Let’s say you’re flying in the mountains of Colorado on a cloudy day. Â There’s a solid layer from the surface all the way up to 14,000 feet. Â You’re inbound to Eagle (KEGE) on the RNAV (GPS) D approach. Â There are mountains next to you and below you, but you aren’t concerned since you can see them all. Â The base of the last reported overcast layer was 3,000 feet, so you know you’ll break out before the MDA and land no problem.
At 11,100 over AWACC, you clearly see the top of the mountain below you. Â You are comfortably above it. You already have the runway in sight as well. Â You pop out of the clouds on the approach at 9,700 feet, spot the airport and follow the tower’s instructions to circle north of the runway for a left base for runway 7.
How could you see the mountains inside the clouds? Â You have Synthetic Vision installed on your glass panel, that’s how.
Aspen Synthetic Vision
Synthetic Vision, which has actually been around since the ’70s when NASA and the US Military first developed it, was first FAA certified for the Gulfstream PlaneView flight deck in 2009. Â Garmin, Avidyne, and Aspen are the main general aviation manufacturers of synthetic vision these days. Â All Garmin PFDs are now equipped with Synthetic Vision while Aspen gives you the option to upgrade to Synthetic Vision when you get one of their PFDs installed. Â Avidyne gives you Synthetic Vision in their R9 upgrade for the Cirrus.
What is Synthetic Vision? Â Basically, it’s a 3-D picture on the primary flight display showing terrain, obstacles, traffic, and runways. Â It greatly enhances situation awareness in areas of terrain or high obstacles during IFR conditions or at night.
The goal behind the development of Synthetic Vision was to decrease the amount of controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accidents. Â A CFIT accident consists of a perfectly airworthy airplane flown by a pilot (or autopilot) unintentionally into terrain. These accidents can happen in low visibility conditions or at night, but the reason is mainly due to the pilot losing track of his position in relation to obstacles or terrain (or water as was the case with JFK Jr.).
With Synthetic Vision, the goal is to enhance pilot knowledge of what is around the airplane at all times. When you’re at altitude, the terrain below you looks flat. Â When you start descending down amongst the rocks, the hills or mountains start to rise up on your screen. Â For those used to the coloration with the 2-D terrain feature on a GPS unit, it translates very easily to the terrain coloration on a Synthetic Vision equipped PFD. Terrain that is between 100 and 500 feet below the aircraft is shown as yellow, while terrain closer than 100 feet is depicted as red.
Garmin Synthetic Vision
One neat feature on Garmin units is the Highway in the Sky. Â When a pilot puts a course or a flight plan in the GPS, the PFD displays magenta boxes at the altitude selected displaying the route. Â It’s handy when hand flying to just “fly through the boxes.” Â They also display descent angles on approaches.
Synthetic Vision is still optional on Garmin and Aspen units, but I highly recommend springing for it. Â It will give you a higher level of safety and keep you out of the rocks.
I was recently clued in to a really cool (and very cost efficient) iPad yoke mount.
It’s called a PopSocket and you won’t find it on any aviation website (I have to credit Joe Casey of Casey Aviation with this nifty find).
It’s very simple. Â You take the mount (see right) and stick it to your yoke. Â Then you pick one of a ton of designs from PopSocket and stick it to the back of your iPad (you can even create your own design! Â B2 Bomber anyone?).
It’s low profile, doesn’t get in the way of anything, and is easily removable. Â The PopSocket mounts are $10 apiece (depending on the size of your iPad, you may want to get 2). Â The PopSocket is $10, so at the most, you’ll be in $40 plus tax and shipping. Â Most mounts on Sporty’s are upwards of $50 and require a lot of installation, are big and bulky, and usually require lots of juggling to get the iPad in and out of the mount.
Give the PopSocket a try.
