I have completed my third
day of flight training at Ameriflight.
I haven’t been able to do an update lately because I have been so busy
with training and studying at night.
Yesterday I took my first
flight in the Cessna 402, a three-hour marathon designed to introduce me to the
basic systems of the aircraft and how to fly the thing. I must say I enjoyed the flying, even though
it was hard work getting used to an aircraft twice as big as anything I have
flown before. The 402 is a stable and
surprisingly quiet airplane and is really not all that hard to fly.
The biggest thing I have had
to learn is the concept of a “flow”. A
flow is a method that airlines use of scanning the cockpit in a systematic way
to complete tasks for a phase of flight.
The flow is then backed up by a checklist. So for example, before takeoff you scan through the cockpit from
left to right and complete items from memory.
Then you look at the checklist to make sure you didn’t miss
anything. It’s kind of hard when you
are not familiar with the aircraft, but after a few times it gets easier
because you start to remember items on the checklist.
The other challenge is that
this aircraft is fast! I am used to
landing a Cessna 182 at 70 knots, the 402 lands at 95. Because of this, pattern work just plain
happens faster. With a 1500 FPM climb
out, you are at pattern altitude before you know it and it is time to complete
the cruise flow as you are turning crosswind.
That’s after doing the takeoff and climb flows. Then you complete the descent, approach, and
before landing flows all before you turn base.
It is really quite overwhelming, but my training captain says I am doing
fine and right on track. The instrument
work is going fine as well.
The airplanes at Ameriflight
are not pretty, but they are impeccably maintained and I feel very safe flying
them, which is more than I can say for other multiengine aircraft I have flown
in. It is nice having all the power –
at 300 HP per side and a lightly loaded aircraft, doing a go-around at 50 feet
is incredibly smooth and does not leave you thinking you might settle to the
runway, because basically you open both throttles and you are back at pattern
altitude again.
The preflight is complex, it
takes me about 25 minutes. I expect
that to drop as I get used to it.
We spent quite a bit of time
Tuesday morning de-icing the aircraft due to a heavy layer of frost the night
before. Needless to say, de-icing
pretty much sucks, but luckily you don’t have to do it that often. This morning the airplane was clean. De-icing consists of running a broom over
the airplane and tossing glycol on the control surfaces, then brooming it
again. Eventually everything melts or
is polished smooth, making it legal for takeoff.
I could go on forever – but
for now I will say that I am having a blast and am looking forward to each
day. Checkride will probably be Monday,
with line flying to begin immediately after.
I’m not sure of my assignment yet, but it will probably be a bank run
which begins at 0700 and returns at about 2030, with a significant layover in
the middle at either Medford, Gold Beach, Brookings, Lakeview, Burns, Everett,
or Ontario. Long day! I’m hoping for one of the Eastern Oregon
runs – I like it over there.
I’ll try to take a picture
of the 402 next week and post it when I get a chance.
Today we finished up early
and I get to spend the afternoon and evening relaxing for the first time this
week!