Ryan Fiorini jokes, but his wife has some valid regrets about giving her husband a Cirrus Discovery Flight for his birthday – saying that gift was the most expensive $99 ever spent! That birthday present led to a pilots license, instrument rating and the purchase of a brand new SR22. “Once I took that flight, that was it. I knew I needed to be a part of this. The parachute is what sold the plane for me. With having my family onboard, knowing they would be safe flying with me made the purchase easy,” said Ryan.
Not having learned in a Cirrus, Ryan quickly realized that the flying experience was much more incredible than what he could have ever imagined. “I learned in a 1976 Grumman Tiger, and all I have to say is, I will never go back to flying anything other than a Cirrus. I can’t imagine flying my family or myself without what a Cirrus is equipped with,” he explained. Ryan is a fairly new pilot with just four years of flying under his belt, but his love for aviation is no less than someone who has been flying their entire life. “I love flying IFR and using all of the instruments in my aircraft. I’m all about the technology, and my absolute favorite thing to do is fly in the clouds. That way, I get to experience my Cirrus fully, use all of the advanced avionics and continue to perfect my hand flying skills. That’s what I bought it for, after all,” Ryan said.
Now having a Cirrus as part of his life, Ryan admits to being a bit stubborn about how he travels. His standards have risen – just a bit. “I can’t do travel anyway other than a Cirrus for long distances. I am very lucky to have a 45-minute rule. I will not drive for any longer than that. If it’s farther, I’ll fly. My wife and I recently had a discussion about taking the kids to the zoo. It was 90 minutes away by car. She wanted to drive – we flew,” said Ryan. With this rule of his, Ryan is always looking for reasons to fly.
He also flies his Cirrus for business – not just taking in the pleasure side of the Cirrus Life, and that time is split almost 50/50. Though, if you asked Ryan, that ratio should be less business and more pleasure. “I’ve taken my Cirrus to the Bahamas, and I was amazed at just how capable that plane is. I do things I never would have done without my Cirrus. It opens up a lot of doors; you can just hop in and go. Flying is fun, addicting and a very, very fun hobby,” he said.
Ryan is planning a long cross-country trip with his Cirrus in the near future, and as a current Vision Jet position holder, he’s even more excited for his future with Cirrus and the aircraft that awaits him. “The people at Cirrus are amazing. I have enjoyed every part about buying and owning a Cirrus. I’m very happy to continue this great relationship with them.”
Ryan’s fully loaded SR22