AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - January 2025 - 96

FLY WITH AOPA
ASI SAFET Y TIPS /
Aircraft checkouts
Learning the new-to-you airplane 'gotchas'
BY DAVE HIRSCHMAN
I try to impart when checking other pilots
out-is the new airplane's gotchas. In the
normal course of events, the instructor
will manipulate the controls little if at
all during the checkout itself. The pilot
being checked out should get the maximum
amount of stick time.
It's also critical to learn during a
GET T ING CHECKED OUT in a new aircraft
is a rite of passage usually driven by insurance
companies, not aviation regulations.
Based on the pilot's experience in similar
models, the checkout could require
a flight instructor sign-off, or five or 10
hours of dual instruction in addition.
The thoroughness and quality of
these checkouts varies widely. But the
real completion standard is best determined
by the pilot being checked out. Do
they feel comfortable and confident flying
the new-to-them airplane as pilot in
command? Are they knowledgeable about
the airplane's systems? And are they prepared
to successfully overcome in-flight
malfunctions and emergencies?
Preparation is key, and a good place
to begin an aircraft checkout is with the
" Limitations " section of the pilot's operating
handbook. It concisely sets the
boundaries for things that are approved,
and those that are not. A review of the airplane's
normal and emergency checklists
is next. Taking a close look at those lists
before boarding the airplane gives pilots
96
AOPA PILOT / January 2025
time to think them through, visualize, and
better understand aircraft systems. Should
the electric fuel pump be on during takeoff
and initial climb? Should engine power be
reduced before propeller rpm? Knowing
in advance will improve the quality of the
time spent in the airplane.
The pilot being checked out and the
instructor should define in advance what
the checkout will entail and how best to
accomplish those tasks. Checkouts can be
as rudimentary as a few takeoffs and landings,
but ideally, they'll include slow flight
and stalls, and explore the airplane's normal
flight envelope.
When I'm checking out a fellow pilot
in an unfamiliar-to-them aircraft, I want
them to experience its novel characteristics.
I don't care whether steep turns meet
private pilot checkride standards. That's
not the point. I just want them to know
how the airplane behaves when it banks
steeply and let them make adjustments as
they learn.
The main thing I want to know when
being checked out-and the central point
checkout the things an airplane can't do.
One of the most eye-opening demonstrations
I ever received during a checkout
took place in an amphibious Piper PA-18
Super Cub. We had done many takeoffs
and landings in a variety of conditions, and
the airplane was on the water and pointed
at a small island about 1,500 feet away.
The instructor asked whether I thought
the Super Cub could take off toward the
island and still clear the trees in the middle
of it by a comfortable margin. I told him I
was sure it could because it was a Super
Cub, an aerial billy goat known for energetic
climbs in minimal space.
During the takeoff run, however, it
quickly became obvious that I was wrong,
and the Super Cub couldn't clear the
island, or the trees on it.
By simply turning the airplane slightly
right, I avoided the island and took off
normally. But the water run had been far
longer, in time and distance, than I had
estimated. The same airplane on wheels
could have easily vaulted off a runway
and over the obstacles in that amount of
distance, but a Super Cub on amphibious
floats is vastly different.
" That's what I wanted you to see for
yourself, " the more experienced Super
Cub pilot told me. " Checkout complete. "
dave.hirschman@aopa.org
'Transitioning to Other
Airplanes' online course
This course offers straightforward,
important advice about what to
expect when making the jump from
a familiar airplane or avionics setup
to something new.
airsafetyinstitute.org/courses/
transitioning
MIKE FIZER
http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/courses/transitioning http://www.airsafetyinstitute.org/courses/transitioning
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - January 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - January 2025
