More "things we won't do"

The following article appeared in the December 2021 edition of the American Bonanza Society Magazine - www.bonanza.org

In the September 2021 ABS Magazine, Tom Turner wrote about training in multiengine aircraft. He brought up a list of things we as BPPP instructors will not do and highlighted some personal instructor minimums we all abide by in order to make the instructional environment as safe as possible. 

Many of us BPPP instructors add additional personal minimums to this list. When flying multiengine aircraft, I introduce the following additional personal minimum into all of my multiengine training flights – especially in aircraft that I have never flown before:

Actual engine shutdowns will occur no lower than 5,000 feet and will occur within 10 miles of an airport with a runway of at least 4,000 feet length.

This may seem overly cautious, but as is typical, many personal minimums are born out of past experiences, and this one is no different.

A few years ago I was flying with a student, preparing him for a commercial checkride. I mentioned that we would be performing an actual engine shutdown as an examiner would expect on the checkride. I wanted to ensure the pilot knew the checklist and was able to experience the sight, sounds, and feel of the aircraft when truly running on only one engine. I also wanted to do this with the student, because it wasn’t clear whether he ever performed an engine shutdown when he transitioned to this aircraft. His previous experience was in a Diamond Twin Star. Either way, experiencing this in a Baron for the first time on a checkride is not a good idea. 

We climbed to altitude and talked through the checklist once again before performing the actual shutdown. We then took up an easterly heading so the sun wouldn’t be in our eyes and pulled out the checklist. The student started to complete each item in the Securing Engine checklist. When we got to the Propeller-Feather item, the student smoothly brought the propeller lever to feather. 

The plane started to yaw just a little less, and the dead engine was slowly coming to a stop as the propeller blades started to move to the feather position. The thing was, it was sure taking a long time for the propeller to completely go into feather. Three seconds turned into five seconds, turned into 10 seconds...and I started to wonder: “Why isn’t this propeller feathering?” It seemed like it was almost there, but it wasn’t fully feathered. The mostly windmilling propeller would fight the engine compression and spin a little faster, then slow almost to a stop, then continue the cycle again. At this point I had seen enough and asked the student to advance the propeller control, hoping we could get things back to normal.

To my delight we came out of "partial-feather" and were able to start the engine without further fanfare. What seemed like many minutes were only really a few moments, but during that time I started to think about what could have happened. What if something happened that wouldn't allow the propeller to come out of that partially feathered position? Would we be making a single-engine landing, but with a partially feathered propeller? What would that performance look like? Where is my nearest airport, and does it have enough runway length to make me comfortable with a non-standard single-engine approach? 

These questions rushed through my mind in an instant and caused me to think about the potential situations we could have encountered. We terminated the training session and landed. I had the pilot call maintenance to get the feathering problem figured out before the next flight since our inability to feather that engine would certainly be an issue if we needed to feather it at a critical phase of flight, such as shortly after takeoff on climb-out.

Our friends at a shop in Kalamazoo, Michigan, were able to make some adjustments to the feathering mechanism in the engine compartment. It needed to be re-adjusted to allow the propeller to completely feather. We tested the ability to feather this engine again on our next flight, as well as the other engine, both successfully feathering. 

Another notable observation came out of this experience. The propeller exercise we do before the first flight of the day doesn’t really check for the ability to fully feather. It did exactly what we expected it to do that afternoon on our Before Takeoff checklist. There was no indication of problems when we pulled the propeller control into feather and then returned it to high RPM. We let the prop speed drop a couple hundred RPM before advancing the propeller control, which only tells us that the propeller governor is attempting to feather. But there are no guarantees.

Everything eventually worked great, and I signed him off to take his commercial checkride. Not only did a new personal minimum come out of this experience, but I also work with pilots to encourage them to get with their favorite multiengine instructor and feather each of their engines on occasion just to make sure they actually feather. 

