Arlen, I felt the same way.
I would fire the whole lot of them who were working the booth.
I was there at 8:58. By their store, looking to buy some logo merchandise. It was roped off. “She is not here yet. Can you come back at 10:00 or so” no, I can not.

Think about this for a second....
You make and sell airplanes.
You are in the worlds largest gathering of pilots and airplane owners. Over 500,000 visitors during the show. I call this a target rich environment. And yes, in shorts and sneakers you can’t tell who is who.
And you don't have a plan, Target, objectives?
No significant signage? I found the brand new King Air king ranch edition, only because I went looking for it and knew about it.
Yes, I’m sure this is hard work. Rotate your staff to keep their attitudes up. Do some type of promotion, sign up, something

Contrast this with the Cirrus or even Honda booth. I went looking for Gary and to sit in the Vision. I was approached by two friendly people before I even got to the counter.
Their logo merchandise was outstanding. So was Honda Jet.
Another pleasant experience was the ForeFlight booth. They even talked me in to an upgrade. I’ll play with the 3D views, the alternate suggestion, etc later.

So sad to see our beloved brand circle the drain.

In practical terms, buying a 30-40 year old airplane because there is a vaguely similar model still in production is useless.

Every airplane I have owned has been 30 years or more out of production and I never had any issue with parts or support on any of them.

For example, buying a 1972 Cessna 172 just because Cessna still makes a 172 today likely means nothing for parts. There's really no commonality between the two models and what commonality does exist is for generic parts like wheels and tires which are not model specific.

One thing is for sure, if you want to buy your parts from the OEM, you will pay lots of $$$$. The newer the plane, the more $$$$ and the less after market options there are.

Mike C.

I do believe so.
I walked by the PC 24, hoping to run in to JC.

It must be me.

Far from it. Piper is #2 or #3 in piston single deliveries typically.

2018 deliveries of piston singles:

Cirrus: 380
Cessna: 192
Piper: 134
Beechcraft: 15
Total: 1047

2019 has only one quarter reported so far from GAMA:

Cirrus: 66
Piper: 42
Cessna: 35
Beechcraft: 1
Total: 241

(My previous total numbers were US manufactured only, updated to worldwide)

Data source:

https://gama.aero/facts-and-statistics/ ... -billings/

Mike C.

Got numbers to back it up?

There have been some large fleet sales of Cirrus, for example Lufthansa (25 planes), US Air Force (25 planes), Emirates (22 planes). Those are not insignificant numbers.

There have been a number of flight schools and universities which have added Cirrus to their fleet (Oklahoma State, Southern Utah, Swedish University, etc).

A number of SR series have been sold to various fleet operators like OurPlane (now defunct), ImagineAir, OpenAir, etc. There are a fair number of FBOs that have a Cirrus for charter or rent.

A good percentage of Cirrus SR series are not owned by individuals for personal transportation.

Mike C.

That might be true in the U.S. where depth of market ensures acceptable parts availability. Around here, the absence of a fleet and parts rules out the likes of MU2s, Conquests, Dukes and Cheyennes. And yes, it means more reliance on OEMs and higher prices. Welcome to the rest of the world.

I'm obviously missing something.
I've owned three of those brands.
While I've never even sat in a Cirrus, I have no desire to.
There's just something about it that rubs me the wrong way.

If I had the wallet, I'd buy the Beech before any of the others.
The main reason is build quality and engineering.

It's no secret regarding the majority of pilots and aviation folk that attend Airventure. Very few true buyers will be there (which matches the very few potential planes to be sold). So if you're having a booth/ tent there, your main function is to be a brand ambassador to the masses attending. Have a plan for the people in your tent that reflects that.

Sounds like some tents are better off being unmanned...

From sitting in the g36/g58 and sr22 at oshkosh last week, You’d be surprised. Very high build quality on the cirrus

Beech has a huge halo effect from years past when they were heads and shoulders above everyone else.

Anyone who has purchased a new Beechcraft product in the last decade want to share their warranty claim experiences? I'd be curious to see a comparison (doubt it's available) between the various manufacturers on the number of squawks on new aircraft that have to be addressed, as this directly points to "build quality and engineering."

*I'm amused that my computer wants to change "Beechcraft" to "Witchcraft."

Oh, that wacky Windows 95...


(...teasing...)

A cirrus has poor build quality and lacks engineering? That's a new one....how many Cirrus structural failures have been documented/observed?

A cirrus has poor build quality and lacks engineering? That's a new one....how many Cirrus structural failures have been documented/observed?

Arnie,
Sit in an SR22 sometime, or go fly in one; you will be surprised at the quality, especially the newer models. Cirrus engineering and quality has evolved tremendously over the years. There are changes every year, unlike most of the old brands.

I apologize if this sounds arrogant,
but... I'm a retired machinist.
It's all I ever did for a living.

I look at things a little differently when it comes to engineering and build quality than others.

It goes far beyond judging something from sitting in it.