Fatmanmedia, unfortunately at this stage purchasing an aircraft (or even a share in one) is out of the question due to cost.
A and C, thank you again for taking the time to post your opinions and experiences - much appreciated. However, I did mention in my post that I do intend to keep my dead reckoning skills sharp and use them in conjunction with more modern methods to maintain situational awareness and have something to fall back on in case the proverbial fecal matter hits the fan. Not to mention that I'd need to demonstrate I can still do it when it's time for my CPL training, as you said.
However, I see no sense in not making use of the advanced technology when it is available to you. In fact, I'd say pilots should go to pains to aquire the tech when it isn't already available (for example, taking a handheld GPS when flying in a steam gauge cockpit). Such tech will keep your flying more accurate and therefore safer (less likely to be unsure of position, stray into CAS etc).
No matter how good your dead reckoning skills become, it is still more innaccurate/error prone than something like a GPS.
Originally Posted by thborchert
Odai,
Not sure I get it: You want to build hours, yet complain about ten hours of training. Hmm. Seems a great way to build hours and learn something at the same time. If you get bored in hour 5, you can spend the rest flying to neat places.
Sorry, should have made myself clearer. What I'm getting at is that the 10 hours training required by the insurance for the Cirrus will not count towards the solo time requirement for starting commercial training (not PIC time). It would also be at a higher rate (I think +£50 per hour for an instructor).
I'm still trying to find other suitable aircraft to fly in my local area but not having much luck. In addition, I am not sure what the situation is with even the Cirrus. I intended to purchase a no equity share (the only way to make it affordable) from Aircraft Grouping at Blackpool, but considering the criminal charges just made against the owner I don't know if making a long term investment there (in the form of a deposit) is a good idea anymore. It is unfortunate, as, considering the lack of other options, the Cirrus was looking like my best bet despite the pricey initial costs.
Any other ideas?
The main problem here is not finding a model that would suit my requirements, but rather an example of one with availability at an airfield that isn't on the other side of the country to me.