My first retirement post – buying a new aircraft

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Viewing 11 posts - 46 through 56 (of 56 total)

  • LuganoPirate
    Participant

    It does look outstanding and it’s single pilot certified. However, doesn’t going from turboprop to jet require an additional rating, or is that covered by the type rating for the aircraft?


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    Operating any single/twin, pressurised / turbine aircraft as a single pilot (irrespective of single pilot certification) & sharing the airspace with the professionals will be an interesting decision.

    Edit to add I am not suggesting for one minute that Charles is not a suitably qualified and appropriately rated pilot….


    Charles-P
    Participant

    Latest Developments

    Have purchased last week a European registered PC12NG and had my first flight as owner together with the previous who was kind enough to accompany me to point out the occasional quirk that all aircraft have and help with the landing.

    I will shortly move the aircraft to Altenrhein Aviation in Switzerland who will be carrying out some maintenance, minor avionic upgrades and a refurbishment in the cabin (minor leather damage).

    In September we will be taking our first family flight with a trip to Scotland via Biggen Hill to visit some friends for a week.


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    Congratulations Charles. I wish you many hours of safe flying and soft landings.


    Charles-P
    Participant

    Thanks Martyn – my son who is currently at university in the US is coming over for the summer and is as excited as I am about flying it.

    We are planning a number of trips including to our summer house in the Midi-Pyrénées where the Tarbes–Lourdes–Pyrénées Airport has some very attractive prices for General Aviation as well as a separate terminal.
    There is a link here if it is of interest to you – http://pano.epsigon.fr/client/snc-lavalin-aeroports/aerogare-affaires-tlp/index.html

    We also plan to undertake something more ambitious next year with a flight to Dubai.

    I went out for a half day of training with a PC-12 charter captain who has thousands of hours in the plane. Here is what I leart about short-field landings:

    Be at 90-95 knots with flaps 40 at 500′ AGL
    Be at 84 knots “over the fence” (maybe 300′ back from the runway threshold?) then start using the AOA to be “on speed” (right in the middle of the AOA; slightly slower is optimum, but in the middle will result in plenty short landings).
    When landing is assured one can cut the power. This might be an earlier throttle chop compared to what some train (“roll back during flare” or “start rolling back above threshold”). If you are not in ground effect at this point you need to point the nose down quite a bit, perhaps 5 degrees, to maintain “on speed”. Then you need quite a dramatic flare to avoid pounding it on.

    With full reverse thrust and fairly light braking I was able to stop 1600′ from the beginning of the runway. My captain friend was able to demonstrate closer to 1100′ in a very challenging situation (mountains all around).

    Reverse thrust can be used down to indefinitely slow ground speeds. With turbojets there is some rationale for not using reverse thrust below a certain speed but apparently not with the PT-6 (perhaps it is the inertial separator?).

    Short-field take-offs
    Based on the same half-day of training…

    Flaps 30
    Rotate at 65-70 knots (depending on weight presumably)
    At “positive rate” move the flaps to 15, then pull up the gear.

    Regards
    Charles


    canucklad
    Participant

    Ditto on the congratulations Charles…
    Soft landings too, and remember even if the wheels bounce,once ,twice or thrice , the old adage applies.


    MartynSinclair
    Participant

    Charles P

    I learnt short field landings at Netherthrope (EGNF) at the time, the shortest registered landing strip in the UK.

    My late father gave me a great piece of advice which I still use today. Try not to accept an intersection take off, runway behind you can never be used…..


    AnthonyDunn
    Participant

    Charles, now how does your latest acquisition compare to this (experienced recently, flying over the Great Barrier Reef):

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GippsAero_GA8_Airvan

    It looks like yours does distance, height and comfort – not quite a requirement for our sortie over the GBR.


    LuganoPirate
    Participant

    Well done Charles, I applaud your choice.

    There’s a lovely little aviation museum at Altenrhein which is worth a visit. It has unusual opening times but if you know someone there they’ll likely have a key so you can effectively have a private view. Just don’t forget to turn the lights off when you leave!


    Charles-P
    Participant

    MartynSinclair – your father’s advice is indeed still relevant. I remember my first flight instructor who said,
    “They built the bloody thing this long might as well use it all”

    AnthonyDunn – I think the Airvan is a more utalitarian aircraft designed for the rough field market, my aging body demands a little more comfort these days 🙂

    LuganoPirate – thank you for the recommendation, I had not known about that museum. It sounds a little like the Musuem of Berkshire Aviation on the site of what was once Woodley Airfield, near Reading, U.K. – once the centre of a thriving aircraft industry. Miles and Handley Page aircraft built at Woodley are being re-constructed and exhibited there. I once visited just before closing and was allowed to spend an hour there providing I bought the two volunteers a pint in the local pub. Which I duly did 🙂


    FDOS_UK
    Participant

    “Reverse thrust can be used down to indefinitely slow ground speeds. With turbojets there is some rationale for not using reverse thrust below a certain speed but apparently not with the PT-6 (perhaps it is the inertial separator?).”

    Do you have any basic understanding of the differences between turbojet and turboprop reverse systems and how they work?

    Hint, beta mode and prop disc.

Viewing 11 posts - 46 through 56 (of 56 total)
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