I was recently clued in to a really cool (and very cost efficient) iPad yoke mount. It’s called a PopSocket and you won’t find it on any aviation website (I have to credit Joe Casey of Casey Aviation with this nifty find). It’s very simple. Â You take the mount (see right) and stick it to…
In the Pre-Takeoff Checklist for any Cirrus aircraft, it calls for pilots to perform a Cirrus Autopilot Check. Â It is prudent to check the autopilot before your flight to ensure that all aspects of the autopilot are working properly. Â The only problem is, the checklist doesn’t spell out how to perform the Cirrus Autopilot Check. Â You would have to go to the POH for the airplane, which is usually in the back seat or a bag somewhere and therefore hard to get to, in order to find the procedure.
The procedure for checking the autopilot is slightly different depending on what autopilot is in your airplane. Â The procedures for all three are below.
S-TEC 55x
Sync the heading bug to your current heading
Activate heading mode on the autopilot
Twist the heading bug left and right to ensure the ailerons move left and right
Sync the heading bug to your current heading
Activate vertical speed mode on the autopilot
Move the vertical speed bug (or the vertical speed on the altitude pre-selector if you have a steam gauge Cirrus) up and down to ensure the elevator moves accordingly
Ensure you can overpower the autopilot
Press the autopilot disconnect switch to ensure the autopilot shuts off
Avidyne DFC 90
Press the AP button to activate the autopilot
Ensure AP, ROLL, and PITCH Annunciations are depicted in green on the top of the PFD
Set the heading bug 90 degrees from the current heading
Press the HDG button on the autopilot
Ensure the ailerons are moving in the proper direction and HDG is annunciated on the top of the PFD
Ensure you can overpower the autopilot
Press the autopilot disconnect switch on the stick and ensure the autopilot has disconnected
Garmin GFC 700
Press the AP button to activate the autopilot
Ensure you can overpower the autopilot
Press the autopilot disconnect switch on the stick to ensure the autopilot has disconnected
In the Pre-Takeoff Checklist for any Cirrus aircraft, it calls for pilots to perform a Cirrus Autopilot Check. Â It is prudent to check the autopilot before your flight to ensure that all aspects of the autopilot are working properly. Â The only problem is, the checklist doesn’t spell out how to perform the Cirrus Autopilot Check….
Note: Â For this article I am comparing a 2008 Cirrus SR20 G3 and a 2008 Diamond DA40 XLS.
Aircraft shopping can be a tedious process.  First, a buyer needs to know what the mission is.  How far will flights typically be, how many people will be on board, and how fast does the airplane need to be.  Then, the buyer has to figure out what the budget is.  Finally, a prospective owner needs to figure out how much airplane he or she can handle.
Two very good airplanes for newer pilots transitioning from a flight school 172 who need a faster airplane to build experience in, but also want to experience a glass panel, are the Cirrus SR20 G3 and the Diamond DA40 XLS.
Cirrus SR20 G3
The 2008 Cirrus SR20 G3 is a good airplane. Â The G3 is equipped with the 6 cylinder, Continental IO-360-ES, 200 HP engine. Â Performance-wise, an owner can expect 135-140 knots true at 9 GPH (Lean of Peak) or 145-150 knots true at 11.5-12 GPH (Rich of Peak). Â The 3 blade propeller equipped models have better takeoff and climb performance than the 2 blade propeller equipped planes, especially in high density altitude conditions.
The airplane is equipped with the Avidyne Entegra EX 5000 glass panel system. Â Most models out there will have Avidyne’s CMAX (Chart View) and all will have the Avidyne EMAX (Engine Monitoring). Â All came from the factory with the STEC 55x autopilot (though a handful will have the STEC 55 SR, which doesn’t have glideslope functionality). Â They also came from the factory with dual Garmin 430s. Most units have been upgraded to WAAS.
Some owners have upgraded the autopilot to the Avidyne DFC 90, which is a nice upgrade. Â The STEC 55x is a rate based autopilot which takes it’s commands from a hidden turn coordinator that is behind the instrument panel in front of the co-pilot’s seat. Â The STEC has some crosswind limitations on approaches where the pilot can actually fly better than the autopilot.