Nexrad and Onboard Radar

The following article appeared in the March 2021 issue of the American Bonanza Society magazine - www.bonanza.org

At least once a year, I come across a Baron I haven’t flown before, equipped with an old monochrome magic box that hasn’t been turned on in 20 years - only to have emitted electrons when the pilot accidentally turned it on. 

In the world of ADS-B, high resolution Nexrad Radar and all kinds of goodies on my tablet, why in the world would anyone care about onboard radar?  This is actually a common sentiment I hear from pilots when I ask if their radar works, or whether they use it. Most of the time they do not use it, and that is ok.  For most pilots, navigating a line of weather, or radar with green returns will convince the casual flyer to stay on the ground. But what about the avid IFR pilot getting maximum utility out of their Baron?  Do THEY use their Radar? Do they even have radar?

With advancements in technology, many are investing in their panel and quite frequently, the old radar gets yanked out (which is great for useful load), and not replaced (the expense of installing new onboard radar is still high).  The magic of XM Satellite weather, and the affordability of FIS-B weather (can you say free?) is exciting many pilots with more tools than we have ever had before.  Again, this is not a problem, but begs the question – is the pilot using the digital imagery to tactically navigate weather or is it being used for planning and big picture strategy? There is a difference.

When to use Nexrad

The trap comes when pilots try to navigate weather using Nexrad.  This goes for Bonanza pilots too.  Why is this an issue? It comes down to the delay of information and is the reason pilots must only rely on Nexrad for strategic weather planning and not use it for tactical weather decisions. Many get suckered into thinking that the Nexrad Age showing only 3 minutes is indicative of near-real-time conditions.  It was explained to me by an old acquaintance from the National Weather Service that when a radar mosaic is compiled, it takes multiple scans of the radar site to compile the image, he joked that a bunch of interns take their time to stitch it all together, then it is disseminated for distribution.  I’m sure this process is automated, and professionals are involved in creating the mosaic, but his point is that it could easily take 10 minutes or more before the image gets shipped out to the providers. While XM Weather boasts imagery that is no older than 5 minutes because of where they get the data and how they process the radar images, the contrast in imagery versus what I typically see out the window seem to indicate there may be more of a delay than they claim.  The delays with this whole process are real – so much so that the NTSB came out with an advisory that talks about the delays associated with this process:

https://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-alerts/Documents/SA_017.pdf

It goes without saying – Nexrad radar images are to be treated as what happened (past tense) and not an indication of what IS happening. A good example of this are the pictures to the left. The Nexrad image (XM satellite – Age of 3 minutes) showed a yellow return just ahead and to the left of our nose.

Since we were visual, we could clearly see that the rain shower was in front and just to our right! If you look closer, you can also see what the red returns out in the distance look like.

When you need onboard Radar

The simple answer is that you need onboard radar for navigating weather and making tactical decisions.  However, just by having onboard radar doesn’t mean you are equipped to go blasting through cold fronts navigating convective activity. You need the training in order to use these boxes. The beauty of datalink weather is that there is nothing to do but watch the screen – with onboard radar this conversation could take on a life of its own as a college course.  And maybe that’s why there is frustration, confusion and proverbial throwing the hands up at the situation.  The good thing is that in this day and age, there are so many resources on the internet to help with understanding how to use your onboard radar, and you aren’t relegated to watching an old VHS tape of Archie Trammel – the radar God of yesteryear. Come to think of it – I think I still have that VHS tape.  It was considered gold at the time and many of the concepts Archie introduced are still valid today.

Some of the buttons and knobs seem to have a friendly feel to them.  Range – seems obvious. Distance you want to scan.  Tilt – At what angle do you want to focus your radar.  There might be gain controls, hold buttons, and other buttons that seem intuitive.  This is all well and good, but as I mentioned above, a solid course in radar use is a must if you are going to be making tactical decisions with it. 

