AA5 Check-out
Weather this morning was fairly crap with cloudbase at around 2000MSL and a strong NW wind of around 16knts gusting 20knts, fairly ideal actually for a duel check in a new aircraft.
Matt was my instructor for today as Antonio is back in Spain for a week, their two teaching styles are different but both are gifted pilots and have enough patience to suffer my less than perfect aircraft handling. We basically have to go and do some airwork from the PPL course such as stalls, steep turns, glides, engine failures then a whole bunch of landings, the differences from the Katana will be briefed as we go.
After carrying out an A check together which is pretty much similiar to the Katana we depart, taxiing the AA5 is considerably easier than the Katana with a larger rudder and bigger pedals. The take off is different also, the AA5 being heavier requires slightly more speed (65knts at rotation) and at first I do not pull back enough on the control column, being used to the much more sensitive Katana. It climbs like a brick into some fairly turbulent air. We continue out to the West and climbing to a nice gap in the clouds. Flying amoungst large cumulus clouds is alot of fun and we have to weave and frequently change direction to remain clear.
The control column is easy to get used to, although I find the controls much heavier than the Katana, with the Katana only slight pressure on the stick is needed to turn and the stick has a much nicer responsive feel to it. Using a control column feels akin to 'driving' an aircraft around the sky. The next problem for me is the rudder, I find it very hard to retrain myself for the larger rudder, I am used to applying a lot of rudder in the Katana when turning and also when climbing and descending in order to keep co-ordinated, the AA5 however requires much less.
At 5000MSL we find a relatively large hole in the clouds so to begin with Matt demonstrates a power-off stall and the recovery. The stall is less benign than in the Katana as the Katana tends to mush with the nose bopping up a down, in the AA5 a wing drop occurs followed by the nose coming down, recovery the same. I carry out a few of these without losing any significant height and using the rudder to level the wings.
Next are standard steep turns, I carry out a few turns to the right to 60degrees of bank while applying significant back pressure to keep altitude. It turns out than the nose position in reference to the horizon is pretty much the same as the Katana therefore it comes alot easier than expected. Turns to the left are again the same. Matt and myself are fairly satisfied with those so we move on. Matt suddenly tells me I have an engine fire, so I go through the procedure, fuel off and engine secured and dive to VNE until Matt tells me the fire is out, I pull out gentle from the dive to best glide speed of 75knts and pick a suitable field into wind. The field is very close by and we are way to high still so I note the current heading of 180 and decide to do a hi-key maneouver so keep a bank angle of 30 degrees and keeping the field in sight. I roll out and we are lined up pretty much but a touch too high so full flaps and forward slip. It was clear we would make it so we climb away. Immediately after at around 600MSL engine failure again, I secure the aircraft and pick another field, this again goes well so climb away again.
We continue to around 2000MSL, now we are flying over a more built-up area with very few fields suitable for landing so you guessed it, engine failure again. Over to the far left is a suitable field but it is a long way, hmm can we make it, probably not but I go for it anyway. I turn towards the field and in doing so now have a strong tailwind, this makes alot of difference and we glide extremely well. Do all the normal stuff such as restart checks, mayday call, secure everything and before long all looks good, I allow the aircraft to pass the field on the left hand side so I can turn into wind. As soon as I bring it into wind it is like the aircraft suddenly stops gliding and starts descending quicker, of course this is an illusion.. an aircraft climbs or descends no differently with a head or tail wind. We do make it however just.
The next engine failure is not so good, I pick a suitable field out of very little choice, it is in fact three fields adjacent with what looks like small wire fences seperating them.. in the circumstances was still the best place. My mistake this time is to underestimate the wind, I mention that it is not into wind it will be accross the wind with a slight tailwind. The result is we reach the field fine but are way too high, I could circle but doubtfull I had enough height to complete it, therefore failed on that attempt. Matt takes us back roughly to where we were when he started the fan stop and demonstrates the same thing himself, although this time he uses a different approach to the field and was able to put us into wind. Lesson learnt.
