Airplane Multi Engine Land (AMEL)!!!

When it rains, it pours, and thank God for that! On Tuesday I finally got to start my multi-engine training, and it was every bit as exciting as I thought it would be. The first surprise on the external inspection is that the ailerons are much heavier than the 172 ailerons. We also have to be careful to properly inspect the landing gear to make sure all is well. Next up is an engine start procedure that's a bit more complex than the 172. Important differences are that we make sure the propeller is in the high speed (low drag) setting for the start (this eases the load on the starter), and there is a dedicated start switch, unlike the combined start/magneto switch in the 172.

Taxiing the airplane immediately reveals how much heavier the plane is. At ~1300lb heavier than the Cessna, the Seminole takes a bit more effort to taxi with finesse. At the same time, the plane has tons of power relative to the Skyhawk, so will start moving, and quickly gain speed at idle power. Unless you want to taxi quickly, idle power is all that's needed for taxi. As we approach the runway, we perform the engine runup. In the 172, all you test is the magnetos (and carburetor heat on an older plane), but in the Seminole we also have to test the propeller governor on the manifold pressure, tachometer and oil pressure gauges. Typically 10-15 minutes will pass before we're ready for takeoff.

Once cleared for takeoff, we make an initial power setting, check the instruments, then go for full power. The acceleration is reasonable, but it eats up the 5000ft runway pretty quickly in the 31C heat. "Positive rate, gear up". It feels good to say that! We feel the performance increase as the gear tucks into the belly. At around this time, I'll notice that the number 2 prop control has slipped a bit, and so that propeller isn't producing maximum thrust. I push it forward and get a positive yawing motion to the left- which is quickly correct with some right rudder. Leaving 500ft, we reduce power to the climb setting and accelerate to 105kt. This power reduction thing is pretty new for me. Even in the more powerful 172's, any reduction in power meant a tremendous decrease in vertical speed.

Withe climb power set, we usually get a solid 600fpm at 105kt; maybe 1000fpm at 88kt (best climb speed). I tend to prefer 105kt for better engine cooling. Even at that speed though, the vertical speed is still locked, unlike in a 172 where it will drop every now and again. In no time we're passing 4500ft and ready to do some maneuvers. This essentially entails all the private pilot stuff- stalls, steep turns and slow flight. Next, we move on to some single engine work. That means identifying the dead engine and shutting it down. Be careful not to shut down the wrong engine- it's poor form, and examiners frown on such mistakes. Whenever I go to shut down an engine, I remember BMI92.

On my fist flight, I got to do an ILS approach, which was interesting. The basics are all the same, but the plane is VERY sensitive in the pitch axis. One moment, you're descending at 300fpm, the next moment you're climbing at 200fpm. I've re-learned how to use pitch trim. The slightest out of trim condition will cause the vertical speed to change, and controlling that all flying tailplane (stabilitor) leaves my fingers numb if the plane is out of trim.

Landing the Seminole is something else that takes getting used to. Firstly, unless you're REALLY tall, you can't see the nose. Unless I make an effort to look over the glareshield, I'll never see the nose of the plane. That makes it a little harder to judge your attitude as the ground gets closer. Secondly, you land the Seminold with only the slightest flare. Hardly any flare at all.

At the end of my first flight, I got the feeling I had just flown a real plane, not the metal duck they call the 172. It was really an amazing experience. One I hope I can do a lot more often.

Watch this space for more details on CSEL and CMEL preparation.

Murphy's Law

Do I really need to say anything? After all the planets lined up- instructor, my schedule, plane and all. I get to the airport, and this is what the weather radar shows. All that nice yellow stuff heading towards us and evolving into red stuff. It looked as if we could make it out, but the return to the field may have been dicey. Good thing I canceled too, because within half an hour there was lightening and a solid 15kt direct crosswind that I'd have to handle on my first flight.

Again, I've rescheduled, so now I sit and wait.

I'm getting miffed

It's been a while since I tried to schedule my first multi-engine lesson. Last week, my instructor had no time. This week the plane ran out of time, and is down for a 100hr inspection. Tomorrow, I have the dubious pleasure of heading down to the airport for some ground instruction, and I've re-booked the multi for Sunday since it's being used so often.

The core problem is that the school has a handful of multi's and a ton of students- most of whom will have to fly them at some point. In the mean time, my single engine training has paused while I wait for some multi time. I'm also waiting for the weather to cooperate so I can do my 250nm corss country flight. The past week's been pretty frustrating. Hopefully I'll have some good news on Sunday.

Commercial Maneuvers pt.2 plus backseat in the Multi

This week I got to do my second commercial lesson, where I learned how to do a steep spiral and "eight's on pylons". I got to demonstrate all the maneuvers, and they were all done fairly well (although my CFI talked me through the eight on pylons). I think I'm going to stop booking flights for 1pm. The midday temperature is stupidly hot. By the time you get back on the ground, your clothes are soaked in sweat and smell like a pig. I have a lot of respect for the ramp personnel who work in this heat all summer long to ensure that flights move on time. I salute all of you.

