The safest pilots are the ones who attempt to gain as much knowledge and learning about their airplane and environment as possible. These pilots are the ones who enjoy learning, going to seminars and conventions, and soak up all the MMOPA magazine articles in each issue. These pilots are the ones who get as much training as they can, above and beyond what the minimum requirements are.
If you are one of these pilots and you own a Piper PA46, then this blog is for you.
Casey Aviation, one of the best Piper PA46 training companies out there, recently released all of their Malibu, Mirage, Matrix, Meridian, and JetProp systems training videos for free. These are some fantastic videos that Casey Aviation created which go much more in depth than any power point presentation could.
The great thing about the videos is they give the viewer an all access “inside look” to the specific airplane. Joe Casey, owner of Casey Aviation, takes off cowlings, crawls under the nose gear compartment, and even shows an airplane with the interior out so all the flap cables and environmental systems can be seen.
I have started referring all of my PA46 customers to the Casey Aviation videos as part of the prep work for our training sessions.
To access the videos, check out the Casey Aviation website.
A new app came out last year that fits a need for many owners. Coflyt, available on the Apple App Store for $14/month for up to two airplanes, helps immensely with staying organized. Those questions of, “When is my oil change due?” or “Has the plane had it’s IFR inspections?” are easily answered by checking the app instead of having to dig through maintenance logs.
Not only does Coflyt help keep track of maintenance, but it also houses squawk lists that owner’s can send to maintenance shops as well as keeping track of Airworthiness Directives. If the pilot remembers at the end of flights to put the amount in, it even shows how much fuel is remaining in the airplane.
For flying clubs and partnerships, it provides easy scheduling without having to share calendars. Payments can also be taken and flights tracked. No more paper flight sheets after flights to track down.
As a pilot, it helps immensely to be organized. For $14 a month ($36/month for partnerships or flying clubs), that’s a small price to pay.
Congratulations to Monte James who, on July 31, 2014, completed his first solo flight! Monte is the owner of N565TV, a 2007 Turbonormalized Cirrus SR22. N565TV is a G3 model with an Avidyne panel. Monte was very excited to complete his solo flight. He reported very good landings during the flight (he even said the last landing, which was probably his best yet, caused him to break into laughter!). Texas Top Aviation’s Hank Gibson, Monte’s instructor, took pictures and continued the tradition of cutting Monte’s shirt tail to commemorate the flight.
You are hand-flying an in-the-weather descent, power back, heading for the FAF. You start a 30 degree banked turn at your lead point to cross the FAF, when your passenger behind you gasps. Looking over your shoulder, you see he has spilled his drink into his lap…too bad for him! However, when you turn your head back to your panel, your inner ear tumbles and you see 45 degrees of bank, 15 degrees nose low, airspeed increasing.
Congratulations! You have managed to get distracted and sucked into an unusual attitude recovery. By the book, you should roll wings level, pull to the horizon, and adjust power as necessary to keep the airspeed within limits. In this scenario, if you had not experienced vertigo, you might have been able to roll to less than 30 degrees of bank, recover your turn, pull the nose up to less than the original descent attitude, pulled a bit of power to slow back to your desired penetration speed and then resumed your desired ground track. However, this would only be appropriate if you had full situational awareness as to the deviations caused by the look over your shoulder, plus full confidence that the moderate corrective actions would put you back on your desired flight path.
As a military aviator, I learned unusual attitude recoveries based upon hard maneuvering at extreme pitch and bank angles. In the hard-maneuvering environment, an unusual attitude could be 90 degrees straight up, airspeed decreasing below 120 kts…or 80 degrees nose low, 135 degrees of bank, airspeed increasing through 500 kts… etc. In these cases, understanding angle of attack, or AOA, is critical to maintaining controlled flight and returning to a normal attitude.
