Very nice plane. Enjoy the ride.

The center column is one of the best things about the 33 Ale. It frees up the right side, adjustable height and lower panel height. I think you could find a very nice 33 for 199K, why do you need more than a 530W or a GTN and a 796 or an iPad?

Congratulations are in order though, enjoy your new plane, it is a nice looking Cirrus!

Hot business idea.....Almost every insurance company uses a marketing symbol.

Gieco has the gecko, Travelers has the umbrella, Alejandro could use the parachute!

Try somethin' like....

"Are your aviation insurance rates headed sky high? Pull the chute and call 805-727-4222"!

Well....I guess we can let this one pass if it's a "business" decision.

Sounds like you did the right thing. Anyone who adds FIKI, Turbo, O2, paint, interior, glass, and lets not forget the fav "Chute" to a Beech could well exceed the "purchase price" of a couple hundred hour SR-22T. This is the most economical way to upgrade a panel, autopilot, or anything else aviation.....How else would I arrive at my current V35A?

Don't kid yourself.....the operating costs may not be cheaper though......

Alejandro,

First congrats. That is a really nice plane. I had an 04 SR20 as my first plane. I put about 350 hours on it in less than two years before selling it. I really liked it and would have upgraded to a SR22 if I wanted to stay in an non pressurized single.

Second, if you have not found a really good Cirrus specific flight instructor let me know. I have found many instructors teach sloppy flying habits and for the Cirrus with the laminar flow wing that can be a real problem on landing and can make the plane really easy to "porpoise" and prop strike (Mooney has the same kinds of issues). You should be very comfortable getting in and out of runways less than 2K without any issues or "floating".

Tim

or......."When ah chute happens, call 805-727-4222"

Comment on Cirrus operating costs.

I do not and have not owned a Cirrus. I have flown Cirrus some and am not offended by the airplane in the least. Had I been in the same market as Ale, I would have likely made the same decision.

When the Cirrus came out, they had "a few" different systems; the electrical being the biggest difference probably as it did away with the horribly unreliable vacuum system. Beyond that, they are made of of parts produced by 3rd party manufacturers, not only like, but identical, in most cases, to a Bonanza. Yes, they are composite, kind of like most airline and military aircraft being produced today.

The new owners bought into the idea that there was something "unique" about a Cirrus and for the most part took their airplanes to shops who specialized in their maintenance. "Specialization" dictates a more narrow market of availability and competition and the results were predictable. Those shops took advantage of the "grapes" as they say in the automobile world and peeled them. The exact same way that BMW and M-B dealers peal their customer with $200 oil changes.

I have two friends that have a Cirrus and they bought the same pitch, hauling the damn airplane to Georgia for unneeded $12.000 annuals. I would ask "why" but only gently because their disdain at my questioning was quick to surface. For a while, they hated the Cirrus, it was a maintenance hog. Really? They couldn't point out any real mechanical flaws to me, just the exaggeration of every maintenance issue by the specialty Cirrus shops they were patronizing which, of course, came with outrageous maintenance bills.

Then, about two years ago, they finally went back to our "local" shop. Amazingly, all the maintenance issues became "ordinary" with ordinary maintenance bills and now, they love the Cirrus.

I think that as owners become wiser and non-specialty shops become more attuned to the Cirrus, that we will see operating costs come down. I will hazard the proposition that a properly maintained Cirrus, maintained by a non-specialty but knowledgeable maintenance shop, cost no more to operate, probably less, than a Bonanza with similar systems.

As Ale points out, he would have had to pay at least 50% more for a Bonanza of similar capability. Had he done so, he would have made a very, very poor buying decision.

But then I fly a Mooney, a Cessna, and a Piper and have no brand loyalty. What the hell do I know?

Congrats on your purchase.

Jgreen

I didn't realize Alejandro was comparing an F33 to the SR22. Comparing those two birds I'd say it is a wash performance wise.

The cirrus has pretty nice glass panel, nice 4 pt seat belts, nice io550, all are fairly new, can't land it gear up, prices are getting affordable, and I 'll bet more than 1/2 the women out there would rather fly in a plane with a back up chute even if there were no statistics to prove it was safer. I wouldn't fault any one for buying one.

Sounds like an awesome and quite capable plane Ale. Good for you sir. I've never flown side stick, but a lot of folks like that.

Here's your first pic. They could grow on me too.

Very nice specs Ale.

When can we get back to spending our hard earned premium money and upgrade those GNS-430 to new IFD-440s?

Very excited for you!

Good for you Ale. A few years back the wife and I were cruising along at 7,500' in our RV when she delivers an elbow to my ribs to get my attention. On the right side is a SR22 passing us just off our wing and he was really scooting along. As Sherri watched while it got smaller in our windscreen she asked "What is that, and why didn't you build one of those?" How can anybody not like a plane that will do that to an RV?

Did you get the retractable?

Nice plane.

Flew one for several years. If I could afford the newer one with the higher useful load, it would have definately been in the mix with the A36.

Darn kids just keep eating.