More than just Radar and Nexrad

The screen to the left depicts one afternoon when I was flying a quick trip to KCMI.  Because Nexrad shows the whole sky, it paints a picture of rain and potential building convective activity.  But does it?  That trip was flown at 6,000ft – in the clear the whole time with cloud bases at 8,000ft with

occasional virga.  Onboard radar would have given me the confidence to fly this trip, but I wouldn’t have a completely full picture of the situation.  So, how did I know the trip would be fine?  It was all about the pre-flight weather briefing and understanding weather.  I knew that this moist airmass was not associated with a front, and a check of the ground-based reporting stations revealed high ceilings. A thorough preflight review of the current weather and trends are key to successful weather planning. 

Conclusion

Many seasoned Baron pilots reading this article may feel this is basic information, but frankly, there are a lot of individuals stepping up to a Baron that don’t have this experience and might be oblivious to the perils of datalink weather, the merits of onboard radar, and might have had frustrating experiences with either of these weather tools.  A rash of conversations at the local FBO as well as at least two posts on one of my favorite Beechcraft forums reveal that there are both Baron and Bonanza pilots relying on datalink weather for tactical decision making while airborne, which could have disastrous consequences.  An evaluation of the kind of flying you are doing (or want to do) coupled with some focused sessions with a BPPP instructor that has expertise with these systems will go a long way in helping you get the most utility out of your Baron.

 

 

Winter is coming...

The following article appeared in the November 2020 issue of the American Bonanza Society magazine - www.bonanza.org

Type-specific training and insurance checkouts for new Bonanza and Baron owners are mostly what I do as an instructor. Lately, I have had a number of clients take delivery of some very well-equipped aircraft, including ones that sport TKS systems or hot props. As part of my systems review, the topic of managing icing conditions seems to foster quite a bit of discussion – especially for folks with the TKS system.

Working through various scenarios ultimately incites excitement in the new Bonanza owner on firing up this expensive equipment and putting it to use. Unfortunately, what I also see is lack of enthusiasm for the rest of the anti-ice and de-ice features of the aircraft, lack of understanding of their use, and subsequent lack of preflight planning for wintertime flight. Some pilots see having TKS as a ticket into icing conditions, when in fact, there are very few Bonanzas and Barons certified for Flight Into Known Icing (FIKI), and even if you are flying one of these aircraft, understanding the current inflight conditions and ensuring you have a plan to exit icing conditions at some point is an important aspect of staying alive.

Preflight and Systems Checks

As important as having the equipment is testing it.  I find that many pilots enjoy exercising their TKS system if nothing else than to comply with the manufacturer’s recommendations: 

Running the system every 30 days keeps the moving parts lubricated, the lines and panels relatively charged, and would give advanced warning of any failure.

Ensuring the system is running and that is has a full reservoir prior to flight is important. TKS fluid is expensive, but it’s relatively cheap compared to potential maintenance issues and that flight where you end up running out of fluid prematurely and wish you had filled the reservoir. The company responsible for the TKS system –CAV Systems – has a website with a great FAQ that I encourage all TKS system owners to review: (https://www.cav-systems.com/support/faq/). 

Those of you with pneumatic boots aren’t exempt from pre-flighting these systems.  Performing a preflight just the other day, I was admiring how nice the boots were looking on a twin that I have been flying lately.  They obviously haven’t been exercised in some time, and come to think of it, I don’t think I “popped the boots” since the owner had them dressed back in March!  Ensuring the boots properly inflate is an easy check to perform as part of the Before Takeoff checklist. I was recently flying with a pilot and noticed that the deice boots inflated a little bit as we took off and stayed inflated as we flew. Very doubtful they would provide much value in any kind of icing encounter.

Checks of heated elements are equally important. Is the prop heated? When was the last time you checked it? How about the pitot heat? I find that many pilots forget about turning on the pitot heat when entering visible moisture that may be below freezing. No matter the temperature, I try to instill the habit of turning on pitot heat any time visible moisture is expected so that a routine is developed. This will come in handy as pilots transition to pressurized aircraft that routinely fly in temperatures below freezing all year, and will help them be prepared when it is 60 degrees on the ground and find themselves picking up ice at 9,000 feet. 