The DFC 90, however, is an attitude based autopilot that  takes it’s commands from the attitude indicator on the Primary Flight Display (PFD).  It also adds a Straight and Level button as well as an Indicated Airspeed hold button, adding safety and functionality.  It does much better in crosswinds on an instrument approach then the STEC.
A select few SR20s have been upgraded to a single (or dual) Garmin GTN 650 touch screen GPS unit. Â The GTN 650 is a very nice upgrade. Â The Garmin 430 is a great unit, but the learning curve with the GTN 650 is much less. Â The touch screen setup makes a little more sense to the new user.
Values on the 2008 SR20 G3 with 1,000 hours or less run somewhere between $220,000-$260,000, depending on total time and equipment.
Diamond DA40 XLS
A handful of 2007 XLS DA40s were made, but not many. Â Most XLS models you will see are 2008 and later. These are equipped with the Lycoming IO-360, 4 cylinder, 180 HP engine with the Powerflow Exhaust STC. Due to the Powerflow Exhaust, the performance is equal to the SR20. Â At 6,000-8,000 feet, you will routinely see 140 knots true at 10-10.5 GPH. Â Higher altitudes will give slightly better performance and lower fuel burn. Â Like the SR20, the Diamond DA40 XLS comes with either a 2 blade or 3 blade prop. Â Go with the 3 blade as the takeoff and climb performance is much better.
Where the DA40 XLS has a leg up on the 2008 SR20 G3 Avidyne is in the avionics. Â Diamond got on the Garmin G1000 train a little sooner than Cirrus did and the XLS is equipped with the G1000 and GFC 700 autopilot. Â The Garmin GFC 700 autopilot is the best GA autopilot I have flown with. Â It is an amazing piece of equipment.
Most, if not all, DA40 XLS models will have both WAAS and Synthetic Vision. Â Cirrus didn’t get Synthetic Vision till they put the Cirrus Perspective by Garmin in their aircraft in the middle of 2008.
The DA40 has great visibility due to the massive amount of glass surrounding the pilot. Â The big glider wings give it excellent pop off the runway, but quite a different climb pitch attitude than most other piston single engine airplanes. Â The airplane does like to float on landing if the pilot doesn’t get the speed right.
Values on the 2008 Diamond DA40 XLS equipped with the Garmin G1000 are around the low-mid $200,000 range.
Comparison
Performance wise, the airplanes are about equal. Â Rich of peak, the Cirrus out performs the Diamond, but uses more fuel. Â Both have about 5 hour ranges (though the Cirrus has bigger fuel tanks, 56 gallons usable compared to the Diamond long range tanks of 50 gallons usable). Â Useful load is slightly better in the Diamond due to the fact that the Lycoming engine has 2 fewer cylinders than the Cirrus. Â The Cirrus does have a roomier back seat, a larger baggage area, and a side stick instead of a center stick, but the DA40 has a back door. Â The Cirrus also has the CAPS system, though an owner has to do a $15,000 repack every ten years. Â Airplane values are about the same.
I give a slight edge to the Diamond, though, and here’s why.  For about the same price, a purchaser can get the Garmin G1000 system complete with the GFC 700 autopilot in the DA40 XLS.  The Avidyne and STEC system is great, but the Garmin system is definitely above and beyond.  To get the Garmin G1000 in an SR20, you’d have to look at the Cirrus Perspective by Garmin, which came out in late 2008, and you’d be paying $300,000 or more for a single engine piston with 200 HP (though you do get Air Conditioning!).
So for my money, I would go for the Diamond DA40 XLS. Â I believe you get a little bit more bang for your buck and you don’t lose anything with the DA40 XLS. Â Don’t get me wrong, I love the Cirrus, but comparing the two, I think the Diamond DA40 XLS rates a little higher.
Note: Â For this article I am comparing a 2008 Cirrus SR20 G3 and a 2008 Diamond DA40 XLS. Aircraft shopping can be a tedious process. Â First, a buyer needs to know what the mission is. Â How far will flights typically be, how many people will be on board, and how fast does the airplane need…
AOPA recapped the year in the general aviation industry recently. Â A lot happened in 2016 including the certification of both the Cirrus Vision Jet and the Honda Jet. Â Several other manufacturers debuted new models, including Mooney with their Ovation Ultra and it’s 2 doors and Cub Crafters with their faster XCub.