Over-all the procedures were fine and in most cases I would have made a successful forced landing so satisfied I didn't screw it up to badly Matt decided we should do some unusual attitude recovery with questions on instruments etc. Closing my eyes I felt the aircraft apparently doing a series of aerobatics under Matt's control, basically he was trying to mess up my senses and succeeded. He told me to open my eyes and I have control. Speed rocketing upwards and wings banked, spiral dive so close the throttle and ease out of the dive whilst leveling the wings gradually. We do a couple of these including nose high. No problems so head back for circuits.
Circuits today are interesting with a strong crosswind and alot of turbulence, the more I fly in these conditions with an instructor the better really. The first landing is a normal landing and on final the wind is gusting around with airspeed fluctuating alot due to wind shear, the landing is not too bad for my first in an AA5. I do a few more touch and go's with different degrees of flap, each one is pretty hard work with the conditions. The circuit is empty apart from us which is ideal for a few glide approaches, so we do a few of those. Again the wind makes this pretty hard to judge as each time is slightly different. Only once do I have to go-around however and the remainder are acceptable although all my landings are not greasers that I regularly do in the Katana. The Katana being lighter however would be a real handfull in these conditions.
We land and Matt is generally pleased so tells me I am checked out and we don't need to do anything else. I therefore can now rent a four seater as well as a Katana so gives me hopefully more options and more availability of aircraft.
In comparing the two I would say the Grumman AA5 is nice to fly, it is easier in the cruise with a much better trim system than the Katana, the visibility is almost as good as the Katana also with a low nose attitude. It is however heavier, feels slower and is less lithe than the Katana, I think perhaps less fun to fly. The school also has Piper Warrior II's but I have decided they feel much to much like driving a bus in comparison to both the AA5 and especially the Katana.
I am hoping to fly again with Antonio next week to go fly some difficult circuits at another airfield with a short grass runway, this is in order to get some real short/soft field landings in rather than just simulated ones. The airfield I have in mind also has a wierd circuit to avoid over-flying some nearby villages.
Matt was my instructor for today as Antonio is back in Spain for a week, their two teaching styles are different but both are gifted pilots and have enough patience to suffer my less than perfect aircraft handling. We basically have to go and do some airwork from the PPL course such as stalls, steep turns, glides, engine failures then a whole bunch of landings, the differences from the Katana will be briefed as we go.
After carrying out an A check together which is pretty much similiar to the Katana we depart, taxiing the AA5 is considerably easier than the Katana with a larger rudder and bigger pedals. The take off is different also, the AA5 being heavier requires slightly more speed (65knts at rotation) and at first I do not pull back enough on the control column, being used to the much more sensitive Katana. It climbs like a brick into some fairly turbulent air. We continue out to the West and climbing to a nice gap in the clouds. Flying amoungst large cumulus clouds is alot of fun and we have to weave and frequently change direction to remain clear.
The control column is easy to get used to, although I find the controls much heavier than the Katana, with the Katana only slight pressure on the stick is needed to turn and the stick has a much nicer responsive feel to it. Using a control column feels akin to 'driving' an aircraft around the sky. The next problem for me is the rudder, I find it very hard to retrain myself for the larger rudder, I am used to applying a lot of rudder in the Katana when turning and also when climbing and descending in order to keep co-ordinated, the AA5 however requires much less.
At 5000MSL we find a relatively large hole in the clouds so to begin with Matt demonstrates a power-off stall and the recovery. The stall is less benign than in the Katana as the Katana tends to mush with the nose bopping up a down, in the AA5 a wing drop occurs followed by the nose coming down, recovery the same. I carry out a few of these without losing any significant height and using the rudder to level the wings.
