Cirrus Training

You want to fly a Cirrus. Perhaps you just bought one or the flying club has one for rent. Maybe you are looking for longer cross-countries and speed and comfort are appealing. Maybe the parachute is an important safety features for you or for your significant other. No matter the reasons, you will not regret that decision, but you have to consider training. Cirrus is not more complicated to fly than other high performance singles, but the available training resources will make you safer pilot, if you take advantage of them.

As a CSIP and Cirrus owner, I can set up a training that fits your particular needs.

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Certificate Training

Can you and should you train in a Cirrus for a private pilot certificate? Yes, most definitely. There are many pilots flying who obtainined the certificate in a SR20 or SR22. Particulary if Cirrus is an aircraft you will be flying, it makes sense to do the training in it.

If you already have pilot license and are looking to add instrument rating, it would be hard to find a better aircraft. With modern avionics, Cirrus Perspective is an ideal airplane for IFR flying.

With recent changes to FARs, it is now possible to do all of the training and a practical test for commercial certificate in a Cirrus.

Transition Training

Cirrus Design offers several types of transition training, targetting pilots who already have a license, but are either new to Cirrus or new to a specific model or avionics package. Cirrus Training Portal offers various computer presentations, simulations and online learning courses. A completion certificate may lead to lower insurance premiums or may facilitate aircraft rental.

  • Transition Training introduces pilots unfamiliar with Cirrus to flying these aircrafts in VFR condition. The course includes normal operations, avionics and autopilot procedures, recommended traffic patttern operations, takeoffs and landings, abnormal operations, malfunctions, simulated CAPS deployments and high altitude operations for turbo models. Typical course duration is three days.
  • Advanced Transition Training course is designed to prepare a proficient instrument-rated pilot for an instrument Proficiency Check in a Cirrus. More than for transition training, access to a good simulator with Perspective or Avidyne panel is beneficial. It includes traffic pattern and landing practice, aircraft maneuvering, avionics training, basic instrument skills review, normal IFR operations (IAPs, DPs and STARs), holds, DME arcs, airway navigation, as well as abnormal procedure including loss of PFD or other parts of avionics suite and finally emergency procedures. Typical course duration is five days.
  • Avionics Differences course is designed for pilots familiar with Cirrus transitionning to a different avionics package, for example from Avidyne to Perspective.
  • Airframe and Powerplant Differences course details operational differences between Cirrus aircraft engine and airframe models, for example from SR20 to SR22.
  • Recurrent Training The recurrent check cycle is designed to allow a pilot to follow alternating training sequence. Following initial training, a 90 day Refresher Course is recommended with subsequent adherence to a six month recurrent schedule composed of Schedule A focusing on IFR procedure and Schedule B focusing on VFR procedure. If followed, this sequence could permit a flight review and an IPC on an annual basis while accomplishing recurrent Cirrus training. Note that completion of Cirrus Pilot Proficency Program (CPPP) weekend seminar is actually a recommended substitution for a recurent training check.

Who should I train with?

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Transition training should really be done with a CSIP (Cirrus Standarized Instructor Pilot) or at a CTC (Cirrus Training Center). There are many great instructors who are not CSIPs and pilots naturally like to fly with those instructors they are familiar with. However, consider that CSIPs and CTCs train pilots predominantly in those aircrafts, accumulated thousands of hours of experience and worked hard to obtain a certification. Cirrus Design enforces high professional standards on their training network and verifies on continued basis that CSIPs and CTCs are training pilots to those standards. These labels are not just brands, they do represent knowledge, experience and access to training materials that an outside CFI would be lacking. So do yourself a favor and choose a CSIP or a CTC.

Cirrus Embark

Did you know that even when you buy a used Cirrus, you may qualify for a free transition training? Cirrus Embark program is unique in the industry and includes:
  • Access to the Cirrus Approach Learning Portal
  • Redemption code for the iFOM (Flight Operation Manual)
  • One-on- One Cirrus Transition Training with an authorized Cirrus training provider, tailored to your training needs
all of it free of charge!