This is what a flight looks like in 25 years. See what Jason thinks lol. You type in what the street address is to your destination while you're at home. It sends it to the airplane. The airplane picks the airport closest to your destination. It automatically flies an ifr flight plan with alternate. If you need a rental car or hotel you can have the airplane send messages to the FBO youre going to have them line that up. You type in your passenger and baggage weights and the plane automatically gives the FBO a fuel order to match the filed flight plan plus reserves. You show up to the airport flip the master switch on and hit the ''preflight'' button it moves all controls, test all lights, checks all fluid levels. Then you do a simple walk around. You get in the airplane press one button and start it like a car. Your flight plan is already loaded and ready to go from when you sent it at home. Your PFD no longer has synthetic vision its now overlaid with google maps. So what what you see below you is actually what is below just like on your computer. You take off and hit the auto pilot button. Along the route the avionics have voice recognition so when ATC gives you a reroute it automatically loads it into the airplane and it flies the new route. It switches fuel tanks for you. The airplane has a stick shaker AND auto throttles. When ATC gives you and approach the voice recognition puts the approach in. The airplane will bring you down to approach minimums hands off on approach speed you flair and land. You taxi in before shut down the airplane runs its own diagnostics and sends it to your mechanic. It schedules its own oil changes and annual inspections.... OK Jason lets hear it...

Yeah, 13 of 'em in 2012???

I betcha they manufactured more buggy whips than that in 2012.

Actually, there is still quite a demand for buggy whips:

(1.) throughout parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Iowa for use by the Amish.
(2.) for harness racing throughout the country.

Not much demand for G36s.

Yeah, 13 of 'em in 2012???

I betcha they manufactured more buggy whips than that in 2012.

I don't think those whips are primarily used for transportation, these days...

Really???

The Amish don't travel in buggies?

Or don't they use whips?

You think I disagree with this? I agree.

The technology exists right now to do this easily. The only thing standing in the way is Government.

8 pages in one day? You guys have nothing to do.

Its just a Cirrus with new avionics. Whats the big deal?

Go fly one

not really what I meant...

I can't believe I've actually been working all day and missed this BT circus!

JC, there are a lot of aviators on this forum who have been flying for 30 or 40 years and fondly remember the golden age of GA. Sometimes it's hard for them to see the future clearly...

For those of us that are newer on the scene, it's more obvious. Everyone here saying "no thanks, I'll take my 30 year old Bo" needs to ask themselves one question: are you in the market for an $800k airplane? If not, then there is no reason for airplane manufacturers to pay any attention to what you want, because that's how much a new airplane costs these days.

If you park a brand new SR22 and a brand new G36 in front of someone who is in the market for the $800k airplane (e.g. JC himself a few years ago), 95% of them will choose the Cirrus immediately, for the huge laundry list of reasons discussed in this thread.

The question is, now that Beech is focused on this market, can they come up with something that competes?

Steve, think Tailhook.

I sincerely hope so.

Beech focused on this market? Says who?

I don't see Beech competing successfully with Cirrus in the selling of new piston singles for at least a few years....maybe never.