But the climbing prices for new G5s makes all good used examples more expensive too. I followed that market closely since 2013 and i helped 5 people now find a good 22, and no way can you find one now for a typical 2013 price. Also there’s very few good G2 and G3 NA ’s, the US dealers are posting WANT ads in COPA at the moment … There is, of course, a corelation between new and used prices.
@Flyer59 with all your upgrades do you think you have saved money over buying a higher spec aircraft originally? I don’t know the Cirrus market but perhaps the strength of used prices means upgrading is a way to save some money vs changing airframes. And of course you stick with an airframe/engine you know.
I think i got the maximum airplane for that money, no way could i find this airplane for what i invested.
These were my upgrades:
- new PFD/MFD plus DFC90 autopilot
- WAAS upgrade, new antennnas, LPV cert. etc.
- 4-blade prop
- G3 interior
- ADL120
- Beringer twin caliper anti lock brakes
That’s some big investments, but i wanted to buy a G3 originally, and i saved a lot of money buy buying a G2 and configuring it the way i wanted it.
Just came back from my 10 years CAPS change in the Netherlands.
The Cirrus shop in Groningen (“Cirrus SAS, formerly Cirrus Europe”) at the EHGG airport (Eelde) is highly specialized on the CAPS change and their guys (all very highly motivated young boys) do it in 6 hours, including the necessary SB (change of the ignition system from mechanical to electrical). A typical US Cirrus SC needs four days for the same work. My airplane was their # 234 CAPS system change, and beeing in the hangar all the time with them I could see that the guys are very well trained and that they work very precisely. It was a great experience. Photos and story soon on my website.
We also installed the twin caliper brake system by Beringer, and that’s really a great upgrade (although pretty exoensive at € 10 K). But I think it’s worth it, the plane handles much, much better on the ground – and on my first landing at home this afternoon I could see that from now on even the shortest runways will be possible.
Once there I also let them do some discrepancies from the last annual – and we corrected the magnetor timing. And that was the biggest surprise of all. The timing was about 2° degrees off (although it ran nicely!) … and the plane is 10 knots faster now, which i find almost unbelievable. Flying home I saw speeds of 173-177 KTAS all the time, at 8000 feet, +9 C, and that was flying Lean of Peak with a fuel flow of 14.2 GPH, 2560 rpm.
Some pictures of the new Beringer wheels and brakes. The system comes with new axles, wheels, tubeless 6 or 10 ply tires, new brake cylinders and brakes hoses.
New nosewheel. Feels a bit different taxiing because of the higer pressure.
Installed twin calipers and discs
Beringer did F1 brakes for some time, and i guess one can see that …
All this and the three wheels and tires comes out. (Anybody need a box with a complete SR22 brake system? :-))
Almost ready. After installation the brakes have to be carefully “conditioned” because the discs have a coating that has to come off. So there’s almost no braking effect when you taxi the first time.
Today: First real short landing test with the new Beringer Twin Caliper Brakes at my home airport.
Conditions: OAT 30°C on the ground, QNH: 1014
Airplane: 200 liters of fuel (2/3 full), 2 people on board
Landing speed: 74 KIAS on short final, touched down with 71 KIAS
Landing roll with hard braking to standstill: 210 Meters, used the first exit from the runway ;-)
You have to be careful to not lock the tires because the brakes are so effective, but mine did not lock. I exited the runway, jumpoed out and checked the calipers and the discs: very hot of course but less than the original brakes were after a short landing of 350-400 Meters.
Correction: Speed on short final was 72 KIAS, touch down around 65-67 KIAS. I did hear the stall warnung for a short time. 2-3 knots slower at touchdown would still be safe in calm conditions.
Flyer59 wrote:
All this and the three wheels and tires comes out. (Anybody need a box with a complete SR22 brake system? :-))
Your old brake calipers I think are exactly the same ones we have on the Auster. They are fantastic on something like our aircraft but I’m surprised to see them on something as heavy and as quick as a Cirrus.
Most GA wheels and brakes are made by Cleveland.
The old Cirrus ones look really similar to these:
BTW, @flyer59, be aware that each time you use the @username notation, the person gets a notification, usually an email. This is controllable from one’s profile. It is better to use it for when the person being addressed appears unlikely to come back to the thread.
@alioth
Yes, the original brakes of these older SR22 models are one of the few anachronisms. I never liked them and they are more important than in other planes because of the free castering nose wheel.
New SR22s are sold with Beringer Brakes now, but not with the Twin Caliper STC version I have installed but with the more simple single Caliper version.