Oftentimes during pre-flight and again during pre-takeoff checks, pilots check to see if the amperage rises when the pitot heat is turned on. But that doesn’t always cut it. I flew with a pilot where we tested the pitot heat and found that while we were getting amperage draw, the tube wasn’t heating up. This may seem impossible, but sometimes these old pieces of equipment develop problems that don’t always pop a breaker.  Also to consider, many aircraft have the pitot heat circuit tied to the stall warning vane heat, heated fuel vents, heated static ports, and a host of other heating elements. Are your static ports heated?  This is a preflight check item that rarely happens and brings about blank stares when I ask.

Knowing your amperage draw with everything working is important since you may still show an amperage draw if one of those systems is not functioning properly. But a proper preflight check would be to carefully check them on the ground. I say carefully because a pitot tube can heat up quickly to the point where if it’s touched, it can send the pilot to the emergency room. What I encourage all pilots to have in their hangar is one of those non-contact laser/infrared temperature guns. I purchased mine online for less than $20.

FLIGHT OPERATIONS

While there is quite a bit of excitement about turning on the TKS system to “test it out,” I start to get glazed eyes when I start to talk about pitot heat, defrosters, and alternate air as tools in everyone’s arsenal when it comes to safe winter operations.

As mentioned earlier, I encourage pilots to turn on the pitot heat any time they are entering instrument meteorological conditions. This may be old hat to some of the seasoned wintertime flyers in our group, but for the folks transitioning into more capable equipment, those doing more instrument flying or even the new instrument pilot, the defroster is sometimes a long-forgotten tool in the icing toolbelt.  Ensuring the defroster is turned on high before experiencing airframe icing may give you the visibility you need when landing. Ice can and does form on surfaces other than just the wings and propellers.

Speaking of which, induction ice is also of concern. Thankfully, our Bonanzas and Barons are equipped with rudimentary automation when it comes to ice (or contaminants) blocking airflow in our air intake filter.  When was the last time you checked to make sure this works? Depending on your model of Beechcraft, there are a couple of ways. You might have an alternate air handle in the cockpit, which is to be used if you suspect the alternate air door isn’t automatically opening. It can also be used on preflight to determine if the alternate air door is sticking or not moving for some reason. Discuss the operation of the alternate air system with your mechanic so you understand how this works for your model of Bonanza. 

CONCLUSION

It’s hard to believe I am talking about winter flying especially since, as I am writing this, it is a balmy 88 degrees here in Chicago. But as time slips away, we will soon find ourselves in situations where the freezing level is right smack in the middle of our typical cruising altitudes and, later, all the way to the ground – causing even more complication. These are just a few notes that I have gathered from some of the post-purchase checkouts I have done with new Bonanza and Baron owners, and should not be a substitute for an extensive conversation with your CFII about managing icing conditions, flying in instrument conditions, or thorough preflight checks of all of your systems. 

There are many considerations to undertake when flying in the winter and flying in weather conducive to icing.  Flying with an instructor knowledgeable about our very capable Beechcraft is a good reason to fly with a BPPP instructor.  

Can I get paid to fly my Beechcraft?

The following article appeared in the July 2020 issue of the American Bonanza Society magazine  - www.bonanza.org

Images of airliners packed with people wearing face masks have sparked fear in many and have caused mass cancelations of travel plans. As people start to tip-toe their way out of isolation, an increase in the desire to travel is starting to emerge. But there is still much fear about boarding an airliner. A local jet center told me there have been a record number of inquiries about private jet travel, and I have even had a number of aviation clients and students reach out to me asking what it would take to get their commercial pilot certificate. Why would there be so much interest in getting a commercial certificate? My sense is pilots are seeing an untapped opportunity to capitalize on individuals starting to move around, whether it be for vacation or other reasons, and to utilize their Bonanzas and Barons to satisfy these needs.

