Passed my commercial multi add on on October 14th!

mx5fanatic

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mx5fanatic
I went out of state to do my commercial multi engine add on with Herb Pello of Praire Air Service in his Piper Apache Geronimo. I picked him because I was impressed with what I read on his website and also I wanted to train in an Apache as my family has a 1969 Piper Turbo Aztec so wanted to be able to have a nice transition into it when I finished here.

I chose to stay with Herb. He has a couple of rooms at his house, which is right on the airport (Stearman Field) and he keeps his Apache in the garage which makes it super convenient when we want to go fly for lessons. Also the room and board was very reasonable $22 dollars a day, and that included a home cooked meal by Herbs wife Kathy each night. Also they had a stock of cereals for breakfast and a freezer full of microwaveable sandwiches, pizzas and left over dinners in the fridge for lunch as well as plenty of sodas to drink as well as water. I quite enjoyed staying on site.

Herb has a car available if you need to run into town for any reason, although I spent all of my free time studying so that was not an issue for me.

Fair warning his pricing on his website is out of date so I recommend emailing and calling Herb to get an accurate and up to date pricing. I arrived there on October 5th and started flying on the 6th, two times a day on the average until my checkride in the 14th. On that day I flew with Herb for 3.2 hours for one last recap of all multi maneuvers and engine out pattern work and short field landings and takeoffs then when we landed, we did an hour of review.

I ended up with 22 hours of multi time 1.6 of which was the checkride and multi PIC. My write up of the checkride is below:


Oral Exam


Explained the electrical system, gas system, gear system, cross feed, fuel gauges and what they display, calculate performance data and weight and balance. Also explained what our engine was and what the fuel it runs on (a blend of 100LL and 91 premium car gas)


Explained what VMC meant


Explained the critical engine)


Calculated takeoff distance (ground roll plus landing distance )


Accelerate atop is ground roll plus double the landing distance, no accelerated charts exist.



Flight


Did preflight with examiner watching.


Went down taxiway to 35, forgetting the winds more favored 17. I realized this when the examiner said he was going the check the wind ones again. Back taxied to the run up, and on the taxiway just before hold short, did the run up checklist.


Examiner said we would do a short field takeoff and a turn to the northeast, headed 045.


Briefed the takeoff and abort procedure, and performed short field takeoff.


Climbed and turned after departure and UPS (undercarriage, props switches) to 4,500 feet.


We made our way north east. We saw some

cumulus clouds and climbed to 6,500 and the examiner gave me vectors to avoid them. The examiner directed me then once established to perform steep turns. I did two clearing turns , then did a steep turn to the right and left, speaking what I was doing and made corrections.


Then went into slow flight and there examiner asked for gear and flaps down so I did. Then after flying for a bit had me recover and then go into power on stall straight ahead. Then after that he had me go into accelerated stall. Then he had me do the VMC demonstration which went smoothly.


Then after that we did the feathering and securing engine in flight which went smoothly. After we got the engine res started, he had me

do an emergency descent to 3,500 . As with all the other maneuvers I talked myself through it.


Then he gave me vectors to the RNAV approach to El Dorado. Flew the approach single engine, I screwed up the simulated feathering and securing, did nothing with the power on the operative engine and was sinking. The examiner noted something and I made a move to correct it and it was done. I admitted after he asked why I didn’t do it I forgot and messed up.


The rest of the engine out approach went well. Did a full stop, taxied back and then did pattern work on 15. Did a short field landing, single engine out landing (handled the simulated featuring better this time and added power to the operating engine), and a go around.


Then we did another landing and he then had me taxi to 22 instead as the winds had shifted . We then departed and returned to 1K1 and after landing and parker, the examiner informed me while he was not happy with how I had forgotten the power on the operative engine on the single engine approach, he was happy that I corrected for it right away.


It was a hour oral and a 1.6 on the Hobbs. I am now a commercial multi instrument rated pilot! Got my complex endorsement from this as well.

Next my high performance endorsement and to be checked out in the Aztec!
 
Congratulations!

