Thank you sir for the compliments. I did do some posting on the other site in reply to some angry COPA members about your opinions and they accused me of being you in disguise! Imagine that, I supported you and you opinions and get accused of pretending to be you under another name?

RE Radek's comment a few days ago: "Items like a circuit breakers may not be an issue for you – but you are not an instructor in the right seat I take it."

I assume you are thinking in terms of pulling circuit breakers without the student's knowledge, right? If an instructor EVER did that to me, I'd not only break his / her arm ON THE SPOT, I'd file a complaint with the FAA as soon as we got on the ground (which would be at the nearest airport) for violation of FAR 91.11. Then that CFI / CFII would be finding another way to get back to where we started. No instructor should EVER manipulate any of the controls of an aircraft, including the electrical systems, without first communicating his / her intent to do so with the student / pilot flying. I don't care what you were taught or what you think is good teaching method, or where you learned or how much you think you know.

Well… that tells me that you are not an instructor too. And there is nothing wrong with that. I was thinking more in terms of taking aircraft over in real emergency and making sure that the appropriate circuit breaker is pulled. As an CS instructor I have to have most of them memorized… and let me tell you – it was not easy. Wouldn’t you like to have breakers visible on the panel – just the same way DA-40 has them? The way I see it – cockpit is a very busy and responsible place. It should be functional first and “nice” second.

These are not just the rantings of someone who knows not of what he speaks. Look at the facts. Those of us who own a Cirrus, myself included, only have to experience the problems that are happening to give our opinions. Look at other posts on the other guys site and you'll see what I am talking about. Many of those things happened to me, especially the part about Ian Bentley talking to me the way he talked to this other owner. What a shame he has no other resources in his bag of tricks than to push people away. He needs to take a course on communication skills. So should some COPA members.

Radek-

Great forum!

I agree with the icing problem. Especially at night, it's hard to tell whether
you've stumbled into clear ice or not. Even with a powerful flashlight, you can't
tell what the leading edge is doing or see a sign of clear ice anywhere
else...Maybe someone can come up with a color tape solution that might make
ice more visible?

I also agree wholeheartedly with your circuit breaker comment...Maybe
the co-pilot side should have a map showing the layout of circuit breakers ..
I haven't checked the plumbing, etc on the co-pilot side, but maybe there's
some real estate to the left of the co-pilot left leg on that console that could be used (the map would be a reflection of what's on the other side of the console...)

Another suggestion: The boost pump switch should be red or white (I believe I saw a newer aircraft at Oshkosh that actually had a white button, so maybe that's now been fixed...I hope there's a retrofit in that case...). In flying with students as a CSFI, I find a common mistake is to leave the boost pump on for many minutes after takeoff. Making it actually contrast in color with the background black console would be a big boon in making the switch more obvious (and easier to get to in emergencies, etc...)

My final suggestion is more controversial: I think the CAPS needs a squat switch. With >1500 aircraft now flying, and Murphy's Law being what it is, it's
only a matter of time (in my opinion, less than a year, probably) before
someone inadvertently launches the rocket on the ground, and possibly
kills off a few PAX or crew... My most likely scenario is some pilot rushing to load the plane with first-time PAX after having flown a bit solo around the pattern (to regain landing currency) or maybe a late air-taxi driver rushing
to pick up his PAX , and dashing out of the plane without re-installing the CAPS pin and cover. In my worst scenario, I envision some celebrity (Hollywood starlet or political candidate, perhaps) then trying to maneuver into the plane and spying the "helpful" red handle..... The resulting PR and legal debacle that followed would likely be devastating for Cirrus as a corporation and for
the Cirrus fleet which would be grounded indefinitely until a fix is implemented or all the rockets are permenently disabled.

My concern on this has risen exponentially during the past year as (1) the fleet expands, (2) used planes are bought in the open market, thus avoiding the "formal" training in Duluth (which we CSI's are supposed to step in for.... we'll see if we even get a phone call from some of these new owners...) and (3) the average experience level and professionalism of first-time Cirrus owners decreases (as student pilots and others who buy into the "safety net" aspects of this plane switch over from their Cessna 172s...Flying clubs where pilots seldom fly the same plane regularly also come to mind..). As a NASA scientist involved with spacecraft exploration of the planets in my day job, I know that Murphy always strikes eventually when there's not sufficient oversight...In this case, the only oversight is the proficiency and diligence of the Cirrus pilot population, which over a fleet of a 1.5 thousand (and growing) aircraft has increasingly become more suspect, to say the least...A squat switch would boost this oversight immensely..

Just some thoughts for making a really incredible aircraft even better!

Kevin

Kevin, great idea about circuit breakers! I made a little placard out of page E-14 (“Emergency Checklist”) and I placed it just above Boost Pump Switch.

The best “Ice detection equipment” is your fresh air vent. Have it fully opened and watch for any reduction of an air flow. No airflow – you have some ice.

Also I have revised myself – CAPS pin removal from the very beginning. Pin gets removed on “Passenger briefing” and will be attached to your key chain (this way you will see if you forgot to put it back just by looking at your keys).