To read the full year in review, you can read the AOPA Article here.
AOPA recapped the year in the general aviation industry recently. Â A lot happened in 2016 including the certification of both the Cirrus Vision Jet and the Honda Jet. Â Several other manufacturers debuted new models, including Mooney with their Ovation Ultra and it’s 2 doors and Cub Crafters with their faster XCub. To read the full…
If you have been searching “Cirrus SR22T for sale” or reading up on the Cirrus Vision Jet, you are looking at genuinely excellent airplanes. Both have earned their reputations. This is not an article about why you should not buy one. It is about a third airplane that almost never shows up in a Cirrus search — and what the numbers look like when you set it next to the two you are already considering.
190 ktDA62 Cruise
762 lbFull-Fuel Payload
648 nmRange, 4 Adults + Bags
1 WeekTraining, No Travel
What the Cirrus SR22T Gets Right
Let us start where we should. The SR22T is one of the most successful piston singles ever built, and for good reason. Turbo-normalized power that holds performance up high. A Perspective+ flight deck that is about as good as glass gets in a single. Side-yoke handling most pilots fall for inside ten minutes. And CAPS — the whole-airframe parachute that changed how our whole industry talks about safety.
Add strong resale, a deep service network, and one of the best owner communities in aviation, and you have an airplane that is very hard to argue with. If you fly two people and light bags on 300 to 500 nautical mile legs, we would tell you to go buy one — and we would help you find the right one. We also teach Cirrus SR20, SR22 and SR22T training here in Texas, so this is not an outsider’s opinion of the airplane.
The conversation changes when the mission grows.
Cirrus SR22T vs. Diamond DA62: The Numbers Side by Side
The Diamond DA62 is a seven-seat, twin-engine, Jet-A-burning composite airplane that most Cirrus shoppers have never sat in — usually because it simply never came up in the search. Here is how the two line up on the numbers that matter.
Specification
Cirrus SR22T
Diamond DA62
Cruise speed
184 KTAS @ 85% power / 10,000 ft
190 KTAS @ 90% power / 10,000 ft
Fuel burn
18.3 GPH @ 85% (16.4 GPH @ 75%)
19 GPH total (9.5 GPH per engine)
Fuel type
100LL AvGas
Jet-A (~$1.75/gal cheaper)
Seats / rows
5 seats, 2 rows
7 seats, 3 rows
Useful load
~1,125 lb (3,600 lb MTOW)
1,341 lb (5,071 lb MTOW)
Full-fuel payload
~575 lb
762 lb
Range, 4 adults + 75 lb bags (835 lb)
~320–350 nm
~648 nm (45-min reserve)
Takeoff over 50-ft obstacle
2,080 ft
1,575 ft
Landing over 50-ft obstacle
2,535 ft
1,447 ft
Single-engine service ceiling
—
11,000 ft
Engine-out redundancy
CAPS parachute
Second engine
Recurring safety-system cost
~$20,000 CAPS repack / 10 yr
None
Rating required
High-performance endorsement
Multi-engine (~1 week, at home)
Cirrus SR22T figures are taken from the Cirrus SR22T G6 Pilot’s Operating Handbook (P/N 13772-007, Reissue A): cruise at ISA and 3,400 lb, takeoff and landing over a 50-ft obstacle at sea level, ISA and 3,600 lb max gross.
Read that speed line carefully, because it is closer than the marketing on either side suggests. At 10,000 feet the DA62 has about six knots on the SR22T — real, but hardly decisive. Climb higher and the advantage flips outright: the SR22T is turbo-normalized, so at 18,000 feet the POH shows 198 KTAS on the same 18.3 gallons an hour, comfortably faster than the DA62. If raw speed is what you are buying, the Cirrus has a genuine answer.
