Ted
The pilot formerly known as Twin Engine Ted
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2007
- Messages
- 29,886
- Display Name
Display name:
iFlyNothing
On Sunday my instructor and I were supposed to do a short cross country from IPT to LNS in the 172, mainly to check out the pilot shop there. There are a good number of items I need to buy, but haven't yet because someone (*cough* Missa *cough*) had promised to take me to another pilot shop.
Saturday, my flight instructor called me and said "Hey Ted, I know we were supposd to fly to Lancaster tomorrow, but how would you like to fly an Aztec to Maine and back?" Someone he knew, who had a '69 Aztec D needed to get dropped off in Maine and then have the plane returned home, as he was getting home via different means.
The flight up I sat in back (with the airplane's owner flying and my instructor right seat), taking careful notes on what he was doing, where items were, procedures, etc. The view was beautiful, and I got some snapshots of the sun setting behind us. We made it up the some 530 nm in 3.5 hours there. As we landed at KFVE the sun had just about completely set. The airport staff was very friendly, and the airport was actually quite nice from what I could see.
We loaded up on fuel (a quick 90 gallons... that thing is thirsty) and then I took left seat for the return flight. My instructor went over the procedures I was going to do and the thought processes I needed to have in mind before we took off, what I would notice as different flying a twin vs. a single, not to mention the fact that the plane had a total of 500 hp. He briefed me on using asymmetric thrust for turning, rather than the pedals and brakes. Back taxi, line up, cowl flaps open, ready with the gear up knob and how to use it, etc. Mixture full rich, props max RPM, throttles full open and go! The twin didn't push me into my seat, but it just goes and keeps on going, and doesn't let up. Positive rate of climb, gear up, and go! Climb climb climb, it just keeps on climbing, seemingly unstoppable. Climb to 6500 and establish cruise of 160 kts, 14 gph each engine.
The first half hour consisted of me getting used to the inputs of the Aztec, and how different they were to the planes I was used to flying. Pulling back or pushing forward even a hair on the yoke makes the plane nose up or down. I found myself turning the yoke, and inadvertently also providing just a feather of pressure back or forward, causing the nose to move. After about 30 minutes I got the hang of it, though. The rest of the flight was smooth with minor inputs needed. Then came the descent to land back at IPT. Night landing in a twin that I had never flown before. Yikes. With heavy instruction, I managed to get the plane on the ground, fairly smoothly. Although I'm not sure how much of that was me and how much was my instructor.
While it certainly wasn't an ideal lesson seeing as I went into an aircraft I'd never flown before and went straight into a night flight with it (something I have minimal time with as well), it was an amazing experience. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to get to go along. The flight home was VFR night conditions the whole way. Flying with the stars at night is every bit as wonderful as I thought it would be, and doing so in a twin just made it all the much more fun for me. I loved just looking out the window and seeing the view that commercial airline passengers can only dream of. Yes, I was, first priority, always flying the plane.
I now have as the newest entry in my log book: 3 hour night cross country in a PA-23-250, so now showing 3 hours of MEL with a total of 15.2 hours.
Now all my pilot friends here hate me.
Saturday, my flight instructor called me and said "Hey Ted, I know we were supposd to fly to Lancaster tomorrow, but how would you like to fly an Aztec to Maine and back?" Someone he knew, who had a '69 Aztec D needed to get dropped off in Maine and then have the plane returned home, as he was getting home via different means.
The flight up I sat in back (with the airplane's owner flying and my instructor right seat), taking careful notes on what he was doing, where items were, procedures, etc. The view was beautiful, and I got some snapshots of the sun setting behind us. We made it up the some 530 nm in 3.5 hours there. As we landed at KFVE the sun had just about completely set. The airport staff was very friendly, and the airport was actually quite nice from what I could see.
We loaded up on fuel (a quick 90 gallons... that thing is thirsty) and then I took left seat for the return flight. My instructor went over the procedures I was going to do and the thought processes I needed to have in mind before we took off, what I would notice as different flying a twin vs. a single, not to mention the fact that the plane had a total of 500 hp. He briefed me on using asymmetric thrust for turning, rather than the pedals and brakes. Back taxi, line up, cowl flaps open, ready with the gear up knob and how to use it, etc. Mixture full rich, props max RPM, throttles full open and go! The twin didn't push me into my seat, but it just goes and keeps on going, and doesn't let up. Positive rate of climb, gear up, and go! Climb climb climb, it just keeps on climbing, seemingly unstoppable. Climb to 6500 and establish cruise of 160 kts, 14 gph each engine.
The first half hour consisted of me getting used to the inputs of the Aztec, and how different they were to the planes I was used to flying. Pulling back or pushing forward even a hair on the yoke makes the plane nose up or down. I found myself turning the yoke, and inadvertently also providing just a feather of pressure back or forward, causing the nose to move. After about 30 minutes I got the hang of it, though. The rest of the flight was smooth with minor inputs needed. Then came the descent to land back at IPT. Night landing in a twin that I had never flown before. Yikes. With heavy instruction, I managed to get the plane on the ground, fairly smoothly. Although I'm not sure how much of that was me and how much was my instructor.
While it certainly wasn't an ideal lesson seeing as I went into an aircraft I'd never flown before and went straight into a night flight with it (something I have minimal time with as well), it was an amazing experience. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time to get to go along. The flight home was VFR night conditions the whole way. Flying with the stars at night is every bit as wonderful as I thought it would be, and doing so in a twin just made it all the much more fun for me. I loved just looking out the window and seeing the view that commercial airline passengers can only dream of. Yes, I was, first priority, always flying the plane.
I now have as the newest entry in my log book: 3 hour night cross country in a PA-23-250, so now showing 3 hours of MEL with a total of 15.2 hours.
Now all my pilot friends here hate me.
