I was pretty close to buying one of these not long ago (gently used SR20, almost brand new). IIRC the POH regarding chute is very "hedgy" and has a lot of language like "the decision to deploy the chute will depend on numerous factors including airspeed and altitude, conditions of flight, alternatives, etc. etc." I believe it was about 500 ft to activate from cruise type speeds and approx. 1000 ft vertical from extremely low speed until chute activation, but don't take these numbers without double checking.
Originally Posted by
block30
I imagine we have all read a few articles on the Cirrus in particular, and what level of safety they are really achieving. I have found that very interesting, and the authors usually have some statistics, but I am curious about the perspectives of those who are actually flying them-or are closely connected to those who are.
Originally Posted by
JamesNoBrakes
My take on Cirrus safety is that it's a high-performance wing. Many pilots flying the airplane do not have experience or the physical ability to fly it safely until later on in their piloting experiences.
Yes yes yes. This plane has a cruise of 155 knots, significantly faster than my 182 despite the 182 being more powerful engine. I actually found it a bit scary, it would have been my first low wing plane, but I wasn't used to the effects a low wing has, including "simple" stuff like significant changes in your obstructed vision in different situations, so I decided to stick with the 182 as it retains more of the trainer than high-performance heritage.
172/182 are hard to spin, and have such gentle characteristics. You'd have to work pretty hard to lose control of that aircraft. I only went up for an hour in a SR20 so I'm no expert, but there is much more to the plane IMO and started to remind me of a bonanza in its low speed behavior.
I regret not giving it more of a chance but I really felt that risk is determined by the pilot, not by presence of a big parachute, and I'd be safer in the high wing that I now have hundreds of hours in... oh well.
That field looks mighty fine for a deadstick landing. Not sure I would have pulled chute either even if had option.
Originally Posted by
block30
On the topic of insurance, does anyone know if retro fitting a BRS chute to your aircraft (C-172 etc.) reduce insurance premiums?
Heh, it would probably increase the premiums if people think they can be more aggressive because of the chute backup. But the real answer is I'm not sure. I'd be interested if anybody has installed one and what their experience was like.