James Fallows of the Atlantic pointed me to a video of Cirrus Design CEO Alan Klapmeier speaking at a meeting of the Atlanta Aero Club. It's a lengthy video, but if you have the time it's very interesting.

Klapmeier discusses many areas of general aviation from how to grow the pilot population, to GA's place in the NextGen equation, to the direction GA manufacturers need to be going and beyond. I was especially interested to hear his ideas about putting known icing protection on a piston single aircraft (yes, in case you hadn't heard, they offer FIKI on the SR-22 now.) I was glad to hear his emphasis on the need to train pilots to make good decisions when flying aircraft with more advanced equipment. There is a lot of debate out there about FIKI on the SR-22. What do you think? Is it a good idea with proper training or is it something that just shouldn't be done?

I'm not sure I'm in 100% agreement with Klapmeier on all his views, but I do think he knows where GA has room to grow. He is doing a great job of moving things that way. I do appreciate the fact that he repeatedly commented on liking old planes. I think he even mentioned that he owns or owned a C-170 so obviously he's a pretty intelligent person in my humble and objective opinion. What do you think though? Are his ideas taking GA in the correct direction? Will the application of those ideas ever be economical enough for the average Joe to take advantage of? Do you love your Cirrus more than your dog? I sadly haven't flown one yet, so I can't say firsthand.