if you don't need the space why suffer the drag caused by it?

While a Mooney is far from an ideal "family" plane it has a very set place in the 4 seater market. I'll say it again David, you have the right plane for your flying!
 
I think so too. We looked at a few different types - Bonanzas, of the straight and V tail variety, Arrows, Togas, Commanders, and even the Cirri mk20.

We decided for that the kind of flying I do (either solo or with 1 other person mostly) there was no better machine than a Mooney.
 
Yep, for our 135 the NA SR22 has proven to be better than the bravo was. The extra interior space and easy entry/exit outweigh the speed penalty. The BRS is also a factor, we snagged a couple of customers who were not willing to fly in any other single engine plane. WE know that the likely hood of a plane operated under 135 rules suffering an engine failure is diminishingly small but perceptions sell.
 
DavidWhite said:
Not sure how it is incorrect or inaccurate because all I did was read the NTSB reports from last year for the SR22.
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A search on Cirrus from 1/1/12 to 1/1/13 shows 23 entries in the NTSB database and 6 of those with the word fire in them. I can probably see where you got your numbers from if I cull the results by eliminating CAPS pulls and on the other side brake and electrical fires. That leaves 10 crashes with 4 post crash fires.
 
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