Aviation Experts At Odds Over Jet-Set Angelina Jolie's Plane

[SoFlo]

Aviation Experts At Odds Over Jet-Set Angelina Jolie's Plane
By WENN
Jul 19, 2006
America's aviation experts are split over high-flying ANGELINA JOLIE's plane of choice - some fear she's risking her young children's lives by jetting them around in a plane she's too inexperienced to handle while others feel she has made a safe choice.

The actress owns a $360,000 (?200,000) Cirrus SR-22 and has been spotted taking boyfriend BRAD PITT and kids MADDOX, ZAHARA and baby SHILOH for trips in the speedy jet.

Some top flight instructors are horrified Jolie has chosen such a powerful plane, which is one of the world's fasted single engine aircraft - with just 80 hours flying experience in a Cessna 172, a slow and relatively easy plane to master.

The actress' new plane is capable of speeds of up to 300 miles (483 kilometres) per hour and has caused 10 deaths in just five years through pilot error.

But others insist the Cirrus SR-22's digital navigation system and air-frame parachute make the plane one of the safest in the skies.

California-based instructor MURRAY SCOTT says, "Letting an inexperienced, novice pilot like Angelina Jolie fly it is like giving a Ferrari to a 16-year-old boy.

"It's a recipe for disaster. It is the fastest plane in its class. It climbs like a missile. Miss Jolie should fly something more sedate for a while. This airplane is a thoroughbred that needs experience to control."
But JIM CAMPBELL, the editor-in-chief of website

AeroNews.net, is a huge fan of the Cirrus model - he was one of the first to test the new plane 15 years ago.
He says, "Yes, it's a very high performance plane but it comes equipped with an air-frame parachute which safely gets the craft to the ground; if you get yourself into trouble, you just pull the handle and talk to the insurance company later.

"It's a marvellous plane that has actually saved lives. With proper instruction, there's no reason why this well-equipped aircraft can't be an excellent choice for low-time pilots."

Interesting... any thoughts?

[caliginousface]

Damn, this VLJ is prop driven, and beat Eclipse to the market. How about that.

[jtrain609]

It'd believe it more if they had identified the powerplant and the cruising airspeed correctly.

[SeanD]

Is she even instument rated? I dont think that parachute will help much if she slams into the side of a mountain in bad weather.

[N422NM]

Media stupidity reigns again....amazing thing is it took them this long to dream something up.

She's had this plane for quite awhile now. I remember seeing photos of her taxing the plane around somewhere in California last year.

Vne = 204 kts. Even equated at statue it's way less than the reported 300 MPH in the article.

And that big thing on the front...it's a prop...dumbass media hound.

Give a reporter a bit of info and they spin a fantasy novel.

Media sucks balls.

That is all.

[SteveC]

As long as she's received some training and worked with a CFI in that plane she should be fine. It isn't that big a jump from a C172 to a Cirrus. And she can slam a mountain in IMC just as easily in a Cub as a Cirrus if she isn't Instrument rated. Type of plane doesn't much matter in that situation.

[Tim]

The only reason this was an article written is because Angelina and Brad are involved otherwise its a non issue. Just proves another writer has no clue about what they are saying in regards to flying.

[JaceTheAce]

I didn't know the SR-22 was a jet!

Stupid media.

[frog_flyer]

i didnt know it was possible to die in an aircraft with a friggin parachute attached to it



is the pilatus and piper meridian and all those others.... faster! theyre single engine. Who wrote this? im gonna kick him in the nuts

[killbilly]

One of the mags did a background piece on One-Six Right, and it mentioned that Jolie flies her plane in and out of Van Nuys.

[SteveC]

Originally Posted by frog_flyer

i didnt know it was possible to die in an aircraft with a friggin parachute attached to it

There are a total of 51 accidents or incidents involving Cirrus aircraft in the NTSB database. 17 of those involved fatalities, with a total of 37 lives lost in those 17 accidents from 2001 to 2006.


.

[greaper007]

Who cares. All advertisement is good advertisement. I'm glad that they're writing about someone flying GA. It just makes more people want to fly GA. Which might equate to me getting more students.....

[meritflyer]

Originally Posted by John Herreshoff

It'd believe it more if they had identified the powerplant and the cruising airspeed correctly.

No kidding. 300 MPH huh. I bet the Cirrus office got a ton of new inquiries today.

[Champcar]

The Cirrus's are pretty easy to fly IMHO.

[meritflyer]

Originally Posted by SteveC

As long as she's received some training and worked with a CFI in that plane she should be fine. It isn't that big a jump from a C172 to a Cirrus. And she can slam a mountain in IMC just as easily in a Cub as a Cirrus if she isn't Instrument rated. Type of plane doesn't much matter in that situation.

Why it may not matter in IMC, its absolutely careless, IMO, to assume a new, 80 hour private can safely make a transition into such an advanced and high performance aircraft such as the SR22 without a very decent amount of instruction from a Cirrus Pilot/CFI. I have about 40 hours in the SR20/22 and it took me some time to get the feel of the aircraft. I also had about 700 hours and all my commercial ratings when I did it.

[frog_flyer]

it kinda sucks that you'll have to get typed in the cirrus though. Damn turbine engine

[Champcar]

Originally Posted by frog_flyer

it kinda sucks that you'll have to get typed in the cirrus though. Damn turbine engine

haha...you wont have to worry though. I hear martha is rated in everything.

[C150J]

One of the Cirrus SR-20s I flew had a dual mag failure over TX. Freak accident, though... I thought they (the 20 and 22) were really easy to fly.

J.

[Doug Taylor]

Does the author realize that Angelina is an owner/operator of a Cessna Caravan and has been flying longer than a lot of guys sitting right seat in CRJ's with 50 passengers on them?

One of my friends had her on his flight and she stopped by the cockpit and talked at length about it.

[C150J]

I can't wait until Brad gets his PPL and they move to a retract. I can just see Angelina guarding the gear handle on his legs.

[jtrain609]

Originally Posted by meritflyer

Why it may not matter in IMC, its absolutely careless, IMO, to assume a new, 80 hour private can safely make a transition into such an advanced and high performance aircraft such as the SR22 without a very decent amount of instruction from a Cirrus Pilot/CFI. I have about 40 hours in the SR20/22 and it took me some time to get the feel of the aircraft. I also had about 700 hours and all my commercial ratings when I did it.

Do you think she's going to have anything but the absolute best training money can buy?

Further, she's got more than 80 hours.

[Italianaviator]

I've always heard that the Cirrus isn't that hard to fly. Although I have never flown one myself, with a few hours of training I believe I could fly it confidently with the proper training.

[C150J]

Originally Posted by Italianaviator

I've always heard that the Cirrus isn't that hard to fly. Although I have never flown one myself, with a few hours of training I believe I could fly it confidently with the proper training.

It really is. Fixed gear, no prop lever, weeping wing, and great SA with the Avidynes. I'm sure she has the REAL TCAS, too, which was awesome. Slows down nicely, as well (unlike the 1979 Mooney I'm flying right now, which isn't terribly bad either).

[WestIndian425]

Well I guess we all know by now how terrible the media can be. The Cirrus SR22 is not a jet. Ms. Jolie has been trusted to operate such a machine by professional instructors, and she has acquired experience in the airplane.

Neil

[tonyw]

Plus I guarandamntee you she's 100 times hotter than the writer of that article. So there.