Where the DA62 separates itself is everything around the speed. It burns Jet-A, which runs roughly $1.75 a gallon under 100LL at most FBOs and is available at airports where AvGas gets harder to find every year. And the full-fuel payload gap is 187 pounds. Payload is where light-airplane trip plans quietly fall apart.
Four Adults, Bags, and the Range That Actually Matters
Spec sheets get written for two people. Real trips are not flown that way.
Load four adults and 75 pounds of luggage — call it 835 pounds — and the SR22T has to leave fuel on the ramp. On a typical G6 empty weight that leaves room for roughly 48 of its 92 usable gallons, and realistic range lands around 320 to 350 nautical miles with IFR reserves. Put that same 835 pounds into a DA62 and you are looking at roughly 648 nautical miles with a 45-minute reserve.
To be fair to the airplane: with full fuel and two people aboard, the SR22T is genuinely long-legged. The POH shows 763 nm at 10,000 feet and 791 nm at 18,000 feet on a 45-minute reserve. The range only collapses when you fill the seats — which is precisely the mission this comparison is about.
That is not a rounding error. That is one fuel stop versus none on a Texas-to-Colorado weekend. And the DA62 does it across three rows, with two seats still open behind you.
About the Cirrus Vision Jet G1
If your search has moved from the SR22T up to the Vision Jet, that airplane deserves real credit too. Cirrus did something nobody else managed: a single-pilot personal jet, with CAPS, delivered in volume, flown successfully by owner-operators. That is a genuine achievement in this industry, and we teach Cirrus Vision Jet training ourselves.
The G1 specifically, though, asks for a level of commitment that surprises a lot of first-time jet buyers.
Cirrus Vision Jet G1: What Ownership Actually Asks Of You
Acquisition: approximately $1.8 million.
Fuel burn: 60–70 GPH of Jet-A.
Full-fuel payload: only 300–400 lb — roughly two adults and a soft bag.
Range: about 800 nm on paper, but heavily payload-limited in practice.
Type rating: a full FAA type rating is required — roughly two weeks of initial training in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Insurance dual: 25+ hours of additional dual instruction beyond the type rating.
Recurrent: annual simulator recurrent training back in Knoxville, at $15,000–$25,000 per year, every year.
Runway: 3,192 ft takeoff / 3,011 ft landing over a 50-ft obstacle.
Climb: drops to 1,100–1,200 fpm at heavier weights, and loses thrust at high density altitude airports — exactly where you want margin.
Worth saying plainly: the G2 and G2+ are meaningfully more capable airplanes — better payload, better hot-and-high performance, updated flight deck. That is a different and more interesting conversation, and one we are glad to have. Everything above is specific to the G1, because the G1 is the airplane most often cross-shopped at DA62 money.
Compare that training path to the DA62. A multi-engine rating is all that is required — roughly one week, typically at your home airport, with no hotel and no travel. There is no annual sim requirement in another state, and no recurring five-figure training line item on the budget.
Runway Numbers Open Up the Map
Performance over a 50-foot obstacle is where your airport list gets long or short. The DA62 clears it in about 1,575 feet on takeoff and 1,447 feet on landing. The SR22T needs 2,080 and 2,535 feet. The Vision Jet G1 needs 3,192 and 3,011 feet.
That is roughly 500 feet less than the SR22T on departure and nearly 1,100 feet less on arrival — and against the G1 the gap is wider still. Practically, that difference is what gets you into the shorter ranch, lake and mountain-adjacent strips that a lot of the best flying runs on. That is not a spec. That is a different set of weekends.
The Parachute and the Second Engine
CAPS is a real safety system and we will not say otherwise. It has saved lives, and it deserves the respect it gets. It also carries a cost most buyers do not budget for: the rocket and canopy repack runs about $20,000 every ten years, and it is not optional.
The DA62 answers the same question a different way. Lose an engine and you still have one making power, turning counter-rotating props, managed by a FADEC that keeps it to a single lever per side. One number to know either way: the DA62 single-engine service ceiling is 11,000 feet, so on one engine it will hold altitude over most terrain but not over the high country. Neither answer is wrong — they are two philosophies about the same risk. The DA62 version just does not come with a recurring five-figure bill.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Diamond DA62 faster than a Cirrus SR22T?
