AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2024 - 72

over the river reduces the bumps, and cruising along at 90 mph
at 1,300 feet msl, the air is just this side of crisp.
The windshield provides pleasant enough shelter for the pilot
in the front cockpit, but the position of the exhaust on the lower
right side of the nose means you'll be huffing fumes throughout
the flight. It's a small price to pay for what a delight this airplane
is to fly. Docile and stable enough to be trimmed completely hands
off, yet the controls are surprisingly responsive while not being
flighty in maneuvers.
Landing practice is part of our itinerary, so a quick jaunt to
nearby Tappahannock/Essex County Airport (XSA) with its
longer and wider runway is in order. Setup is, like everything else
with the airplane, simple in theory but not as easy in execution.
Abeam the numbers, power back to 1,400 rpm; 10 degrees of
flaps and trim cranked almost all the way back, nose lowered
to maintain 80 mph-not too sharply but not too slow-will
put you approximately on a three-degree glideslope. It's easy
to overcontrol. The pushrods necessitate small, progressive
movements, and more inertia from the heavy weight means
staying on target speed is essential, as mistakes are harder to
correct after the fact.
Kuhnert's instruction to hold it off the runway a little
longer is a prompt to remain alert for the unique feeling of the
hanging wheels starting to turn before there is the sensation
of actually touching down. Quick stick forward, then follows
the more familiar touchdown feeling as those long hydraulic
struts compress and lower to the Earth, the weight settles on
the wheels, and it's time to hop on those rudders. The tailwheel
lowers gently, and although the ground roll is long, the toe breaks
can be applied earlier than expected, and Kuhnert encourages
strong application at the appropriate time to get the airplane
slowed down. We practice in the pattern for nearly two hours,
a significant crosswind necessitating wheel landings each time,
but that's standard practice for Kuhnert anyway, as he prefers
to maintain airflow over the control surfaces as long as possible.
Add to the excitement by trying 20 degrees of flaps,
which Kuhnert says makes the airplane drop " like a block
of apartments. " Coming in very high to combine full flaps
and a side slip demonstrates the characteristic nicely
and we practically teleport to the runway, accompanied by
72
AOPA PILOT / August 2024
A wide landing gear stance with long hydraulic travel offers more
forgiveness on landing. The control lock, seen at top right, is a red cup
and handle just below the panel where locking the stick in place locks
rudder, elevator, and ailerons.
" You don't get away
with doing landings
where you're not lined up
properly, " Kuhnert admits,
but you won't get yourself in
inescapable trouble either.
the rushing sound of air hitting the wood and fabric at the
un-aerodynamic angle.
" At that point, if you want to come down any faster you
might as well take the wings off, " Kuhnert laughs.
Bad habits that other aircraft might let you get away with the
PT-19 gently but firmly informs you are unacceptable. My own
weaknesses-too large and abrupt control inputs on approach and
landing, and occasional poor directional control on rollout-earn
protests in the form of swerves and extra bumps, but the airplane
is designed for learners, and the nearly-cartoonish hydraulic struts
and wide stance absorb the interruption and guide back to where
we're supposed to be. " You don't get away with doing landings
where you're not lined up properly, " Kuhnert admits, but you
won't get yourself in inescapable trouble either.
It's what makes the PT-19 such an excellent trainer:
demanding the best performance without punishing mistakes
too harshly. It will loudly and clearly let you know when your
technique is not up to par but won't chastise you too hard for it.
It's a humbling experience that does not allow for ego; pilots will
AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2024

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