If you want to get paid for flying your airplane, is your biggest challenge finding the motivation to get your commercial pilots license? Possibly. But first we must take a look at the regulations for commercial pilots and operations to determine whether your ideas are legal.

COMMERCIAL PILOT PRIVILEGES

FAR 61.133 outlines privileges and limitations for commercial pilots, so it is natural to go there for guidance. Here is an excerpt of the regulation (I emphasized the part in bold print):

FAR 61.133 (a) Privileges -

(1) General. A person who holds a commercial pilot certificate may act as pilot in command of an aircraft (i) Carrying persons or property for compensation or hire, provided the person is qualified in accordance with this part and with the applicable parts of this chapter that apply to the operation;

The phrase that is bolded indicates there are other parts of the FARs that might apply. If you have ever heard of Parts 135 or 121, you have an idea that there are other regulations in play depending on what you are planning on doing with your newly minted commercial pilot’s license.

Thinking back to some of the rudimentary methods I used as a private pilot to remember some of those fringe FARs, I always equated Part 121 with airliners – scheduled service –  and Part 135 with “those corporate guys” flying around the rich and famous to exotic destinations – on-demand service. It does not seem like either of these apply to what we are contemplating. Or do they?

PART 119

It may seem shocking, but when I was training pilots for ratings and certificates (specifically commercial pilot), my students would shake their heads in disbelief as I introduced an FAR they never heard of –Part 119. This Part is key to understanding what you can and can’t do as a commercial pilot. 

The title of FAR Part 119 is "Certification: Air Carriers and Commercial Operators". Not a particularly lengthy set of regulations compared to the two we are used to (Parts 61 and 91), but section 119.1 explains that this FAR applies to each person operating or intending to operate civil aircraft - as an air carrier or commercial operator. Further reading outlines some of the nuances of how commercial operators or air carriers should operate, and what additional FARs apply to them: such as Part 135 and Part 121.

One interesting paragraph in the very first section – 119.1(e) – introduces a convoluted phrase riddled with double negatives, which makes it difficult to determine what is being said. Essentially this section outlines parameters for determining what additional FARs may apply to you, and probably more importantly, outlines those specific operations that can be performed by commercial pilots without worrying about the additional FARs such as Part 135.

You may read this section and think: “Wait a minute. Commercial operator? Part 135? I’m not a commercial operator, I’m just a pilot that wants to fly people around and get paid for it.” 

As we start to dig into what this really means, we need to define commercial operator. A quick look at FAR Part 1.1 shows that commercial operator is defined as “a person who, for compensation or hire, engages in the carriage by aircraft in air commerce of persons or property.” This is exactly what most pilots I have talked with are considering and is evidence that this FAR, and potentially others, now applies to you. Leave it to the FAA to create an FAR that prescribes additional FARs!

THE BREAKDOWN

Now that we have determined that FAR Part 119 applies to anyone wanting to perform commercial operations and have defined what it means to be a commercial operator, let’s look at 119.1(e), which outlines those activities a commercial pilot can do without falling under Parts 135 or 121. These activities include flight instructing, aerial photography, and banner towing. However, none of them align to being paid for flying people or things in my Beechcraft.

As we continue to investigate, we come across 119.23(b). This sounds very similar to what we might be considering:

119.23(b) Each person who conducts noncommon carriage (except as provided in § 91.501(b) of this chapter) or private carriage operations for compensation or hire with airplanes having a passenger-seat configuration of less than 20 seats, excluding each crewmember seat, and a payload capacity of less than 6,000 pounds shall –

• Comply with the certification and operations specifications requirements in subpart C of this part;
• Conduct those operations in accordance with the requirements of Part 135 of this chapter, except for those requirements applicable only to commuter operations; and
• Be issued operations specifica­tions in accordance with those requirements.

