SR20 Local Area Flight
A number of posts ago I said that I was finding it difficult to remain current in all of the five aircraft types I fly. I also said that I would no longer fly the Cirrus SR20 because of this problem. But, following my trip to Aero Expo in the Cirrus, I decided to try it again.
The SR20 is a going places tourer and to be frank, is better flown by engaging the autopilot early and allowing it to fly the aircraft to the destination. The reason I say that is because of the trimming system, which can be tricky to use. Most aeroplanes have a manual trim wheel which you roll forward for nose down trim, or backwards for nose up trim. The Cirrus does not have this, being replaced with a small device on the side stick which is used for both elevator and aileron trimming. The gearing is such that it is hard to "blip" it just enough to get the desired effect. So you can end up getting it close to being trimmed and then turn the autopilot on. On disengaging you may find it is a little out of trim so you need to be wary when you revert to manual control.
My last flight was in an SR20 that was working correctly, i.e. with full PFD/MFD, as opposed to the failed PFD in the plane used to go to Aero Expo. There is not too much to say about this flight except that I was solo and took it up to 7500 feet above the Lake District which was totally overcast with clouds. I hand flew a little but mainly used the autopilot. The trip lasted ninety minutes and was pretty uneventful.
I returned to Blackpool having seen nothing of the Lakes, just the tops of many clouds. Still, I enjoyed the flight and feel at home in the Cirrus SR20. I have the aircraft booked for a weekend trip at the end of July and am waiting to see what the weather outlook is nearer the time, before chosing a destination.
The SR20 is a going places tourer and to be frank, is better flown by engaging the autopilot early and allowing it to fly the aircraft to the destination. The reason I say that is because of the trimming system, which can be tricky to use. Most aeroplanes have a manual trim wheel which you roll forward for nose down trim, or backwards for nose up trim. The Cirrus does not have this, being replaced with a small device on the side stick which is used for both elevator and aileron trimming. The gearing is such that it is hard to "blip" it just enough to get the desired effect. So you can end up getting it close to being trimmed and then turn the autopilot on. On disengaging you may find it is a little out of trim so you need to be wary when you revert to manual control.
My last flight was in an SR20 that was working correctly, i.e. with full PFD/MFD, as opposed to the failed PFD in the plane used to go to Aero Expo. There is not too much to say about this flight except that I was solo and took it up to 7500 feet above the Lake District which was totally overcast with clouds. I hand flew a little but mainly used the autopilot. The trip lasted ninety minutes and was pretty uneventful.
I returned to Blackpool having seen nothing of the Lakes, just the tops of many clouds. Still, I enjoyed the flight and feel at home in the Cirrus SR20. I have the aircraft booked for a weekend trip at the end of July and am waiting to see what the weather outlook is nearer the time, before chosing a destination.
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| G-GCDA SR20 |
posted by David M at 8:17 PM
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