In an extreme nose-high attitude, a military aviator is trained to roll the aircraft to 90 degrees of bank, ease off the back-stick pressure to reduce AOA, add power as required, and allow the nose to slice back towards level, rolling to wings level as the nose approaches the horizon. If nose low, the recovery procedure is to roll rapidly, within asymmetric g limits, until wings level, then to pull at optimum g loading to recover to level flight. For the nose-low recovery, power was normally reduced until airspeed could be assessed and brought under control. However, when doing the nose-low pullout at 7-9 gs, pulling the power for too long would leave you much to slow to resume combat.
The AOA gauge on a fighter’s glare shield is a primary reference during hard maneuvering and for landing. The AOA for optimum maneuvering is 13 degrees, displayed as the green circle or “green donut” on the gauge. The red chevron on top represents a slow condition of 15 degrees or more and the yellow lower chevron represents 11 degrees or less.
For normal landing in the F-16C, the pilot slows to 220 kts and configures abeam the touchdown point while mentally computing the final approach airspeed of 136 kts plus 4 additional knots for each 1000 lbs of fuel. When rolling off the perch and flying the final turn, the pilot would usually only glance once at the airspeed once to ensure final turn airspeed of 180 kts while using the AOA sight gauge as the primary indicator of a best performance turn. As long as the AOA was green donut (13 degrees) or less, you would not stall. If on speed and 13 degrees wasn’t going to get you around the turn to line up with the runway, you knew you were going to overshoot. You never wanted to see the red chevron of 15 degrees or more as that meant you were too slow, pulling too hard, and in danger of building an un-recoverable sink rate!
Few GA aircraft are currently equipped with AOA indicators, though there are several after market devices available for retrofit. However, knowing the impact of AOA and how to manage it is vital to safe aviating, even without an AOA gauge. The bottom line is, as long as you don’t ask the wing to produce more angle of attack than it can handle, you won’t stall.
Practicing final turn stalls, to know what the wing feels like as you get too slow or pull too much on the controls, increasing AOA past the critical point, will keep you safe when you encounter that unexpected overshooting wind or you find yourself inadvertently on too tight of a downwind leg. Better to overshoot or take it around to try again, than to pull too hard and exceed critical AOA.
Mike Hostage is a retired USAF pilot with 37 years of experience, flying a wide variety of aircraft. An instructor pilot for more than half of his 4800 flight hours, Mike is currently qualified in a Cirrus SR-22T and regularly flies his two homebuilt sailplanes.
Austin Executive Airport opened a control tower on Friday, February 23rd 2018. The airport is now officially Class D airspace. The charts and A/FD are not updated yet to reflect the tower, but there is a NOTAM with the tower and ground frequency information. The tower hours are from 6am to 10pm. The weather frequency remains the same.
Make sure you check those NOTAMs if you are headed to KEDC anytime soon!
It’s winter time, so that means winter weather for the aviation community. For single engine piston pilots, that means dealing with icing conditions. For us Texan flyers, ice only presents an issue for maybe a week out of the year (the exception being for those Panhandle residents!), but it’s nice to have some protection.
Most single engine pistons do not come with ice protection from the factory and, of those that do, most are not Flight Into Known Icing (FIKI) approved. The systems are “get out of jail” systems that can reduce the amount of ice you pick up if you accidentally get into icing conditions and you are on your way out. The Cirrus SR22 line of aircraft has had the TKS system option since 2006, with the new FIKI system being available since 2010. The Cessna TTx has a FIKI option that was debuted in 2014.
The above mentioned airplanes use TKS systems. There are a handful of single engine pistons that use boots that are FIKI certified: the Piper PA46 line (Malibu, Mirage, and Matrix) and the Cessna P210 and T210 line (though not all are equipped with boots).
If you find yourself flying into wintry conditions often and want some protection for your clean wing airplane, there are some aftermarket options for a lot of airplanes now. Do note that all these systems do come with a pretty hefty price tag, but can be worth it if you fly into icing a good bit.
