The MESSY TRUTH About Our Cheap Cirrus SR20 (Still Broken After 2 Years)

Here's the truth about our cheap Cirrus SR20. We have owned this plane for over 2 YEARS and it has been unairworthy over 99% of that time... This video breaks down the real costs associated with owning an airplane. If you want to buy your first plane, watch this video first! We bought this plane sight unseen, as the cheapest Cirrus in the country, and flew it home 1000 miles. Do we regret buying this plane? Maybe...

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PLEASE NOTE: We are aviation enthusiasts. These videos are for entertainment purposes only. We are NOT qualified to give flying instruction. All of our videos, including this one, have been significantly edited down from the original full length raw footage. Many radio calls, checklist steps, and other procedures have been omitted to keep the videos a reasonable viewing length. Please speak to a CFI with any flying questions you may have.

[AvgDude]

This is why I bought a 1971 Cessna 150L. Over 24, 000 made; so tons of parts. Cheap to maintain; so it’s always flying, albeit slowly. Lots of great STCs & PMAs to improve safety, stall speed, and engine life. And soon it will qualify for light sport. And runs on non-ethanol auto gas. I’ve put over 300 hours of flying in the past two years. I’ve thought of selling it, but nightmare stories like keep me in my 150.

[cwinterholler]

I sold my Gen1 SR-20 last year. Had it 17 years and sold it for 5k less than what I paid for it. I got sick of it because of this kind of crap with parts and the ridiculous parking situation at KSDL

[quinnjim]

I’m feeling pretty good about selling my Cirrus at this point! A few years ago, a parachute repack was easy to schedule and cost around $10, 000. On this trajectory, this job will be $30, 000 in a few years.

[dullgeek]

After this video, I've never wanted a Cirrus less.

[jorgeetrevino]

Thank you for sharing.
I just eliminated Cirrus from my search-for-an-airplane list…

[brianm]

Thank you for showing respect to air safety, the aircraft, the ferry rules, and the videoing as a side to the job of piloting. 100% would trust you all.

[hqvi]

Parachute must be made of $100 bills stitched together

[johnfriend]

The parachute is one huge reason I ruled out the Cirrus pretty quickly. Back in 2019 when I looked at an SR22T is was $10, 000, and a deal breaker at that. Since the FAA mandated it for the Cirrus airframe there's no way to just placard it INOP and go on about your business. Even small parts like the tach transducer for every single Continental IO-550 was simply discontinued by Teledyne Continental Motors. A new, updated part was released, but only for new manufacture engines, they refused to release it as a service part. I was quoted $17, 500 for a $300 part, because there just weren't any to be found and this guy had one. Remember, a tach is a mandated instrument so without one you're plane is not airworthy. I did find a serviceable used one, and TCM also made the update part available as a service part.
My prop heat timer, a simple $300 part, is out of production and completely unavailable. The patent was purchased by Kelly Aerospace, but they never went into production. The design is a dinosaur now, and making a modern solid state design would be even cheaper, but the process to get it STC'd and available is a deal breaker for those who've tried to do it. My prop heat is not placarded INOP, and my FIKI plane is no longer certified FIKI. Welcome to the world of airplane maintenance.

Add in the shops can't hire anybody, no one wants to work so these huge shops have like 3 employees. Also, airports are jacking up rental costs for the shops because finding hangar space has gotten so difficult they'd rather kick the shop out and rent the space to store aircraft. It's the perfect storm of no parts, mechanics, & shops losing their hangar. My AI actually now only does work in your hangar, because he lost his.

[movieprod]

Want to know why I love you guys? You're honest, you're fun, and always positive. Got my license (check flight in a 150!) when I was 18...I'm now 77. Great career as a Producer at Warner Bros... my Archer tied down next to Amelia Earhart's times at Burbank when Janet Flights were in and out several times a day. At 77 and retired in Mesa AZ, I miss it all...thanks guys for sharing your passion...a great gift to me!!

[baero]

So happy to be finally leaving the certified world soon for my Sling TSi.

[alrad]

An airplane can turn a millionaire into a thousandaire. Seems like you can't buy a break with that one. Hopefully the parachute install goes well and the annual is relatively trouble free, especially since you haven't flown much since the last annual. Keep up the good content Jeff.

[ryanhall]

Wow painfull! Experimental for me since completing my plane November 2022. No regrets!

[MikesGarageReviews]

My wife and I was planning on buying a brand new Cirrus. I'm glad I seen this video and now we aren't buying one. I'm not buying from a company that's not looking out for it's customers.

[chennemeyer]

Nothing kills the airplane buying mood more than this video other than my wife. What a cluster, I trial flew a demo Cirrus last year, spectacular plane, and spectacular price, now realizing what it would cost in lost time and more money it becomes a true buzz kill like no other. I guess experimental, or small cheap and very old aluminum planes form the 60s

[odizcvw]

Fascinating. An eye opener to those of us who are not pilots.
It is one thing to love an older car. If it runs, fine. If not, you use a different one. But a plane must be perfect, so scheduled maintenance is just a cost of ownership.

[Motoguy]

I don't think i will ever buy a certified aircraft. Experimental all the way.

[argator]

WOW! Depressing! Don’t be buying a Cirrus plane is the lesson here, Thx for sharing, sorry for your struggle, OMFG!
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[kkbsrt]

This video has ruled out the Cirrus from my feasible dream planes. What an informative video.

[colinm]

Thanks for convincing me to never buy a Cirrus! Not that I could really afford an SR22. Working on my tailwheel rating now after not flying props for 12 years. Got my eyes on some saucy Cessna 180s or maybe a Vans series

[DeltaBravoMattalac]

I am based out of KDVT and also just got a ferry permit to take my bird to Arapahoe at KAPA yesterday. I saw your plane there and realized that I am next in line behind you and was part of that same order of parts that came in at once. But I only saw this video randomly in an FB aviation group after I got back to Phoenix, so that was trippy coincidence.

In my case, I timed the order for my SR22 G1 such that I wasn’t really delayed at all by parts, but I expired at the end of Jan so I am overall only expecting a net grounding of one month due to shop availability delays beyond the time needed to actually do the work. But I am fine with it, as it was well communicated and coordinated.