On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 22:20:36 -0500, Journeyman
wrote:

In article , Roger wrote:

Your Arrow is a complex.

Sure, but is it any more complicated/difficult/challenging to fly
than a fixed-gear Cherokee?

Does a high-performance fixed-gear Skylane give you any more
performance than a low-performance retract Arrow?

Yes, it is a bit more challenging and complicated, but no more
difficult. You have a constant speed prop and retractable gear which
are more things to keep track of, but that is not the point. By
definition it is a complex aircraft.

OTOH High performance, which the Arrow is not, makes a really big
difference with usually much faster, slipperier, and much less
forgiving aircraft that require not only thinking much farther ahead,
but learning the aircraft far better than say a 172 or Cherokee which
are far more forgiving of mistakes. The Cherokees and Arrows are
among the most forgiving aircraft out there.

The SR-22 being even faster than a Bo, should not be thought of in
terms normally reserved for "fixed gear" aircraft. It is a truly high
performance aircraft.

I would not call the SR22 any more complex than the Bo (if you neglect
trying to program the GPS/MFD while en route). Besides, you don't have
to worry about lowering the gear. I find the glass displays easy to
fly, simpler to read, and even prefer them, to the regular instrument
display, but it would take me hours to learn the GPS to the point
where programming it in flight was instinctive.

There are three things in transitioning to a much higher performance
aircraft. Learn its limitations and the edges of the flight envelope
well. Learn its systems, and develop a mind set that thinks in the
terms of the speed at which you will be flying. Even the extra 20
plus knots from a Bo to the SR-22 takes a bit of conditioning. Going
from 130 or 140 knots to 200 or better is a big step.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Morris