Early Model Cirrus Flaw

Early Cirrus have a flaw where the exhaust is too short and blows back right on to the belly.
It has always been stained (burned it turns out) but when we went hunting for what we thought was an oil leak we noticed that spot had become severally weakened.

Yup that hot exhaust has been toasting that spot for the last 20 years.
They now have an after market tip you can add but the repair is going on month 2 right now.

Cirrus had to custom design a solution and provide it to the shop doing the repair due to our irregular burn dimensions being slightly different than the normal burn pattern they are used to seeing.















This $90 pipe would have prevented what is going to like cost around 5-10k

 

Ouch!

 

Acceptable Belly Burn was my band name in high school.

 

ZOINKS!

 

At least they are responsive, cough couch vtail cough cough

 

I love that it costs $90 for what is essentially a 90-degree turndown tip like you'd buy for $7.99 at your local auto parts store, lol. Yes, made of SS rather than aluminum but still.

 

Your dad still planning to sell it?

 

Yep.

He is fixing all the squawks then going to wrap up his IR and upgrade to a G3.

 

Because once you've been burned you must go back for more?

 

This morning they're doing whatever this is

 

If it wasn't plastic it wouldn't melt ...

(Ducking & running!)

Come on guys ... someone had to say it!

 

Vacuum bag to wet out the fiberglass or carbon. Good way to do that kind of work.

 

https://coventivecomposites.com/explainers/what-is-vacuum-bagging/

 

Pro tip: Don't sit in the plane when they put it in the autoclave.

 

Part of the chem trail STC, specific to earlier models when they retrofit. The older factory units caused that staining.

 

Wow, that sucks. Tell your dad to scout out G5s, increased load, perspective, 150 knot 50% flap speed. All good stuff.

 

And only six figures more!

 

Definitely more, but not six figures. The issue with Cirrus right now is that there are a lot of new pilots buying them up, then getting their PPL in them.
There was a 2020 (?) 22 Turbo someone put on FB for $1.15 million and some guy said he was interested. The market is nuts, but my biggest fear is we are going to see a rash of crashes due to inexperience or maybe less than spectacular training. I hope I'm wrong.

 

Between the G3 (his wish) and the G5 there is nearly a quarter million difference on the ones I see on offer.

 

I took "six figures" as almost a million more, a few hundred thousand, yes, I agree with that. I haven't looked in a bit, but I thought they were closer than $250k. The market is definitely a sellers market.

 

they are using a vacuum to pull the fiberglass repair tight to the skin. Same process is used to make the airframe.

 

While it’s wet bring the kids so they can put their hand prints on it like wet cement. You won’t regret it!

 

And now we bake it at 450 degrees until it is golden brown.
Then off to the paint shop.

 

This is the same powerful vacuum that pulls the money out of your pocket when the repair is complete

 

The newer Cirrus have metal plates to protect the plastic from the exhaust.

 

Ours has the metal plate. It is the area just beyond the plate that is damaged.

I think we get a bigger metal-plate now.

 

I am completely unable to figure out how an adequate test flight program did not reveal this problem prior to production. Further, I don't understand why Cirrus isn't paying for these repairs as it is an obvious design flaw.

 

That's good, stupid Cirrus. The do breathe fire though.

 

It's feature not a bug. Cirrus to now advertise that their aircraft have a Blackstone griddle incorporated into the belly in case you need to cook pancakes and hash browns for in-flight meals.

 

Right???

I will share the damage once we get a bill.

 

You said its 20 years old? Call Car Shield for your extended warranty.

 

$10k

 

Half the value of my entire airplane.

 

Thats like 10 hookers. Not bad

 

But it was golden brown before! Wasn't that the problem?

 

This is how they make the cookies at Signature.

True Story.

 

Not if you toss in a couple of eight balls. I’m mean if your going to party…

 

Don’t park too close to the microwave or your airplane will **** its pants and forget who it is for a little while every time someone makes popcorn.

 

National Lampoon's: Cirrus Vacation

 

Lil o this and some winder screens and y’all could fill that hole right up