· Faisal Afzal
What a Cirrus transition actually covers
Every few weeks I get a version of the same email: I just bought an SR22, my insurance wants a transition course, what does that mean and how long will it take? Here is the answer I usually give.
It is not a checkout
A checkout is an hour of pattern work to prove you can land the thing. A transition course assumes you will be flying this airplane for years, across weather and distance, and tries to build the habits that will keep you out of trouble on the day the airplane surprises you. For most owners that is two to three days of focused work — a morning of ground, an afternoon of flying, repeated — rather than a single long day.
The four things that matter
Systems you will touch under stress. Fuel management, the electrical system and what the two alternators and two batteries actually do for you, ice protection if the airplane has it, and on the turbo, oxygen and engine management at altitude. We spend time on the failure modes worth memorizing and skip the trivia.
The panel. Perspective, Perspective+ and Touch+ are deep, and the autopilot in particular has modes that will do exactly what you told it rather than what you meant. We work the flight plan, the vertical navigation, the approach loading and the hand-flown backup until the panel is a tool rather than a puzzle.
CAPS. The parachute is not a last resort; it is a pre-briefed decision with altitudes attached. We talk it through on the ground, brief it before every flight, and practice the decision in scenarios so that it is a reflex and not a debate.
Energy. The airplane is clean and fast and does not want to slow down. Descent planning, pattern speeds and stabilized approaches are where most of the flying time goes, because that is where most of the risk is.
What to bring
Your airplane, your logbook, the POH and avionics guides for your generation, and an honest list of the things you are unsure about. The rest we cover.
If you are getting ready for a transition in the San Diego area, get in touch and we will scope it for your airplane.