CAV Ice Protection TKS Systems
CAV Ice Protection is a TKS system outfitter. What is TKS fluid? According to Flying Magazine:
“TKS systems dispense an ethylene glycol-based fluid with a freezing point below minus 70 degrees F through porous titanium panels attached to the leading edge of the wing and empennage. The fluid is released through thousands of the panels’ laser-drilled holes, which are not much larger than the size of a human hair. As air flows over the wing and empennage, it disperses the fluid, coating the surfaces, and preventing the formation and adherence of ice.”
The advantages of a TKS system are the whole entire wing gets coated to get rid of any extra ice that adheres to the top or bottom of the wing surface. The disadvantage is there is only a finite amount of fluid, so when it runs out, you don’t have any more protection. The fluid also adds extra weight agains the useful load of the airplane.
CAV Offers a Basic TKS system for the following single engine piston aircraft:
Beech Bonanza
Cessna 182, 206, 210, 350, & 400
Columbia 350 & 400
Piper PA32
Mooney M20
CAV Offers a full FIKI System for the following single engine piston aircraft:
Ice Shield is another after market de-ice option. Ice Shield makes boots for wing leading edges. The advantage of boots is they activate instantaneously, getting rid of ice where it builds up first, on the wing leading edge. No running out of fluid and only the added weight of the system. Ice Shield also offers heated windscreens for several the Piper Saratoga line and the A36, B36, and G36 Bonanza line.
Ice Shield has boots for the following single engine piston aircraft:
One other company, Kelly Aerospace, makes an electric leading edge de-icer called the ThermaWing for the Cessna/Columbia 350/400 line. You can read a review of the ThermaWing here, or check out Kelly Aerospace’s website.
Are you one of those pilots who hates fuel stops simply for the fact that the engine doesn’t have time to cool off? You pump gas into the plane, hit the bathroom, get in the plane and the oil temperature is still up at 160-170 degrees, leading you to have to figure out how to get the plane going again with a hot engine. For those without proper training, this usually means a lot of jockeying around with the throttle, mixture, and fuel pump to try and get the thing started without flooding it. After coughing and wheezing several times, the engine finally comes to life, leaving you to only guess what worked and without the knowledge of how to duplicate it.
Let’s take a step back for a minute to see what is actually happening with a hot engine. Once the engine is shut off, the fuel in the lines leading from the tank to the engine is vaporized, meaning there is more air in the fuel lines than liquid fuel. In the engine block itself, there is still liquid fuel in the injectors, but only enough for the engine to cough then quit if started.
When a normal priming and starting procedure is performed, too much fuel is forced into the cylinders and the engine becomes flooded. A flooded engine just means that the stoichiometric ratio is way too rich, meaning there is too much fuel and not enough air. The prime does the trick of getting the fuel vapor out of the fuel lines, but it shoves too much fuel into the cylinders. Once the engine is flooded, it’s a waiting game to allow air into the engine to get the mixture right. All Lycoming powered high performance and turbo charged engines are notoriously easy to flood when hot.
So, what’s the solution? By taking a step back to see what is actually happening, you can attack the problem from the source, which is the fuel lines. You need to get the vapor out of the fuel lines and get some liquid fuel in there. The procedure for this varies based on the make and model of engine, but I’m going to use the example of the Continental IO-550-N that is in a Cirrus SR22. I found this procedure in the Continental Engine Manual and it works every time.
(Pilots of other airplanes, keep reading. I have sections below for PA46s, Columbias, and Bonanzas as well )
Mixture: Full Lean (this allows fuel in the fuel lines, but prevents it from going past the mixture control into the engine, sending all fuel back to the fuel tank; a small amount of fuel leaks past the mixture control providing prime for the engine)
Throttle: Idle
Low Boost Pump: Run for 30-60 seconds (see note below) (15 seconds in the Turbo Cirrus)
Mixture: Full Rich
Throttle: Open about 1/4 travel (not 1/4″, that won’t be enough)
Boost Pump: Off, but have your finger on Low Boost
Starter: Crank (engine will turn over a few more times before firing, this is normal)
At the first indication of start, turn the Low Boost on, increase the throttle to ensure the engine catches, then adjust the throttle for 1,000 RPM
The engine will fire right about the time you start thinking it isn’t going to work
A few notes regarding engine temperatures:
If the oil temperature is above 150 degrees, a hot start will be required. If oil temp is close to 200 degrees, run low boost for 60 seconds in a non-turbo. If oil temp is 175, run low boost for 45 seconds in a non-turbo. If oil temp is 150, run low boost for 30 seconds in a non-turbo. Use 15 seconds for all temps above 150 in a Cirrus Turbo.
