I am writing this article admiring the stunning view of Australia from Pure Magnetic’s No. 1 luxurious accommodation on Magnetic Island. After flying a Cirrus SR20 generation one for 3 years, I had never quite been able to justify the additional expense of the pride of the fleet the SR22-GTS. Having an aircraft with all the acronyms installed (EMAX, CMAX, PFD, MFD, TAWS,TCAS) should be enough justification. It was this trip a year and half in of flying a Cirrus SR22-GTS, however that reminded me and my passengers about the sheer pleasure, and performance of the Cirrus SR22-GTS.

The sorti was Sydney to Roma for a refuel stop and then on to Townsville and then a quick 20 minute Ferry ride to Magnetic Island, total flight time 4.7 hours. My copilot and passengers were all seasoned veterans of light aircraft, so the subject of conversation that flight was what makes a Cirrus so special? The immediate response from the pax was speed, our ground speed into Roma was a admirable 196 knots and we had not even started our descent from 8000 feet yet. So speeds a given. I am sure that the designers at Cirrus would have been pleased to here the next comment from the back seat, “a little bit of posh”. As always happens when you start a conversation about flying a Cirrus the adjectives started rolling in, comfort and privacy. Even though the budget airlines are doing a great job at getting you there at a low cost, there is something about arriving refreshed with some personal space intact. My Co-pilot chirped in that the Sydney to Roma then Townsville and Hamilton Island to Hunter Valley and then Sydney all inside one week would have presented a challenge to the most aggressive Regional Carrier. So flying a Cirrus opens up Australia to a whole new set of destinations, and provides more time for that vodka and lime around the pool.

The conversation continued to the background dulcet tones of Norah Jones playing over the Bose X headsets, from the Cirrus Audio system, (my co-pilot was trying out his own piece of technology Apples new iTouch) interrupted now and again by Brisbane Centre�s update on traffic, which was a pleasant confirmation the TCAS system on board was providing all the correct information.

As a pilot its speed and sporty looks, a full compliment of Avionics that attract the male to the Cirrus. The ladies however have a totally different perspective the BRS CAPS system installed in all Cirrus or Cirri definitely has huge impact on ease of mind when it comes to safety, closely followed by their approval of the leather seat system that molds around what the French delicately refer to as the derriere. After all its not the range of the Cirrus that limits each leg, its comfort and bladder endurance.

At over 3 miles a minute Emerald, and Clermont and Older were behind us and we were soon negotiating our clearance with Townsville Approach. (To be continued)

–
Jeff Sunderland loves to fly. More than that, he loves to fly for Cirrus Aircraft NSW Australia in his very own Cirrus SR22. Give him a call – he’s likely to be doing a demo in your area and he just loves espresso coffee.

Article Source