I’ve started training in the 206.
My first reaction? It’s a BEAST! It’s already known for being somewhat truck-like, and compared to the planes I’m used to flying, it has a much more powerful engine and is quite a bit heavier.
In reality, I haven’t been doing anything new in this plane. I’ve done slow-flight, stalls, short- and soft-field takeoffs and landings before, just not in this plane.
My first reaction? It’s a BEAST! It’s already known for being somewhat truck-like, and compared to the planes I’m used to flying, it has a much more powerful engine and is quite a bit heavier.
In reality, I haven’t been doing anything new in this plane. I’ve done slow-flight, stalls, short- and soft-field takeoffs and landings before, just not in this plane.
At the same time, though, everything is different. For example: in most every other plane I’ve flown, you pull your throttle back all the way to idle when you’re on final approach and you just glide it on in. Not the case in this plane. If you pull the power, you drop like a rock; so instead you keep power in all the way until you’re just above the runway.
All that to say: this time is very useful just getting a ‘feel’ for this plane, because it’s so different.
I’ve also learned a lot about my own flying, and what needs improvement. What could have been a passable maneuver in a lighter, shorter airplane, now becomes more difficult with all the torque of the engine.
Flying the 206, with this particular instructor, is a time of honing my skills. The skills are there, but this is where the rough edges get sanded down. We had been trying to fly two to three times a week, for a few hours at a time . . .
. . . and then the plane had to come down for an inspection. So we're now taking it apart and fixing anything that does not pass inspection.
All that to say: this time is very useful just getting a ‘feel’ for this plane, because it’s so different.
I’ve also learned a lot about my own flying, and what needs improvement. What could have been a passable maneuver in a lighter, shorter airplane, now becomes more difficult with all the torque of the engine.
Flying the 206, with this particular instructor, is a time of honing my skills. The skills are there, but this is where the rough edges get sanded down. We had been trying to fly two to three times a week, for a few hours at a time . . .
. . . and then the plane had to come down for an inspection. So we're now taking it apart and fixing anything that does not pass inspection.
This is the reality of missionary aviation: you have to know how to work on your plane as well as fly it, because you are the one primarily responsible for getting it back in the air.
Even though there’s the deadline of my Technical Evaluation with New Tribes in January, and we’re trying to get all this flight training done before the holidays, that doesn’t mean we’re rushing this maintenance check.
A local flight instructor from a church here in Shelby told us he was very appreciative of how we don’t rush maintenance inspections like this one.
He then proceeded to tell us a story of how, many years ago, he brought it to the attention of the mechanics that the plane needed a 100-hour inspection. Less than 2 hours later he was told the plane was ready to fly again.
It’s physically impossible to do a 100-hour in less than 2 hours, especially if only one person was working on the plane.
It wasn’t much longer after this ‘inspection’ that the plane suffered an engine-failure in flight, and he had to land the plane on a highway here in Shelby.
Others might complain that the plane is down too long, or that we ruined their vacation travel plans, or in my case, that I might not be as well-prepared as I would. But I know that safety comes at the price of time. I would rather be slightly less-prepared for the TE than to endure a plane crash because we rush and miss something on the inspection.
The maintenance is just as important in regard to safety as the pilot’s ability to control the plane.
Hopefully by the next post, the plane will be flying again and I’ll be back in the pilot’s seat, but until then I'll be wrenching away.
Even though there’s the deadline of my Technical Evaluation with New Tribes in January, and we’re trying to get all this flight training done before the holidays, that doesn’t mean we’re rushing this maintenance check.
A local flight instructor from a church here in Shelby told us he was very appreciative of how we don’t rush maintenance inspections like this one.
He then proceeded to tell us a story of how, many years ago, he brought it to the attention of the mechanics that the plane needed a 100-hour inspection. Less than 2 hours later he was told the plane was ready to fly again.
It’s physically impossible to do a 100-hour in less than 2 hours, especially if only one person was working on the plane.
It wasn’t much longer after this ‘inspection’ that the plane suffered an engine-failure in flight, and he had to land the plane on a highway here in Shelby.
Others might complain that the plane is down too long, or that we ruined their vacation travel plans, or in my case, that I might not be as well-prepared as I would. But I know that safety comes at the price of time. I would rather be slightly less-prepared for the TE than to endure a plane crash because we rush and miss something on the inspection.
The maintenance is just as important in regard to safety as the pilot’s ability to control the plane.
Hopefully by the next post, the plane will be flying again and I’ll be back in the pilot’s seat, but until then I'll be wrenching away.
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