On Saturday, November 26th, 2005 I laid eyes on one of the most beautiful airplanes I've ever seen: a CIRRUS SR22-G2. Timothy Charles and our ten year-old daughter, Jessica had the privilege of riding in N45OAP from San Carlos down to Monterey for lunch and back. Our friend Randy Dilena, the pilot and owner of the plane, gave me "a tour" of his plane, while Randy's daughter gave Jessica a tour of San Carlos' "SQL" Airport. (The airport is located off the same parkway as Oracle Corporation.)

Cirrus is the world's second largest manufacturer of single-engine, piston-powered aircraft.

The SR22 uses a Teledyne Continental Motors' 310-horsepower IO-550.

The interior is BMW-inspired.

Tim thought the body of the Cirrus is reminiscent of one of the most beautiful cars in the world, Ralph Lauren's 1938 Bugatti 57SC Atlantic. This summer, we got to see Lauren's Bugatti Atlantic at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts Museum. The exhibit, which has now left the MFA, was called Speed, Style, and Beauty Exhibit: Cars from the Ralph Lauren Collection.

The book alone was worth the price of admission.

Aside from the interior and exterior beauty of the Cirrus SR22, the most unique feature is that it comes with a rocket-propelled parachute system that can support the entire plane. Randy calls it "The Spousal Support Feature".

Cirrus calls it the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System or "CAPS".

CAPS in Action

The Cirrus Airframe Parachute System

As Alan Bellows wrote this fall in DamnInteresting.com:

In October of 2002, an airplane which otherwise might have plunged into the ground and killed its pilot was instead gently dropped in some mesquite trees in Lewisville, Texas. The pilot, [who] suffered no more than a sore neck, had a Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) to thank for his safe landing, and it was the first time in aviation history that such a parachute had been successfully used in an actual emergency. These 55-foot wide parachutes attach directly to the aircraft itself, and are used as a last resort in small aircraft. To date, they have been successfully used in three such emergencies.

The founder of Cirrus, Alan Klapmeier, was on a flying lesson in 1985 when another pilot, flying with the sun in his eyes, flew into Mr. Klapmeier's plane at 1,600 feet. He and his instructor were able to land their badly damaged aircraft, but the other plane spun into the ground, killing its pilot. This event motivated Klapmeier to develop a last-ditch safety system for small aircraft, which would otherwise be doomed. His company, Cirrus Aircraft, developed the CAPS system for its small planes; and they include other state-of-the-art safety features as well, such as a full roll cage, and a real-time digital map that shows locations of other nearby aircraft and the details of the terrain.

I have to admit I was a bit nervous hearing that my first-born and my husband would be going up in a small plane together -- even though I had great confidence in the pilot.

However, when I heard about the parachute I felt significantly more at ease. Too bad I didn't learn about it before they went up.

The name of the plane reminds me of a song Jessie and Amanda sang in Second Grade. It's called The Cloud Song.

Sung to the tune of the Itsy, Bitsy Spider, it starts out:

Cirrus clouds are feathery, Farthest from the ground...

From the sounds of Tim and Jessie's experience, Cirrus Design should buy the rights to this song.

The other amazing thing I learned about this plane was that the first person that needed to use the CAP parachute did not even have a sore neck the following day. And he had very little damage to his plane.

Cirrus SR22 Cockpit

The makers of this beautiful plane travel the U.S. and Mexico to give prospective customers a look.

Cirrus' 2005 Road Show is almost over.

However, for those in or around Spring, Texas or Monterrey, Mexico, there's still an opportunity for you to go into their mobile showroom and get a taste of this inspiring aircraft.

Cirrus Road Show

Cirrus Design's end of the year stops include:

DECEMBER 2-3

David Wayne Hooks Airport [DWH]
20803 Stuebner Airline Road
Spring, TX 77379

DECEMBER 9-10
Aeropuerto Del Norte [NTR]
Monterrey, Mexico

By the way, Randy flew Tim, Jessie and his daughter to Monterey, California not Monterrey, Mexico on Saturday.

Flying has also taken Randy Dilena over the Great Lakes, across the Midwest prairies, through the desert landscape of Arizona, as well as down the coasts of Oregon and California.

Randy said with passion:

I can't say I am ever more at peace with the world than when I am cruising on autopilot at 9,500 feet. It's a wonderful experience!

At 42 years old (the age when I began formal training) my #1 regret about learning to fly was that I didn't do it much earlier in life!

With over two hundred hours under his belt, Randy has also had the opportunity to fly above New Zealand, on Top Gun-like Australian Jet Adventures, and in remote parts of the world.

He said if Tim was to get serious about flying he would recommend four books to start:

1) Free Flight: From Airline Hell to a New Age of Travel

Randy said, "This book predicted the future of aviation along the lines that Cirrus has followed."

2) The Student Pilot's Flight Manual Syllabus: A Flight Instructor Checklist and Student Pilot Guide from the First Flight to the Private Certificate

3) Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying by Wolfgang Langewiesche

4) 101 Things To Do After You Get Your Private Pilot's License by LeRoy Cook

Tim said after they returned from Monterey:

The experience of flying was a completely foreign experience -- completely foreign in the most pleasant way.

We had no hassle with traffic. The view was stunning. It was fascinating to be able to see all these Bay Area landmarks from above, such as Stanford's Hoover Tower, the football stadium and the Moss Beach Power Plant.

It's amazing to see in this densely populated area how much open space we have to enjoy. The coastal hills and the lush green redwood trees are such a gift.

Being able to see the blue waters of the Pacific from above make this ride well worth the cost of picking up Saturday's lunch tab, to say the least.

Tim and Jessica are now formally spoiled for life.

And my daughter thinks limos are cool. If only she knew how lucky she was to be a passenger in this plane.

Afterwards, we all agreed that it was "ten times cooler" riding in Randy's plane than getting to ride in a limousine.

It is no wonder this is the best selling plane in the world in its class.

If you are a discerning pilot in the San Francisco Bay Area with discerning tastes and an interest in renting our friend's high performance, technically advanced aircraft, please go to:

To learn more about the Cirrus SR22-G2, please explore:

If you love even the thought of flying I encourage you to go to their site. Those who read my stories often, know I'm into vicarious living. This is a good example of vicarious living with a capital "V".

Inspire & Be Inspired.

Here's to healthy, adventuresome, soulful, "'high' above the clouds" living!

~ Jennifer Carolyn King, Rugged Elegance, LLC