Owner's actual costs of owning a Cirrus SR22

I've logged 186.6 on the hobbs since picking up my 2004 G2 SR22 in August, 6 months ago. I am supremely impressed with the plane. Far from perfect, but looking at big picture there instead of focusing on details. The plane cost me $122/hr, read details below.

Some cool conclusions:

Total breakdowns (abandon plane, fly commercial): 1. (On first big flight I found cracked exhaust lifter during 25hr oil change and decided to leave the plane as we couldn't get the part in time. This was fault of engine overhaul, not really plane's fault.)
Total in-flight emergencies/breakdowns/malfunctions: 0
Significant flights: Coast-to-coast 1.5 times. Mexico. Belize. Honduras. 3x Caribbean. 2x Canada.
Longest open water: Belize to Texas nonstop.
# of times passengers used "little john": 2 (one boy, one girl)
Upgrades purchased: 1 (install flight meter, 20% slower rate than hobbs meter)
Upgrades wanted: 0
Total pilot deviations: 0
Missed approaches: 0
Sick passengers: 0
Scared passengers: 0
Passenger count: Estimated 150

There is no other plane I would have flown this many hours with (either too slow or too expensive to operate or too uncomfortable or too short range). This was original reasoning that pushed me to buy this over other aircraft. You'll fly this more than any other plane, all the other stuff is less important

Total cost since annual (repairs + oil changes + upgrades): $8855

Major unexpected repairs:

Cracked exhaust lifter ($1350, almost definitely result of engine overhaul)
Starter + starter adapter replacement ($1700)
Alternator #2 replacement ($1100)
Tired nose strut rebuild ($1246)

$47/hr in maintenance. It's an 11 year old plane that sat, so I was ready for surprises. Year 2 should be cheaper.

My flight statistics in this plane:

IMC: 17
Night: 54
Landings: 124 (24 night)
Approaches: 23

Actual cost of ownership

We can estimate fuel:

187 hobbs - 20% = 150 tach * 13.5gph = 2025 gallons @ $5.75 average = $11643

Insurance 6 mos= $1200

Tiedown $270*4+90*2= $1260

Cost of maintenance/repairs/upgrades (from first message) $8855

Total $22958

$122/hr

Keep in mind I fly out of one of the most expensive GA airports in the world kHPN. They rent same plane as mine for $325/hr.

Comments

THE COPA CIRRUS SR22 PERFORMANCE REPORT

About this report This report was generated from data collected from 160 active COPA SR22 pilots. You can see the original survey here: http://tinyurl.com/sr22cruisesurvey . You can download PDF . Table of Contents What you will get out of this report Who were the pilots behind this survey What aircraft are counted in the survey Actual cruise speed and fuel flow Fuel flow vs TAS for NA lean of peak operations What is the most efficient altitude for NA SR22? Turbo SR22 performance at high and low altitudes Are TKS/FIKI planes slower? What is the fastest NA SR22 by generation? Who gets the best range? Are high hour NA SR22 engines slower and do they burn more fuel? How do LoP vs RoP performance compare? POH vs actual performance for NA Who is the fastest SR22? Conclusion About the author Frequently asked questions What you will get out of this report This report is for SR22 owners and buyers. How your SR22 performs compared to other SR22s How altitude affects perfo...

Why a SR22 leaseback is the worst financial decision an airplane owner can make

Airplane leaseback seem like a really good idea - your airplane becomes a business, generates income, which pays for maintenance, insurance, storage, and might even put a few bucks in your pocket. You'll hear this from flight schools, FBOs, airplane brokers and airplane manufacturers. The proposal I received for leaseback on my own plane looked very good, $72,000 income per year! The ugly truth is you leasebacks are a terrible financial decision. You're better off to park your plane in a hangar and not fly it at all. This was the proposal I received: Profit calculation for G2 SR22 in KFRG $300/hr rental rate -20% management fee $60 $240/hr income 300 hrs flown = $72,000 income per year First, there are some baseline increases due to more expensive commercial insurance and higher cost tiedown and required maintenance. These numbers are for an SR22 that was to be based out of KFRG. Annual fixed-cost increases to go to the flight school Flight sch...

How to configure engine power 55%, 65%, 75% on Piper Archer / Piper Cherokee

Most pilots, even CFIs, don't understand how to properly configure engine for various altitudes on a simple Piper Archer. The advice of "full rich below 3000" is simply wrong. Below is a simplified procedure based on the POH. It will ensure better performance, longer range, and longer engine life. The advice of "lean until running rough, then add some" is better, but still imprecise. First, see POH section 4.27 CRUISING on how to configure engine. Simplified procedures Climb Mixture, throttle full forward Note the EGT temperature just after takeoff As you climb EGT will drop (too rich). Every 500 or 1000', lean mixture slightly to raise EGT back to the temperature you noted on takeoff. DO NOT allow temperature to get higher than this! At 6000' lean much more to get peak EGT. Note the temperature. Every 600 or 1000' above 6000' are-lean mixture to get back to peak EGT. Best Power Cruise (fly fast): Mixture, th...

Tomas Vykruta Data Daily

Search This Blog