Original Posted By: "Brent Wilson"
Just reading a recent issue of AOPA Pilot with a great article about the C-130Hercules by Barry Schiff. For those who are not AOPA members or who may not befamiliar with Schiff, he has been a contributor to the magazine for many years,has logged over 28,000 hours in more than 355 types of aircraft, has earnedevery FAA category and class rating except airship, and holds every possibleinstructor's rating.So what does Schiff say makes the best type of aircraft to learn to fly in? Ataildragger with minimal instrumentation. If this sounds like the Air Camper,then you're in the right place ;o) Yes, there are a few drawbacks to takingflight instruction in this airplane, such as the difficulty in communicating betweenthe two cockpits and the lack of complete dual controls and instrumentationin most Piets. Still, a front-cockpit flight in a Piet is not a bad wayto get introduced to flying and if the love of flight and a connection to theairplane is there, graduating to the rear cockpit is a worthy goal and anyonewith the love of flight will dream of the day that they can take the controlsin the rear cockpit where the instruments are, where the pilot sits. I know Isure did.I was 54 years old when I took my first flight and instruction in a Piet and Iwas at the front cockpit controls. No instruments up there... just throttle,stick, and rudder pedals. I learned to fly the airplane by sound and feel fromthe front before I was allowed to graduate to the back, because my instructorwanted me to understand the airplane, get to know how things looked out thefront, back, and sides in all flight regimes, and connect all of the necessaryelements and sensations of flight in the Air Camper without the distraction ofthe gauges. He had the brakes, fuel shutoff, and carb heat control in the backbut I had to call out their usage when they were needed. Now I fly the airplanealmost without thinking and I can usually tell when something's not quiteright without checking the instruments. I especially enjoy pasture flyingby the seat of my pants, where it's just me and the airplane. Radio off, no placeto be any certain time, fuel in the tank, and just flying the airplane. It's times like those when I feel like I can extract the most performance outof both myself and the airplane. The shortest landings, best control coordination,smoothest rollouts, most confidence, and overall best feeling about flyingwithout the airplane or the flight conditions getting ahead of me even a tinybit. You could say that at those times I feel like a 60-something Top Gun,and it's a great feeling. I'm not saying you can't experience the same thingin a DA-20 Katana with Garmin G500 glass panel, but it's a different experiencelearning in one of those as opposed to learning with the smell of a grass airstripswirling around you in the cockpit. Different experiences, yes. Now if there weren't so many roadblocks hindering us from taking would-be pilotsflying, and I'm not just talking about youngsters! I'm soon going to turn 66and when I roll my Piet out of the hangar, even if it's just to exercise theengine and warm up the oil, I feel alive and excited and like a pilot again.If I'm going flying, then I really get alert and tuned up, wondering what I'veforgotten, mentally going through my plans for the flight, making sure I'vegotten the AWOS and ATIS and listening for NOTAMS with the radio echoing insidethe hangar as I conduct the preflight, checking everything twice.The preflight jitters all melt away as I taxi out and once the mains leave therunway and I'm in the air. This is why we fly Air Campers, and I'm with BarrySchiff: this sure is a good way to learn how to appreciate flight. I can becomeproficient with the Garmin G1000 system sitting at the simulator in the FBOwhile the field is IFR and it's cold and raining outside, but I can't learnhow to fly sitting there. The days are starting to get a little warmer and I'mthinking more and more about the smell of avgas and the hangar and a grass stripin the sunshine. Can you tell? ;o)--------Oscar ZunigaMedford, ORAir Camper NX41CC "Scout"A75 power, 72x36 Culver propRead this topic online here:
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--------KLNCA65-8N2308CSlick 4330'sAN HardwareAirframe 778TTW72CK-42 SensenichStandard Factory GN-1Read this topic online here:http://forums.matronics.com/viewtopic.p ... ___Subject: Pietenpol-List: New Guy