Next are standard steep turns, I carry out a few turns to the right to 60degrees of bank while applying significant back pressure to keep altitude. It turns out than the nose position in reference to the horizon is pretty much the same as the Katana therefore it comes alot easier than expected. Turns to the left are again the same. Matt and myself are fairly satisfied with those so we move on. Matt suddenly tells me I have an engine fire, so I go through the procedure, fuel off and engine secured and dive to VNE until Matt tells me the fire is out, I pull out gentle from the dive to best glide speed of 75knts and pick a suitable field into wind. The field is very close by and we are way to high still so I note the current heading of 180 and decide to do a hi-key maneouver so keep a bank angle of 30 degrees and keeping the field in sight. I roll out and we are lined up pretty much but a touch too high so full flaps and forward slip. It was clear we would make it so we climb away. Immediately after at around 600MSL engine failure again, I secure the aircraft and pick another field, this again goes well so climb away again.
We continue to around 2000MSL, now we are flying over a more built-up area with very few fields suitable for landing so you guessed it, engine failure again. Over to the far left is a suitable field but it is a long way, hmm can we make it, probably not but I go for it anyway. I turn towards the field and in doing so now have a strong tailwind, this makes alot of difference and we glide extremely well. Do all the normal stuff such as restart checks, mayday call, secure everything and before long all looks good, I allow the aircraft to pass the field on the left hand side so I can turn into wind. As soon as I bring it into wind it is like the aircraft suddenly stops gliding and starts descending quicker, of course this is an illusion.. an aircraft climbs or descends no differently with a head or tail wind. We do make it however just.
The next engine failure is not so good, I pick a suitable field out of very little choice, it is in fact three fields adjacent with what looks like small wire fences seperating them.. in the circumstances was still the best place. My mistake this time is to underestimate the wind, I mention that it is not into wind it will be accross the wind with a slight tailwind. The result is we reach the field fine but are way too high, I could circle but doubtfull I had enough height to complete it, therefore failed on that attempt. Matt takes us back roughly to where we were when he started the fan stop and demonstrates the same thing himself, although this time he uses a different approach to the field and was able to put us into wind. Lesson learnt.
Over-all the procedures were fine and in most cases I would have made a successful forced landing so satisfied I didn't screw it up to badly Matt decided we should do some unusual attitude recovery with questions on instruments etc. Closing my eyes I felt the aircraft apparently doing a series of aerobatics under Matt's control, basically he was trying to mess up my senses and succeeded. He told me to open my eyes and I have control. Speed rocketing upwards and wings banked, spiral dive so close the throttle and ease out of the dive whilst leveling the wings gradually. We do a couple of these including nose high. No problems so head back for circuits.
Circuits today are interesting with a strong crosswind and alot of turbulence, the more I fly in these conditions with an instructor the better really. The first landing is a normal landing and on final the wind is gusting around with airspeed fluctuating alot due to wind shear, the landing is not too bad for my first in an AA5. I do a few more touch and go's with different degrees of flap, each one is pretty hard work with the conditions. The circuit is empty apart from us which is ideal for a few glide approaches, so we do a few of those. Again the wind makes this pretty hard to judge as each time is slightly different. Only once do I have to go-around however and the remainder are acceptable although all my landings are not greasers that I regularly do in the Katana. The Katana being lighter however would be a real handfull in these conditions.
We land and Matt is generally pleased so tells me I am checked out and we don't need to do anything else. I therefore can now rent a four seater as well as a Katana so gives me hopefully more options and more availability of aircraft.
In comparing the two I would say the Grumman AA5 is nice to fly, it is easier in the cruise with a much better trim system than the Katana, the visibility is almost as good as the Katana also with a low nose attitude. It is however heavier, feels slower and is less lithe than the Katana, I think perhaps less fun to fly. The school also has Piper Warrior II's but I have decided they feel much to much like driving a bus in comparison to both the AA5 and especially the Katana.
I am hoping to fly again with Antonio next week to go fly some difficult circuits at another airfield with a short grass runway, this is in order to get some real short/soft field landings in rather than just simulated ones. The airfield I have in mind also has a wierd circuit to avoid over-flying some nearby villages.
posted by Chris @ Tuesday, February 21, 2006
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