Risk taking Cirrus Pilots

I've been reading more and more articles about accidents involving Cirrus aircraft. Most of them seem to be related to weather and one writer commented that it appears that Cirrus pilots seem to take more chances than other pilots. Could this be because of the safety chute? Advanced avionics? Capability of the airplane?

I dont necessarily think that I would take more chances. Saying it that way sounds like extreme dare-devil antics are about to happen. Instead, I may lower my minimums, or fly more often at night. I believe that this is just a simple risk mitigation issue. If I have another element of safety added to my portfolio, it would lower the overall risk.

Take de-ice boots for instance. Flying in the winter in the Great Lakes region, there is a lot of potential for airframe icing. Knowing where the ice is, and how thick the clouds are play a major role in staying alive. We are all taking a chance when the weather is below freezing while flying in the clouds. Knowing escape routes, height and bases of clouds and temperatures aloft all mitigate the risk. Having de-ice boots further reduces our risk and gives us more options and that is perfectly acceptable.

So, are the Cirrus pilots taking risks? Sure they are. Are they OK if they are mitigated in some way or another? Absolutely.

Predict the wind

I caught myself saying to a student - "try to predict what the wind is doing and make your corrections."

Really "predict the wind" is totally invalid.

I changed the word to "react". Its amazing what word selection can do.
"I want you to react to what the wind is doing to you."

That's not to say that you should go into a situation blind. If the wind is coming out of the south west and you are heading toward runway 30, expect a short base and an immediate crab into the wind. Work it from that point.

Wouldnt it be nice to be able to predict the wind though?