If the oil temperature is between 125-150, skip the hot start procedure, don’t prime the engine, leave the boost pump off, and crank the engine, then boost pump on when it starts and slightly increase throttle to make sure the engine catches
If the oil temperature is between 100-125, skip the hot start, don’t prime the engine, and perform a normal start with the boost pump on
If the oil temperature is below 100, perform a normal prime and start
Piper Malibu (PA46-310P with Continental Engine)
Mixture: Full Lean (this allows fuel in the fuel lines, but prevents it from going past the mixture control into the engine, sending all fuel back to the fuel tank; a small amount of fuel leaks past the mixture control providing prime for the engine)
Throttle: Idle
Low Boost Pump: Run for 15-30 seconds depending on oil temperature…
Greater than 150 degrees: 30 seconds
Less than 125-150 degrees: 15 seconds
Less than 100-125 degrees, no need to run the Low Boost
Perform normal cold start below 100 degrees
Mixture: Full Rich
Throttle: Open about 1/4 travel (not 1/4″, that won’t be enough)
Boost Pump: Off, but have your finger on the Primer Button
Magnetos: On
Starter: Crank (engine will turn over a few more times before firing, this is normal)
Engine should fire with the Low Boost Pump off, but…
If the engine starts to die, simultaneously increase the throttle a little bit and hit the primer button.
Only tap the primer button, don’t hold it as you’ll flood the engine if you hold it At the first indication of start, turn the Low Boost on, increase the throttle to ensure the engine catches, then adjust the throttle for 1,000 RPM
Piper Mirage & Matrix (PA46-350P and PA46-350T with Lycoming Engine)
Leave throttle and mixture idle
Before you turn the battery on, ensure the mixture is idle cutoff
If the mixture is forward and the battery is on, the low boost pump in the fuel tank will start pumping fuel to the engine and quickly flood it
Ensure Magneto switches are on
Open throttle 1/4 travel (not 1/4″ as this won’t be enough)
Crank
As soon as the engine begins coughing and wheezing (and this is what it will sound like), push the mixture 3/4 of the way forward
Once the engine has a good solid fire, smoothly and swiftly push the mixture all the way forward
Reduce throttle
Note: The Emergency Boost Pump can be used as part of the hot start technique, but I usually leave it off.
Pro to the Emergency Boost Pump is it can help suck more fuel in and purge vapor during the start
Con is that if the engine doesn’t start on the first try, you are flooding your motor
Columbia 400
Throttle and Mixture Idle Cutoff
Vapor Suppression: Run for 30-60 seconds. Reference above temperatures on the non-turbo Cirrus for run times
Mixture full forward
Throttle 1″ in
Prime for 3 seconds, then off
Crank
Once engine fires, primer might need to be pushed momentarily to purge excess vapor
On Columbia 350s, the throttle should be twisted (or pushed depending on if it’s an Avidyne or Garmin Columbia) in while cranking
Be prepared to reduce power once engine fires
Beechcraft 36 Bonanza
Throttle and Mixture Idle Cutoff
Low Boost: Run for 30-60 seconds. Reference above temperatures on the non-turbo Cirrus for run times
Mixture full forward
Throttle open 1″
High Boost until fuel flow peaks, then off
Crank
Once engine fires, Low Boost might need to be engaged momentarily to purge excess vapor
There are other “procedures” for hot starting out there, but most of them involve starting with full throttle, which can lead to the airplane shooting ahead on a ramp or taxi way if the brakes aren’t properly set. This can lead to high repair costs, so always be cautious. Figuring out what is happening when the engine is hot will give you a better chance of getting it started right away.