It looks like our planned operation needs to comply with these three items. The first states that we must meet the requirements of subpart C, which outlines requirements for operating Part 121 and 135. A little more directly, the second item says we must conduct operations in accordance with Part 135. Finally, we must be “issued” operations specifications from the FAA FSDO – which will be part of an FAA Air Carrier Certificate. This means that you will be interacting with the FAA quite a bit more than what you are probably used to…

  …and just like that, we are now bound by FAR Part 135.

CONCLUSION

The real travesty of an article like this is that I likely dashed the dreams of many pilots looking to make some cash while flying their aircraft. “Does this mean that getting paid to fly is out of the question?” Certainly not. If you decide to add a commercial pilot certificate to your list of accomplishments, you will need to embark on the process of obtaining Part 135 Air Carrier certification if you want to provide carriage to the public and get paid for it. These additional rules are not trivial, but they are obviously doable as evidenced by the many Part 135 operations happening daily throughout the country. You will be required to obtain an FAA operating certificate and jump through a host of other procedures for maintaining it. I recommend that you enter into this with eyes wide open and take a look at subpart C of Part 119 to see if this is a journey you want to consider. A peek at FAR Part 135 is the next step. Some other considerations that are not regulatory in nature, but will definitely affect your pocketbook, are insurance, marketing, and an increase in maintenance and wear on your aircraft.

There are some nuances, grey areas, and perceived loopholes in commercial operations, so it would be best to seek counsel on what you are looking to do. This article also doesn’t go into any special provisions for getting paid for flights, what it means to hold out, and the operations allowed by 119.1(e). So there may be instances where you can get paid for flying without all of the furor, especially if you are hired to fly someone else’s airplane and not providing the aircraft yourself.

Whether this article changes your mind or not, get your commercial pilot certificate. It will challenge you to be a better pilot. And who knows, it might come in handy for that day you go work for a commercial operator, or that day you decide to become one.

Oshkosh - Reinvented

The following article appeared in the April 2020 issue of the American Bonanza Society magazine - www.bonanza.org

It was 2007 and I decided not to attend Oshkosh.  Attending since 1997, I thought I’ve seen it all and it got to the point where I was seeing the same airplanes, in the same spots, the same vendors with the same “stuff”.  Of course, the only thing that was new were the aircraft on display from the big aircraft manufacturers – totally out of my league, by a long shot.  Yes, they sure were fun to look at and if they would let folks peek inside, get a sniff of that new airplane smell, but even that was becoming “usual”, or maybe more appropriately unattainable and unrealistic. I had flown into Oshkosh VFR in beautiful weather, IFR with low ceilings, landed at Fond du Lac because of full parking and drove my car on those real bad weather days.  Yes, I figured - been there, done that - so I decided not to go. Besides, life was busy. I was instructing a lot, kids were heading to college, I just bought a new house and thoughts of slugging around the EAA grounds in a mix of heat, sun exposure and the occasional downpour didn’t appeal to me anymore. 

Just a month or so before Oshkosh that year, I received a call from a buddy of mine: “Hey, are you going to Oshkosh this year?”

I said “Nope – I can honestly say that I’ve been there, done that - I’ve seen it all”

He admitted that he wasn’t going either and mentioned feeling bad about it.  I shrugged it off.

Being a flight instructor and a general ambassador for aviation, a few weeks after Oshkosh, I was asked by more people than I can remember how the show was.  Nobody had any idea that I wouldn’t possibly go!  Boy, the guilt and shame started to settle in.  How could I not go? What happened? I realized this would have been my 10^th year of attending – the proverbial 10-years in a row badge – denied.

Fast-forward one year, and I had planned on not going again, but I received a phone call from that same friend on the week of Oshkosh:  “I know its last minute, but do you want to run up to Oshkosh for the day tomorrow?”.

Without hesitation, I said yes!

