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unsurpassed. As I mentioned in my first Twin & Turbine article, the Lee Aerospace CoolView windows block 99 percent of harmful UV and 82 percent of infrared frequen- cies so you can enjoy the expansive view without getting sunburned.
Matt guided me through the checklists for the starting se- quence, which is straightforward. The large Garmin G3000 PFD and MFD displays are accompanied by horizontal- oriented Garmin Touch Controllers (GTCs) – the primary method of controlling the G3000 avionics suite. The orienta- tion and placement of the GTCs are easily accessible by the pilot or co-pilot. Our first leg was a VFR flight from MYF to L35. Cirrus is constantly improving upon its aircraft, and my sound level readings in the cockpit reflected a slight improvement over my previous testing in the G2. While not as quiet as other light jets, the sound level is acceptable using the Bose A20 headsets.
Big Bear Lake and the surrounding area is a beautiful area to fly into as well as mountain bike, ski or hike. At an airport elevation of 6,752 feet and a runway length of 5,850 feet, its location and the surrounding mountains are perfect for conducting flight instruction and evaluating high-altitude aircraft performance. Approaching Runway 26, we were afforded a great view with the lake in the back- ground. Our approach speed was approximately 90 KIAS. The trailing link gear facilitated our smooth landing, and I found the Cirrus Beringer brakes to work extremely well.
We taxied back for departure, a perfect day to evaluate high-altitude takeoff performance. With an OAT of 28 degrees Celsius, our density altitude was 9,700 feet. With takeoff flaps and full takeoff power (N1 – 98.6, N2 – 96), we began our departure on Runway 26. With a Vr of 85 KIAS, I rotated in 24 seconds using less than 2,700 feet of runway. At approximately 5,500 pounds, we were below the maxi- mum takeoff weight of 6,000. Comparing this value with the performance of the original G2, there was at least a 25 percent improvement, more than Cirrus’ initial estimates with the new engine configuration.
While the reduced runway requirements were impres- sive, high-altitude operations are equally important in the departure climb. The second segment climb performance can make the difference in whether you can meet the de- parture gradients. Our climb rate was 10 to 15 percent above the G2’s predicted rate of climb by my calculations. While technically you can operate at takeoff thrust for 5 minutes, Cirrus recommends reducing to Maximum Continuous Thrust (MCT) within two minutes for reduced engine maintenance costs. A good recommendation for any tur- bine engine.
We then headed over to Flagstaff to test the high-altitude performance, air work and a missed approach. We climbed up to FL310, where we flew over the desert at 310 KTAS consuming 64 GPH (429 PPH). The 7.1 PSID pressurization system held our cabin at 8,000 feet. Along the way, we also wanted to test GoGo’s AVANCE L3. Matt had used it earlier to file our flight plan during our flight to Big Bear. The coverage along our route to Flagstaff was intermittent,
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August 2021 / TWIN & TURBINE • 5