I will add that i have flown quite a range of types and so i feel able to make some comparison. I have also intentionally stalled the cirrus on more than a few occasions. I have found no evidence that its characteristics are exceptional, it provides more than enough indication of an imminent stall, infact more than most because its low speed handling really lacks feedback, it will drop a wing but not violently or unexpectedly and it will recover predictably from a stall.
I also really dont think the cirrus should be portrayed as the rocket ship it isnt. Everything is relative. Compared with a 152 it will seem amazing, sophisticated and complex. On the other hand it will seem none of these for anyone with some time in faster singles. For a twin pilot it will appear very basic. In many ways it is simple. Two levers, and one set at that. Fixed u/c. Other than the avionics its very simple. Even the avionics are over done. Yes for ifr flight they need a thorough understanding and this takes time. For vfr flight a few hours is really more than enough for a pilot with a reasonable background.
If a cirrus catches you out it does so because like any good touring aircraft, and there are many, it encourages you to go places, it encourages you to fly reasonably quickly, and therefore it equally can result in the pilot falling behind the aircraft or events going on outside. No different than many faster touring aircraft. When things go wrong they go wrong for all the usual reasons.
That said for the lower time pilot there is plenty there to cause you problems and some characteristics that will be new and different. It will bite. However i am just not sure it will bite any more or less than a lot of other high performance singles.
The chute is different. I think it will take time to develop a full understanding of its best use and i think the way in which pilots are trained with regards the chute has and still is evolving. As i have often said in the interesting discussion i have had with pace the chute gives the pilot an option and an option in potentially a life threatening situation. In some ways in these situations options arent good. Far better to follow the flow diagram and the last box tell us now pull the handle. I dont see it will ever be like that because i dont think the chute can ever provide absolute certainty. It will also mean there will always be discussion about if you had chosen the other option the result would have been different / better and of course we will never know. Pilots are different. There will be those who fly lots of different types, regularly practise pfls, and are confident in their ability to select and land in a good field. There will be those that have only ever flown a cirrus and havent done a pfl in years. Their assessment will inevitably be very different of when to use the chute.
Life is full of uncertainties and the chute just gives the pilot another to wrestle with. However far better the uncertainty because the evidence suggests it is a rather nice option to have. Moreover if you use it as much as some might try, try as they might it will be impossible to prove you selected the wrong option!
Last edited by Fuji Abound; 13th Oct 2012 at 07:39.