Cirrus Training

Once you have registered for initial training, you will receive access to Cirrus pre-work files. This consists of a study guide and workbook appropriate to your model Cirrus. Going through and completing the workbook is a prerequisite to completing the overall initial training course. As an alternative, you can request the pre-work package on a thumb drive. This material contains an electronic copy of the aircraft training/information manual which is a "generic" version of the POH appropriate to your aircraft, training presentations on systems and procedures along with electronic versions of the pilot manuals and quick reference guides for most, if not all, of the major components in your Cirrus aircraft. Once you have registered for the course, you will be given internet access to all of the information. You will continue to have access to this information for one year to enable you to refer back to it at any time. Each year you return for recurrent training, access is extended for a year.

Formal training consists of a series of organized lessons starting with a review of the pre-work to ensure an adequate working knowledge of the basics. From there, each lesson builds on the prior one. Through this series of training scenarios you are introduced to all of the Cirrus systems, its performance characteristics, each of the normal, abnormal and emergency procedures, as well as the various servicing and handling procedures for the Cirrus. As the lessons progress, you will transition from learning to performing and ultimately to demonstrating competence.

The course is designed for an experienced pilot holding a Private Pilot Certificate with an Instrument rating with complex and high performance endorsements who has 500 to 1500 hours of overall experience and who has flow 100 or more hours in the previous 12 months. It also assumes at least a working knowledge of technically advanced aircraft systems such as GPS, EFIS, Multi Function Displays and so forth. Pilots with more extensive experience and/or more TAA and EFIS experience will progress more rapidly while those with less experience or little to no TAA experience will take more time to complete the course.
 

The course itself consists of 5 individual lessons that take place over the course of 5 days. Each lesson consists of a pre-flight ground session in which the scenario is reviewed including flight details, goals for the lesson, clarification of systems and processes to be worked on and flight details need to complete the flight planning process.

Review of the pre-work, clarification of issues and the administration of a written test to establish a base line. In essence, test out of further ground school and move on to practical, hands on training.

After completing the briefing, flight preparations and planning process, these scenarios are designed to introduce you to the basic procedures from weight and balance to pre-flight inspection, engine start, taxi, run-up and so forth. During this session you will practice the application of all the normal procedures for operating your aircraft over the course of three individuals VFR flights at various altitudes. Each flight segment will provide the opportunity to become familiar with the aircraft handling characteristics and begin introducing you to its systems as you are shown how to operate them and then practice doing so.

This set of flights focuses on transitioning from VFR to IFR flight including planning both on the ground and airborne. You will practice utilizing the avionics, the flight management, the information systems as well as the flight automation systems. These scenarios are designed complete your introduction to the aircraft systems and normal procedures, giving you the opportunity for hands on practice over the course of three flights at various altitudes with cruise time of approximately 1 hour each.

These scenarios will introduce abnormal procedures in which you will experience a variety of system malfunctions and failures. Each failure will be discussed during the pre-flight briefing along with appropriate responses and then be introduced to you during the course of the day's flying. While each flight will be a cross country IFR flight at typical cruise altitudes, time will be taken between each leg to review the experience of the previous leg and set the stage for the next one.

This lesson with start with a review of the abnormal procedures and move into emergency procedures. All flights will start as cross country missions incorporating situations that have historically lead to issues. These scenarios will provide the opportunity to practice and adhere to all of the major emergency procedures established for your Cirrus. As with previous sessions, each flight will be briefed including what will happen, how to respond to it and you will be expected to discuss the appropriate responses to each situation on the ground as well as follow those procedures with minimal coaching, in the air.

The final lesson of the series, like all previous lessons will consist of three cross country flights built around realistic scenarios. Each scenario will be reviewed prior to the flight and you will be expected to complete the flight with little or no assistance from the instructor.

The PT will plan the flight profile and perform all preflight procedures, engine start-up, avionics set-up, taxi and before-Take-off procedures. This is accomplished prior to Take-off for each leg of the flight. Runway incursions, ground operations, collision avoidance, abnormal indications, and corrective actions should be performed without assistance from the Instructor. All decisions affecting the operation of these flights are to be made by you employing appropriate aeronautical decision-making skills.