Aviation Experts at Odds Over Jet-Set Angelina Jolie's Plane  7/19/06

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 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 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 marvelous 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."