We flew up in his beautiful V-Tail Bonanza and we had a blast.  The same vendors were in the same places selling the same stuff.  I think I walked past the exact same beautifully restored aircraft, including a V-Tail Bonanza on my way in for the 10^th time.  But things were about to feel different – turning my been there, done that attitude on its head.  Walking through Aeroshell center, I ran into an old friend of mine and chatted for a bit. I thought this was kind of odd with the thousands of attendees, what are the chances I would run into someone I knew, but it happened about 4 more times that day.  I had some great laughs and realized what I missed was the camaraderie and seeing the folks that I don’t normally see other than at Oshkosh! 

I looked at some of the new aircraft and avionics – definitely stopping at the Beechcraft spot to check out the new King Airs that I really missed flying and doing a fateful stop at the ABS tent on recommendation of my uncle that had a B36TC. He wanted me to eventually get my BPPP so I can run him through the rigors.  I eventually did get my BPPP accreditation, but sadly, my uncle passed before I eventually got off of my rear to get it done.

There was a speaker just finishing up a talk in the ABS tent, so I looked at the roster to see what it was about.  I noticed there were quite a few topics that I was really interested in hearing and made a mental note to come back to the tent the following year. 

What just happened?  I’m already planning my trip for next year?  How did that happen?

The following year I did come back to the tent, absorbed the material, and found that there were all kinds of seminars and learning opportunities throughout the show!  I was hooked! Flight instruction seminars, avionics training, and I even learned how to weld!

The year after that, a student of mine offered the couch in his camper to me to stay multiple days.  You see, going to Oshkosh over that 9-year period, I never camped.  Camp Scholler was a whole other world. What happens when Oshkosh closes for the night?  The camping fun begins! I have camped with that student and a handful of flying buddies ever since.  Half of the Oshkosh experience happens after the show.

In 2020, I will be doing yet another thing I’ve never done at Oshkosh before – hold a BPPP Seminar in the ABS tent.

Some may be surprised at my eventual lack of enthusiasm that overcame me back in 2007, but I have talked to a number of folks that have gone through similar cycles.  My message to you is to not discount the camaraderie the event brings and the learning opportunities that are presented – for free!  The ABS tent is a perfect venue for this.  Socializing with your fellow Beechcraft aficionados and taking in some great material presented by BPPP instructors, vendors and other masters in the industry.  These days, technology is advancing faster and faster, so even the vendor booths are changing at a furious pace.  If you are on the fence about going this year, remember, the event is more than static displays and the airshow – try to reinvent your experience.

Revisiting Single-Engine Performance

This article appeared in the September 2019 issue of the American Bonanza Society magazine - www.bonanza.org 

I’m a hot weather wimp. People that know me know that I hate the heat.  I don’t fly when the temperature is in the upper 80’s and certainly not while it is in the 90’s.  However, there are rare occasions that I get to fly aircraft with air-conditioning and one day I got just that chance in an older model Baron.  I was skeptical at first, but the Baron had a neat contraption in the back that made use of a picnic cooler and a big bag of ice that made the cabin relatively comfortable.

With temperatures in the upper 90’s, pre-flight was brutal, but necessary.  Once we hopped in the aircraft and started the ice machine, things got comfortable quickly.  We went through the Before Take-off checklist and reviewed V-speeds, then started our takeoff roll.

Power application seemed normal, but takeoff roll took some time.  While I was not exercising duties as a flight instructor on this flight, I couldn't help but do my usual routine and eventually locked my eyes on the airspeed indicator watching for lift-off speed.  It seemed to take forever, but in reality, it was probably only a handful of seconds.

I will admit, my senses were a little piqued because just the day before, I was watching an online video of a Beechcraft Duke take off and pull right up into a barrel roll, with disastrous results.  Was it an engine failure right at take off or something else?  We will have to wait for the NTSB Probable Cause report on that one, but recent news has shown a rash of other incidents where multi-engine aircraft have met their demise shortly after takeoff.  This got me thinking:  If I did have an engine failure just after takeoff, while retracting the gear, what does single engine performance look like in this heat?  Are we spring loaded to do what we need to do if something happens at this very critical moment on takeoff?

