Flight Option:
9 hours of ground instruction and 6 hours of flight instruction, including pre and post flight briefings. Ground instruction consists of two required course segments (all participants attend Accidents and Procedures) and two of the remaining elective segments.
Ground Only Option:
15 hours of ground instruction. Ground instruction consists of two course segments (all participants attend Accidents and Procedures) and four of the remaining elective segments.
Normal and Emergency Procedures: Required
CPPP emphasizes the safety advantages of operating the aircraft in a controlled, repeatable manner in each phase of flight (ground operations, takeoff/climb, cruise, approach, and landing). CPPP covers standard POH operating procedures as well as preflight and in flight actions pilots can take to avoid emergencies developing or progressing to the point that the safety of flight is endangered. Particular emphasis is placed on situations which accident or near-miss data and CFI feedback have indicated are major contributors to pilot difficulties with the SR2x. In addition, CPPP emphasizes the appropriate use of CAPS and the importance of having a strategy for its use in emergency situations.
Weather Strategies: Preflight Briefing, In Flight Strategy and Tactics: Elective
Weather is the primary cause of 15% of general aviation accidents and a major contributor to the sequence of events leading to many others. CPPP emphasizes strategies for minimizing weather related risks thru better preflight weather planning, closer monitoring of weather developments in flight, and appropriate exit strategies when in flight weather dictates. The presentation will emphasize icing, fog, and thunderstorm prediction and avoidance, including use of Stormscope / XM Wx and the advanced weather prediction tools available through the CPPP Weather Briefing site.
Advanced Avionics: Elective
CPPP helps the SR2x pilot make maximum use of the advanced avionics included in our aircraft - including the Garmin 430 GPS, MFD, PFD and autopilot. The course emphasizes integrated use of the avionics in realistic VFR and IFR scenarios. Included will be dynamic user-defined waypoints, VNAV profiles, unpublished holds, holding in lieu of procedure turns, arrival from NoPT sectors, obstacle and ATC departure procedures, missed approach holds at PTs, vectors to stabilized non-precision approaches, and coupled ILS approaches.
Maintenance: Elective
The CPPP Maintenance segment helps familiarize the SR2x owner with the common equipment failures in Cirrus aircraft, the symptoms, and preventive or corrective steps that a pilot and his mechanic / service center can take. The objective of the segment is not to teach the owner to perform his own maintenance; rather, it is to provide the owner with a better background to recognize common failures and to discuss these constructively with the mechanic or service center. Common problems discussed will include nose wheel fairing failures, tire wear, brake failures, MCU / alternator failure, bad flap relays, cracked oil coolers, and flap fairing cracking.
Single Pilot Resource Management: Elective
The SRM segment develops a practical approach to maintaining overall in flight situation awareness in a single pilot environment and making appropriate decisions to manage the risk associated with the changing flight situation. The segment emphasizes the appropriate use of advanced features of Cirrus aircraft such as the autopilot, GPS, MFD and PFD (as well as ATC and FSS) to maintain situational awareness and manage the in flight workload. The SRM approach will be demonstrated through a series of realistic flight scenarios which require the pilot to perceive changes in the flight environment, assess the implications, develop alternatives which allow safe completion of the flight, and implement those changes.
Engine Management: Elective
One area that is underrepresented in pilot training is proper operation and monitoring of our engines. This module covers the history of the aviation piston engine and the underlying mechanism of combustion – with special emphasis on the differences between traditional inline engines and the new, tuned induction TCM engines in the SR2x. The relationships between fuel flow, mixture, internal cylinder pressure, cylinder temperature and exhaust gas temperature are developed for both rich of peak and lean of peak operation. From this, Cirrus-specific procedures are detailed that emphasize the safe, efficient operation of the engine in all phases of flight from taxi thru descent.. Engine monitoring and offline processing of engine data is reviewed. Unusual situations are illustrated using actual engine data captures.
Aviation Survival: Elective
With the development of the CAPS system on Cirrus aircraft, pilots their passengers have a better chance of surviving an in flight emergency. However, having “landed” safely, the pilot and passenger still need to be found and rescued. Depending on time of day, location, and weather, recovery often takes place the next day. This segment discusses the equipment, knowledge and approach a pilot needs in order to shorten the required search time and to minimize the danger and discomfort while waiting for rescue.
This is a separate track from the student program, available to spouses, significant others, or other non-pilot frequent flying companions. This course is intended to make the non-pilot right seater more comfortable in the aircraft, teach them how to be an active participant in the flight as a resource to the pilot, and explain the availability and use of safety equipment in an emergency, including the CAPS. Availability will be announced on a course-by-course basis. When available, this segment is generally offered Saturday morning from 9 to 11am.