Pace I know you might be teasing but some may take you seriously and its not fair to mislead (for too long).
So just to clear this up;
- Everything is relative. If you have a couple of hundred hours on PA28s a Cirrus is a rocket ship, if you are regularly flying twins or more complex SEPs its a doddle. As ever how much time you will need will depend only on your recent high performance SEP time and familiarity with glass. If yo have never flown glass and intend to learn in the cockpit whatever your background you will need 5 hours to be remotely familiar with all the systems. You would be daft to gain that experience in the cockpit.
- There are Groups around that will sign you off in a couple of hours if you are "good enough" maybe even a bit less, although I cant imagine why you wouldn't do a couple of hours with an instructor for the fun of it.
- There are groups that will arrange the insurance for you once you are signed off and with the cost built into the rates.
- There are "approved" instructors that will sign you off on any Cirrus you can lay your hands on, on exactly the same basis which will secure you the requisite insurance on whatever basis fits.
- In the nicest way I have told you so Pace, and while I enjoy the debate as much as you all of the problems that are the subject of this thread can be made to go away without any problems.
- As someone else said whatever Cirrus you fly if it is not yours, and just like any aircraft, the owners will set the terms. You might not agree with the terms but that is life. Fortunately there are some groups that don't take advantage but the cost does reflect the value of the aircraft, the cost of a group policy particularly where the group is given the freedom to include pilots that the Group has approved so long as they meet the minimum insurance restrictions and other financial considerations.
None of this is especially about Cirrus. I have run groups and we set minimum requirements. Frankly I was taught not to be particularly interested in how many hours etc the applicant had, but to fly with them. They could cut the mustard in their flying ability AND their willingness to look after the aircraft or they couldn't. I had a multi thousand hour pilot tell me he wanted to do more than an hour and I had a multi thousand hour pilot who wasn't prepared to look after the aircraft in the way the rest of us wished.
I am sure you know all that, and I don't think anyone has disagreed it is unreasonable to require a pilot to demonstrate his ability beyond that necessary to prove competence. I don't think anyone approves of excessive insurance premiums but they are what they are, and to the extent they are loaded they reflect the reasons I set out earlier in this thread.
I cant add anything further so its time to bow out but good luck with the debate.