Gugnunc,
I was the Cirrus pilot involved in this incident. First let me clarify for the record that I am not a doctor nor am I particularly rich! I don’t own the aircraft but am fortunate enough to get to fly it regularly.
Let me explain a little more clearly what happened from my point of view. As you say, I carried out a full overhead join for a right-hand circuit, as mandated in Pooley’s, giving all the standard circuit calls. I was indeed aware that there were two other aircraft in the circuit but on turning downwind could not see anything ahead of me. At this point I asked the A/G operator to confirm the position of the other circuit traffic. The next call I heard was from an aircraft reporting on crosswind. My downwind leg was about 1nm out from the runway which is the way I was taught. One small error I did make was to turn base a little later than usual. This was a result of momentarily losing sight of the runway, a consequence of looking out for the still invisible traffic. I estimate my base leg was flown just over 1nm out from the threshold. Not a massive error but further out than I would normally aim for. I imagine the conflict occurred when you turned base closer into the field and saw that I was already on final. I don’t believe that relative speed was an issue as I had the Cirrus down to just over 100kts before joining the circuit. It seems to me that this incident was just simply the result of the two of us flying different size circuits; yours a fairly tight one close in to the field and mine rather wider with an slightly extended downwind leg. I expect you caught up with me due to your shorter flight path rather than the speed difference. The real concern is that neither of us was fully aware of the other’s position which is obviously worrying. I remember being slightly higher than 1000ft AGL when downwind so the classic low-wing v high-wing mismatch would have worked against us. I can only apologise again most sincerely for the inconvenience. I accept that as a visiting pilot it is my responsibility to fit into the circuit pattern without getting in the way of others. I failed on this occasion. Thanks again for speaking to me after the incident in such a civil manner, I was expecting a stern dressing down!
This is really a subject for another thread but I find that there is quite a spread of opinion on the subject of what size circuit to fly. Some aerodromes are very prescriptive with clear published instructions but others give practically no information at all. Visiting pilots could be in for a nasty surprise at places with unpublished ‘variable’ training circuits. A few such places spring to mind in the south of England. I’m beginning to wonder if there is any such thing as a standard circuit or standard overhead join. It’s obviously more difficult to spot other traffic if it’s not where you expect it to be, especially at an unfamiliar airfield.
Returning to the main subject of this thread, I have to say that I don’t think there is anything specific about the design of the Cirrus that qualifies it as a ‘coffin maker’. Our incident had nothing to do with aircraft type; the same problem could have arisen if I’d been in a club PA28. As you say; a C2K also managed to get in the wrong place after my visit. The Cirrus actually has surprisingly benign flying characteristics, even when pushed to the limits. In practice, its not really any more difficult to handle than something like a PA28 provided it’s operated in a safe and responsible manner. The extra speed and performance is something that you get used to very quickly. Having said that, a thorough type conversion training programme is essential due to the large number of differences compared with more traditional light singles. Pilot training is of course an issue that Cirrus as a company takes very seriously.
My final thoughts go to your student. Please pass on my best wishes for his PPL and an obvious personal tip if he hasn’t learnt already – look out at all times in the circuit!