I recently transitioned to a Meridian from a Cirrus. Mine is a later model with the G1000 which is what was in my Cirrus.
Pros:
- Easiest to fly turboprop. No inertial separator, really well integrated CAS messages to remind you if you screwed something up, very benign handling characteristics and a super simple auto start procedure. Piper put a lot of thought into making it a simple to fly single pilot plane.
- Pressurization is a total game changer.
- Lowest cost to own and fly turboprop (not including Jetprop). Piper parts are less than TBM & Pilatus parts and the plane uses less fuel with less complicated systems. The Meridian itself is also less expensive so cost of capital is less on a new vs. new comparison.
- Climbing at 1,200+ ft/min to 28,000 feet above most weather and flying at 260 knots is pretty awesome.
Cons:
- Limited range compared to the competition. A Meridian holds 170 gallons of fuel which means you have about 4:20 mins of flying before you turn into a glider. So figure about 850nm - 900nm no wind range with reserves. Personally I don't like flying more than 3.5 hour legs but there are times when I would to avoid a fuel stop in bad weather. Not an option in a Meridian.
- Limited useful load. With full fuel, I have about 550lbs of useful load. If you go back to my 850 mile range, I can gain about another pound of useful load for each 1nm in reduced range. For example I can carry 800lbs 600nm and still have plenty of reserves.
- Cabin differential of 5.5psi means at 28,000 feet you're right around 10,000 feet. I used to wear O2 at this altitude in the Cirrus. So unless there is a compelling (weather / winds) reason to fly that high, I usually go FL260 Westbound which reduces some efficiency.
- The landing gear can be a little squirrelly. As in once in a while when the nose wheel touches down, the plane wants to veer. There have been a few accidents in the Meridian on contaminated runways where the plane has gone off the side of a runway.
- Low Vmo. With a 188 knot Vmo, you have to pull power back pretty far on a steep descent which can be a pain.
- I find the cockpit very comfortable but some people complain it's too hard to get into.
If you are serious, join MMOPA. All the information you seek and more is there.
Overall I love this plane. For my needs and mission it's perfect.