Running the numbers on many Barons 55s with students over the years, I concluded that in only the most extreme situations would there be a situation where you wouldn’t at least get about 200fpm in Midwest field elevations, if you immediately and correctly feather the dead engine’s propeller and fly the airplane precisely in zero side-slip, blue line flight.  But is that true in this heat?  It was quite warm that day and was curious what the performance characteristics looked like for that day. 

Let’s take a look at the numbers for single-engine climb performance from a B55 Baron flight manual.  The numbers for today are as follows:

Field elevation: 591

Temperature: 97F/ 36C

Weight: 4900 pounds (200 pounds below gross weight)

Looking at the graph (See figure), we start from the bottom with the temperature.  Slide upward to intersect the line that shows our pressure altitude – close to field elevation most of the time.  This combination of pressure altitude and temperature accounts for density altitude without actually giving you the density altitude number (We are essentially figuring out the density altitude component of our day on this portion of the graph.)  From that point, make your way to the weight of the aircraft.  Move upward toward the weight of the aircraft and then over to the right and you will find your resulting climb rate straight ahead at zero-sideslip blue-line with one engine inoperative and its propeller feathered. 

Mind you, I am not flying with a high-performing test pilot, nor is this aircraft brand new.  The engines are both near TBO, so we are not likely getting the same performance a new engine may provide the test pilots that helped create these graphs in the flight manual, so even conservative numbers need to be adjusted a bit more conservatively.

Was the result what you expected? A little lower than you thought?  Does a figure like 350fpm give you confidence, or does it give you pause?  In your airplane, do you know what a 350fpm climb looks like or feels like when you are making more than one mile a minute across the ground?

These are some questions that need to be considered in addition to reviewing your preparedness for an engine failure on takeoff.   So, while we may get 350fpm climb on one engine, expect to lose some altitude as you go through the phases of disbelief, maintaining control of the aircraft and then feathering the engine. A half standard rate turn in a Baron on one engine reduces climb rate by about 400 feet per minute, so the moment you try to turn, the airplane begins to descend. In aircraft like the Baron where we are used to 1000fpm climbs, 350fpm is an eye opener.

Before every take off, I call out “think single” just to remind myself to be mentally prepared for what I need to do.  It sounds simple, but I think it helps.  Review your engine failure checklist.  What are you going to do from memory?  The usual flow goes something like this: Power up (mixtures, props, throttles forward), Clean up (gear and flaps up), Identify (dead foot, dead engine), Verify (retard throttle to confirm no change), Feather (the correct propeller).  The only problem with this flow is that it is missing a critical component: Pitch.  The very first thing that you should do is pitch down to the attitude that will give you blue line on one engine.  That’s about three degrees nose up before you feather the prop, or essentially push the nose to the horizon.  After feathering, the reduction in drag means you must pitch up to about seven degrees for blue line.  At a high-density altitude, you will need to lower the nose a degree or two lower than these figures.  You must know these attitudes for your aircraft and the conditions of the day, and understand that it is much different than pitch required for blue line with two engines running.

I encourage everyone flying a Baron or Travel Air to take some time to review the numbers for single engine performance and if possible, do some demonstrations on how it climbs on one engine so you can see what climb attitude looks like on one engine at blue line – both on instruments and visually.  Grab your favorite MEI and run through some of these simulated scenarios.  Flying with someone who really knows the single-engine performance of your Beech twin is a great reason to fly with a BPPP instructor if you’ve never done so before… or even if you have.

I hate the old saying about multi-engine aircraft where the operating engine takes you to the scene of the accident, but unfortunately it’s true if the pilot is not prepared as some of the latest multi-engine accidents have shown.  It’s our job to stay sharp and well trained so that we can have a positive outcome in the unlikely event of an engine failure.

Next time you are out flying on a hot day, think of me.  I will likely be on the ground in the FBO watching the planes, or in an air-conditioned aircraft – maybe with one of those picnic cooler contraptions in back! More importantly, think about the heats effect on aircraft performance, especially on one engine.