What airplane did you use for this?
 
I used a Piper Apache Geronimo conversion. Herb keeps it well maintained. It has something like 29,000 hours on the airframe. Herb has flown it to Austria twice and South America twice, Alaska a few times so it is well traveled.

it is a pretty docile light twin to train in. I enjoyed flying it.
 
Awesome.!!! And did it in a classic plane.

I did the multi commercial and ATP in a plane ol' Seminole....

Gotta link to the website.??
 
Awesome.!!! And did it in a classic plane.

I did the multi commercial and ATP in a plane ol' Seminole....

Gotta link to the website.??


Sure! Here is the link to the website: http://prairieairservice.com. Keep in mind as I said in the OP the prices are out of date.

Seminoles are cool. I originally wanted to do my multi in something like a DA42 but I am glad I did it in a classic light twin like the Apache. Plus it will help when moving into the Aztec for systems familiarity.
 
Equipment: The aircraft used for all multi-engine instruction is a Piper PA23-160 "Apache" (click for pictures) which has undergone a Geronimo airframe conversion, as well as installation of a custom instrument panel with an upgraded avionics package (Bendix BX-2000 system with RNAV and an HSD 880 HSI/RMI system, an ARNAV R-40 Loran, and intercom).

I'd say yep, a little out of date here...

Sadly, at one time I knew how to use this upgraded avionics package... :lol::lol:
 
Equipment: The aircraft used for all multi-engine instruction is a Piper PA23-160 "Apache" (click for pictures) which has undergone a Geronimo airframe conversion, as well as installation of a custom instrument panel with an upgraded avionics package (Bendix BX-2000 system with RNAV and an HSD 880 HSI/RMI system, an ARNAV R-40 Loran, and intercom).

I'd say yep, a little out of date here...

Sadly, at one time I knew how to use this upgraded avionics package... :lol::lol:

It has dual Garmin G5's now, as well as a Garmin 530 WAAS and a Garmin 400 (I had used the 430 so was familiar, also have had some 530 experience). Yeah, the LORAN and Bendix is gone. It's a nice set up now. Just wanted to put what the current package is so people don't think that was the current radio/nav set up LOL
 
If anybody has any questions about Prairie Air Service and Herbs program, I will do my best to answer them.
 
congrats...and thanks for posting a play by play.
I was signed off to do my private multi in a 150HP apache but it downed with a mechanical and so I never took the ride. All these years later...and with your play by play...I can almost picture it.
 
congrats...and thanks for posting a play by play.
I was signed off to do my private multi in a 150HP apache but it downed with a mechanical and so I never took the ride. All these years later...and with your play by play...I can almost picture it.

You are very welcome. I am hopeful it will help anybody considering Prairie Air Service or just in general for the commercial multi.

That is a bummer about your experience. My dad used to own a 150hp Apache and loved it. I really enjoyed flying this Apache.
 
yeah, it was horribly under powered but I remember it being a very comfortable airframe.
It had lost of issues with the door hinges/latches and was down a lot as I recall for that then the icing on the cake was leaking fuel bladders.
I flew a bit in another school's 160HP version but by then I was too rusty to catch back up so never got the rating. 160's were a bit better but not much
Regardless, I have fond memories of N2260P. If I had the money and time I'd love to find an old round nose and round tail Apache and totally restore it with larger engines
 
I never did a write up for my comm multi but if anyone is curious I’d say it was very close to everything you see when you look up what a comm multi is all about. Not really any surprises. I didn’t think to do a write up because I figured by that point one should know what to expect on a check ride.
 
I have never flown the 150hp version. I think if I were to have an Apache, it would the the Geronimo with the 180hp IO-360s in it. That would make for a nice light twin to do some XC flying in. I love the looks of the old round nose Apaches.

I do agree that by now people should know what to expect, but I did the write up so people that were curious could see what is on it. Although like eman1200 pointed out there were no surprises. If you have been trained well, it is a pretty easy checkride. This checkride and the commercial single are tied for the most fun check rides I have taken so far.
 
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