After spending the next few hours at the airport, I finally got to ride in the back seat of the Seminole I'd use for my training. On the climbout, we were getting just about 1000fpm, which seemed respectable given the temperature. I observed some steep turns, Vmc demonstrations and engine out procedures. The procedures are a fair bit more complicated than those of the 172 I'm used to flying, so they'll take some getting used to, but I'm still looking forward to it. As we went back to the airport, night was falling and the student prepared for an instrument approach. This is where the plane really interested me, as it had backlights for all the instruments, a Garmin 530, plus a Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI). It really looked like it would be a joy to fly under IFR. This was to be the student's first night landing and it was, umm, firm. Let's hope I fare better when my turn comes around. Once we got in, I scheduled the plane for my own lesson. I'm looking forward to writing in that MEL (Multi-Engine Land) column of my logbook. See you next time!

No part 2, but some multi!

I was really psyched for lesson 2, since we'd review the last lesson, then do some new maneuvers. The ATIS reported a temperature of 34C (93F); in case you're not familiar, that's 34 degrees IN THE SHADE. There isn't much shade on the ramp, so you have to do a lot of walking in direct sunlight. I'd guess that the temperature in the sun was upwards of 40C (104F).

You'll be pleased to know that after all the sweat and preparation, when I engaged the starter, I was greeted with only a faint clicking sound. I tried once more, then my instructor tried with a similar result. At 1735z, the battery was pronounced dead, and the lifeless body was removed to the ME's office for autopsy. Criminally negligent homicide is suspected. My opinion is that it was too darn hot and the battery just said #&^%. It's just as well anyway, because with that sort of temperature, the climb performance will be poor, and the maneuvers will not be executed efficiently.

In the mean time, I've rescheduled and talked with my multi-engine instructor to schedule some lessons. If all goes well I'll have my first ride in a multi within a week. I'm really looking forward to that, since all my flying thus far has been in a 172 or 152. I'm excited to learn a new design philosophy and some new systems. Hopefully the performance of the Seminole is better than the 172.

Commercial Maneuvers, lesson 1

It's been a while since I've posted anything- this is primarily because I haven't flown. In the time that I've been away, I was studying intensely for my commercial written exam. I passed it, and so the flying has resumed. I started learning commercial maneuvers today, and they were a blast. We started off with some basic stuff- slow flight, stalls and "private pilot" steep turns. Then we moved on to "commercial" steep turns that required a 50 degree bank. For some reason, the extra 5 degrees caused a bit of trouble, and they were a bit coarse. We'll need to do some polishing next time round. Next up, we did Chandelles. I think of this as a terrain escape maneuver. Say you're flying along one day, and need to escape some terrain that's rising faster than you can climb, you'd use a Chandelle to save your butt. It's a minimum radius, climbing 180 degree turn, where pitch is varied for the first half, and bank is varied for the second half. After 2 tries, I was doing them well enough, but keep your feet on those rudder pedals, as adverse yaw will bite you.

Next on the menu was the dreaded lazy 8. Don't ask me when you'd use this maneuver- because I haven't a clue. I'll take it as an exercise in aircraft control. It's much harder to explain than it is to do, so I won't waste your time going into it, but suffice to say that they're fun. It takes a while to get accustomed to, so I tried maybe 4 times before getting it right. A major problem was that by default, I'll look at the gauges, and this is one maneuver where I've been bitten. Once I tried doing it with my eyes outside, it worked like a charm. Proper positioning is key though, because the wind has a major effect on the outcome of this demonstration.

After all that yanking and banking, my stomach has just about enough, and we went back to the field for some circuits. That was interesting. My first landing was a soft field demonstration, which requires minimum airspeed, full flaps and a gentle touchdown. Now the tower was estimating the wind from 220 degrees at 6kt as they cleared us for the first touch and go, but I was to find that their estimate was WAY off. When we saw the windsock on short final, it was showing us at least 16kt blowing straight across the runway- no wonder I needed so much crosswind correction. Full flaps don't help in a crosswind either, so the landing was less than dignified. I figured that it was as good a time as any to practice some crosswind landings, and my instructor agreed, but he insisted on teaching me the wing low technique that he knows I loathe.

Now, flying with other pilots (students and instructors alike), they all seemed to slam the rudder and drop the wing when using this technique, causing all the luggage to shift to one side. That causes the terrible feeling of nausea I described in a previous post. My CFI showed me another method- use JUST ENOUGH rudder to keep on the centerline, and opposite aileron as required. Well I tried it, and a light went off in my head. Yes, the controls felt funny, but I wasn't looking at the ground at some odd angle while trying to keep my food down. It was a perfectly docile maneuver, and you wouldn't realize what was going on unless you were looking at the instruments. It worked a charm, and now I'm WAY more comfortable with the wing low technique. Most of the people I've flown with were way too aggressive. Small corrections are the secret. Of course, I don't consider myself an expert after a hand full of wing low approaches, but now I'm far more open to the idea, and I'm looking forward to trying it again.

The rest of the lesson was spent doing power off precision approaches, short and soft field landings. Given the stiff crosswind, we elected to use a lower flap setting for better aircraft control. For my final circuit, we had to extend the downwind leg for a Cessna Citation (aka SLOWtation) on a 5 mile final. It took forever for this plane to pass us. Man those things are slow! We stayed above his approach path to a flapless landing and vacated the runway. By this time, I was sweating like a pig. Circuits are fun, but the low airspeed and power setting result in very little cabin airflow, and the low altitude means it's hot, so as fun as it is to do circuits for half an hour, you're glad when it's over.

All in all, a good day of flying. I'm going to do some chair flying later to practise the maneuvers for the next lesson. Until next time, keep the dirty side down...