Cirrus also has reasonable conformity across their aircraft fleet.

You have a wide range of Bonanzas and Barons on BT with varying engines and avionics and model differences.

Cirrus brought down to the piston SE practices the turbine fleet has been doing for years.

Training is constantly evolving and changing. What you learn today could be completely wrong 2 years from now.

Hopefully cirrus will have a continuing ongoing training program, that adapts to new facts and practices.

Similar to what Allen receives in his biz jet training or what airline training departments provide.

If you spend most of your time flying a couple of hours or more between metropolitan areas and into big airports, a CJ/Phenom may make sense. Otherwise, there may be more advantages than disadvantages to the PC12 under various flying profiles.

I don't know the numbers of the CJ3, but the range and payload combination of the PC12 is hard to beat in many jets - and that big door in the back is a great plus for traveling. There are many airports you would never even consider in any jet that are easy to get into in a PC12 (take Holbox for example). It all depends on what 90% of your flying is like.

Very soon your PC12 may be worth the same or more than some of the CJ3s you were looking at a few years ago.

Todays departures from Teterboro.





All destinations underlined in red are <500nm. Some of the really short ones are probably repositioning flights by the respective charter operators. Most of the FL and TX locations are reachable with a quick-turn somewhere 2/3 of the way. Other flights may not show up as the numbers are blocked.

That's been the knock on the CJ4. I burn around 700 (350/side) at 450. About 800 at 410.

I do love the new cockpit design though.

Did you notice that almost all the < 500 nm flights were call signs, that is they are part 91K or 135? They are going to move planes the shortest distance to the next trip.

More of the long range flights were N numbers, that is part 91.

If you do the same analysis at Dallas, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, you will get a different story.

The basic premise here seems to be that the only place the SF50 makes sense is where aviation is so ineffective you won't notice how badly it is doing.

You may also notice the lack of SR22s flying from TEB. If the target market is SR22 owners flying from TEB to short range locations, you might be able to count that on one hand.

Mike C.

Did you notice that almost all the < 500 nm flights were call signs, that is they are part 91K or 135? They are going to move planes the shortest distance to the next trip.

Mike C.

Here is this mornings crop for PDK. Again, a couple of training flights, a couple of positioning flights. Some traffic to beach houses and Isle of Palms condos. Just not that much traffic <500nm.

There is not that much piston traffic out of TEB.

Here are the SR22s in the air at this time. I count 40+/-.

The only GA aircraft more abundant right now are PC12, BE20, C56X, H25B.

Well, look at that, none up the eastern seaboard, mostly in the midwest and central states where the living is good and the routings are mostly direct.

So much for the theory that the SF50 is an SR22 replacement between cities with congested airspace. If the SF50 is being sold to SR22 people flying right now, they want range, speed, and altitude.

Mike C.

Filter for the jets.

You have PA46, C208, C177, turboprops, etc, in the list. They aren't going to fly typical 500 nm legs.

Consider that with 4 people and bags, the SF50 can't even do 500 nm.

I can just hear the retort now: "Well, most planes fly with only 1 or 2 aboard".

Okay, so we found the SF50 sweet spot: few people, short range, slow speed, low altitude.

It is the Cessna 150 of jets.

Mike C.

I think you mean to say on an IFR flight plan. I would venture to bet that there are more 172s in the air at any given time during the day. In the Bay Area it is much easier to get in and out VFR. The only time I would file IFR is if I had to.

Vince

Well, look at that, none up the eastern seaboard, mostly in the midwest and central states where the living is good and the routings are mostly direct.

Yes, IFR or on flight-following with a squawk assigned via the national airspace system. So local IFR, blocked numbers, local VFR won't show up. Those factors are going to affect 'small planes' more than anything from a King Air on up.

The only thing its not competing with is the 177 and the parcel hauler. The SF50 is going to be a competitor with the PA46 and many of the smaller turboprops.