Only down low, and only slightly. At 10,000 feet the Diamond DA62 cruises at 190 KTAS at 90% power on 19 GPH of Jet-A total, while the Cirrus SR22T G6 POH shows 184 KTAS at 85% power on 18.3 GPH of 100LL. Higher up the SR22T is the faster airplane — its turbo-normalized engine holds 198 KTAS at 18,000 feet on the same fuel flow. The DA62 advantage is fuel cost, payload and runway, not raw speed.
How much can a Diamond DA62 carry compared to a Cirrus SR22T?
The DA62 carries a 762 lb full-fuel payload across seven seats in three rows. The Cirrus SR22T has a useful load of about 1,125 lb and a full-fuel payload of roughly 575 lb. Loaded with four adults and 75 lb of bags — 835 lb total — the DA62 flies about 648 nm with a 45-minute reserve, while the SR22T is closer to 350 nm.
What training does a Cirrus Vision Jet G1 require compared to a Diamond DA62?
The Vision Jet G1 requires a full FAA type rating: about two weeks of initial training in Knoxville, Tennessee, plus 25+ hours of additional dual for insurance, plus annual simulator recurrent back in Knoxville that runs $15,000–$25,000 per year on an ongoing basis. The Diamond DA62 requires only a multi-engine rating — about one week, usually at your home airport, with no travel.
Can a Diamond DA62 use shorter runways than a Cirrus SR22T or Vision Jet?
Yes. Over a 50-foot obstacle the DA62 takes off in about 1,575 ft and lands in about 1,447 ft. The Cirrus SR22T needs about 2,080 ft and 2,535 ft, and the Cirrus Vision Jet G1 needs about 3,192 ft and 3,011 ft. The Vision Jet G1 also sees climb rate fall to 1,100–1,200 fpm at heavier weights and loses thrust at higher density altitude airports.
Does the Diamond DA62 have a whole-airframe parachute like Cirrus CAPS?
No. The DA62 redundancy is a second engine rather than a parachute. One practical difference in ownership cost: the Cirrus CAPS repack runs about $20,000 every ten years and is mandatory, while the DA62 has no equivalent recurring safety-system expense.
Shopping a Cirrus SR22T or Cirrus Vision Jet? A numbers-first look at how both compare to the Diamond DA62 on speed, payload, range, runway performance and the real cost of training.
Satellite communications company Iridium now has a really nifty little product called the Iridium Zoleo Satellite Communicator. Most pilots who fly newer Cirrus Aircraft will be familiar with the company name Iridium. Iridium manufactures the built in satellite phone that is an option in all Cirrus after 2012. The Iridium Zoleo brings messaging capability to any airplane in a cost effective and simple manner.
The Iridium Zoleo is a device roughly the size of a walkie-talkie. It links up with the Iridium satellite network to send and receive messages and emails anywhere in the world (or air!). To make things easier, the Iridium Zoleo links with a phone via Bluetooth to a free app that allows the user to write a message directly from the phone and send through the device.
The Iridium Zoleo is affordable at only $200. A plan has to be purchased in order to send messages, with 3 different levels of subscription offered: 25 messages a month for $20, 250 messages a month for $35, or unlimited messages per month for $50. Each plan offers a $6 upgrade to allow unlimited worldwide breadcrumbs and tracking.
The Iridium Zoleo has a 200 hour battery life and is designed to be shock, dust, and water resistant. Plus, the device has a built in SOS that can be used anywhere in the world. So, you can take it rafting down the Grand Canyon, hiking in the Andes, flying over the Atlantic, or SOS if you are stranded in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
Satellite communications company Iridium now has a really nifty little product called the Iridium Zoleo Satellite Communicator. Most pilots who fly newer Cirrus Aircraft will be familiar with the company name Iridium. Iridium manufactures the built in satellite phone that is an option in all Cirrus after 2012. The Iridium Zoleo brings messaging capability to…
