Standard Cirrus

I flew serial number 208 for about 15 years and enjoyed it but I think
there are characteristics that have not been mentioned in this thread
that you should be aware of. I found assembly easy and mine had the
older style connections to the controls and that meant inserting the
safety pins by Braille behind the spars. I got reasonably good at it
but some friends with the same plane really struggled. If the Cirrus
has had the mod to put an inspection hole behind the cockpit that is a
plus.

Another factor is the location of the instrument panel. It is very
far forward and if you tend to recline in the cockpit and have normal
to short arms, you will not be able to reach the instrument or radio
controls without undoing the belts. I also had to put an extension on
the tow release so that I could reach it.

The oxygen bottle is located in a position that cannot be reached from
the cockpit and thus must be turned on and off before and after the
flight. I have seen a system built to cure that with a long extension
bolted to the bottle valve but it was a Rube Goldberg at best. It is
also a bear to get in and out to refill.

The canopy is very sensitive to heat and can distort enough on a hot
day to render it almost impossible to close and seal and the same is
true on a very cold day. These issue were not unique to my plane. I
know other Standard Cirruses with the same problem.

There are not many good places to put batteries in a Stand Cirrus and
if you plan to use two batteries and change them with each flight, be
very aware of their location on any plane you buy. Some locations
require that you be sure to install and remove the batteries with the
wings out. it is very annoying to get the plane put together and
remember that the batteries go in first. I solved that by locating
the batteries in front of the wheel well but just be aware of this.

The CG tow hook necessitates a hard rubber (or equivalant) tail wheel
or you will be all over the place on take off.

All the other issues about poor brakes, marginal spoilers, and high
speed sensitivity of the all flying tail are certainly true but I
found they were just things that one adapts to and soon forgets. I
transitioned to the Standard Cirrus from a Grob 102 after only 18
hours (3 in the 102) and found it to be very easy to fly. My comment
at the time was "Just like a big Piper Cub." with gentle stalls, lots
of warning and could climb very well because it could be flown so
slowly with confidence.

For what it is worth.

Greg Foster