Evan's "Big Iron" BFR
Story by Evan
Wright
This year I had to get my first BFR. In the past I had dodged the bullet by getting additional ratings, but the CFI-SP rating I got in October doesn't count for a flight review (just the ground part), so I was out of luck.
Rather than just getting a flight review in my 152, I decided to do it in something else. The FARs don't dictate the content of a BFR, just that it has to consist of an hour of ground and an hour of flight training. This gives pilots some latitude in what their BFR covers. If you have endorsements or ratings to fly different types of aircraft, the BFR is a good opportunity to brush up on a skill you don't normally use. Since I hadn't flow a twin since I got my multi/commercial rating back in 2004, I decided to do my BFR in the Cessna 310 at A&M Aviation. I talked to Jim Harvillchuck and he said it'd be fine to do a flight review, using the hour of ground to review aspects of flying a twin, and systems in the 310.
To refresh my memory, I set up flight simulator with a CH Products throttle quadrant. The "learning center" section of MS Flight sim has some excerpts from the King Schools video on multiengine flying, so I reviewed that. I also did some flights using the Baron model built into flight sim. It wasn't like flying a real airplane, but at least it was useful for getting refreshed on manipulating 6 levers: 2 throttles, 2 props, and 2 mixtures. I also reviewed the POH so I could get the most out of the flight.
A & M Aviation's Cessna 310
Jim and I reviewed concepts unique to twins such as how to handle the failure of an engine during various phases of flight, accelerate and stop distances (in case out engine fails during the take off roll). We also went over systems on the 310 such as the fuel and landing gear systems. The hour went by really quickly.
Once we were done, Jim and I went to the airplane, and Jim showed me how to do the preflight. While some of the stuff was the same as on any aircraft, some things were different. On the 310, the pilot has to remember to sump 8 fuel drains! Not finding anything amiss, we hopped in to go flying.
Taxiing the 310 was something of a new experience, kind of like driving a big SUV when you are used to driving a VW bug. You're much higher off the ground. With two engines, you also have the benefit of differential thrust to help you steer.
Once we were at the run up area, we did the pre takeoff check. The items in the run up are pretty much the same on any plane. Once thing that is different is that you have to check the propeller controls. The 310 also has lots of warning lights in the cockpit, so all of those need to be checked.
Going through the preflight checklist
After the pre take off checklist was complete I taxied the plane out to the centerline of 18. With the props and mixtures already full forward, I advanced the two throttles. The 260 h.p. Continental on each wing wound up and the plane surged down the runway. As we accelerated, I called off the airspeed every 10 kts, so Jim would at least know I was paying attention. At 90, I pulled back on the very heavy elevator and we were airborne. As with any complex aircraft, the first order of business is to get the gear up, then pull the power back to the top of the green arc. Once the power is set, the props come back to the top the green arc, too.
We climbed up to 3,000 ft., then headed out over Plainfield so I could get the feel for the plane a little better. Cruising to the practice area, it was real eye opener to see the airspeed gauge read 180! First, we did some shallow turns, then 360 steep turns.
steep turns over Plainfield
After that, we did a power off stall. Since Jim and I had talked about engine out procedures on the ground, it made sense we would be reviewing that as well. After we had recovered from the stall, Jim reached down between the seats and shut off the fuel to one of the engines. The plane veered to the right. The procedure for handling this is to advanced the mixtures, then props, then throttles. To identify which engine has failed, you use the saying "dead foot-dead engine". Since my left foot was working hard keeping the plane on course, and my right foot was doing nothing, the right engine was the inoperative one. Once you know for sure which engine has failed, you feather the prop, and raise the wing with the dead engine 5 degrees. We didn't actually feather the prop, but just cracked the throttle and restored the fuel flow. Once the engine had restarted, we put the throttles back to normal.
Having reviewed single engine operation, we went over to Lewis for the take offs and landings on runway 20. The main concern is getting the gear down and the fuel pumps on. The approach speed for the 310 is 100 kts (almost twice what I'm used to), and on short final the props go to full forward. This not only gets them set if a go-around is required, but also adds a lot of drag, which helps slow the plane down (you can actually feel the deceleration). We did two landings down at Lewis, and then headed back to Clow, where Jim signed off the BFR in my log book.
Heading to Lewis for landing practice
Most pilots look at the BFR as a chore, or something they have to put up with. I used mine as an excuse to fly something different and dust off some skills I don't normally use. If all BFRs were as much fun as the one I had, we'd wish they came more often.
Where To Now?