After you get
your GA license, there are several more levels of aircraft that
you need a special endorsement to fly. Among these, are High Performance
(more than 200 HP or faster than 200 mph), Sea Plane (self explanatory),
and Complex (Retracts, Flaps, Adjustable Prop).
Most high performance
aircraft also have constant speed props.
This past weekend
I got my High Performance Endorsement from Plant City Airport (K).
I've been busy going around to all the local airports around me
and getting checked out to rent aircraft lately, so I can rent from
anywhere that's convenient for me.
This started
out as an idea I got one day when I couldn't fly at my regular FBO
because the plane I usually use was out of order, and the other
172's are pretty beat up. I realized that I could just as easily
get checked out at another airport and have an alternate rental
option if I needed it.
After I got
checked out at Tampa North, I had a bad run of scheduling luck with
them and got shafted out of the specific plane I wanted for four
consecutive weeks, and got stuck with another that was not nearly
as nice, but was the same price. I made the best of the situation
and flew the older plane anyway, but when they called during the
next week to tell me they wanted to cut my next week's reservations
shorter on the older plane after I'd been such a good sport, I decided
I was getting taken for granted and I needed to find another alternative.
I
had been over to Plant City Airport to meet the staff before, so
they were my next choice for an FBO. I've landed there before and
the people are all very nice. Well, when I got there, I found out
that their 1975 Cessna 182 was about $30.00 per hour cheaper than
the new 172 SP's I'd been renting, so it made sense to get my High
Performance Endorsement there because it would cost about the same
per hour with the instructor.
This particular
182 has an 0-470 with 240 HP and a McCauley Constant Speed Prop.
Being an older 182, it's got 40 degrees of flaps, but drops like
a stone if you use them. Easy to see why Cessna quit offering that
option.
It really roars
on take-off compared to those O-320's and IO-360's I've been flying.
With that big Constant Speed Prop, this thing climbs straight up
at 90.
I called ahead
and made an appointment with an instructor, and took my renter's
file along so that I could start right away. I keep a file with
my proof of insurance, birth certificate and license info so that
I can stop anywhere and get checked out to rent or get lessons.
I got there a little early and got all that taken care of before
the instructor arrived.
He turned out
to be from Georgia, and is a technician for Raytheon during the
week, and an instructor on the weekends. We hit it off well, so
I decided to go ahead with the rating. We started by reviewing the
Vspeeds, etc. of the aircraft, and my current experience with flying.
We then discussed the Constant Speed Prop, and the difference in
the way the engine is controlled, etc.
The first thing
I noticed about the 182 is how much bigger it is than a 172. Huge
tail feathers, big wing, way heavier. On my preflight, I noticed
that it was low on oil, and the instructor topped it off for us.
I didn't check the filler cap again afterwards, and it came back
to bite me as soon as we took off.
I saw the little
puff of mist come off the prop right as I reached full throttle.
It was almost invisible, and everything was in the green, and I
thought it might have been dust or something. As we climbed out,
I noticed a little mist of oil on the corner of the wind screen
on my side. I pointed it out to the instructor, and we climbed to
about 3500 feet and watched for a few minutes, but no more oil was
hitting the windscreen, so we continued. We just made sure to stay
up around 3500 feet in case we had another problem.
We adjusted
the prop for cruise/climb, and did some steep turns, followed by
some power-off stalls. As we recovered from the second or third
stall, I saw a few specs of oil hit the windscreen. I saw that more
and more was hitting the windscreen, so I decided to go back to
the airport.
We Came around
to land on 10, and made a decent landing while peering through an
oil-spattered windscreen, and taxied back to the FBO to check things
out. The oil cap was off, and we'd lost about a quart of oil on
the cowl and windscreen. We put the cap back on and cleaned the
oil off the cowl and windscreen, and started it up again to make
sure we were OK. No more oil spatters, so off we went again.
We did more
stalls and turns, practiced some speed management (it's a much faster
plane than I'm used to), and did some landings. We met again the
following week, and continued the training. This time we added soft
field takeoffs, touch and goes, power-on and power-off stalls, steep
turns, speed management, etc. We flew over to Winter Haven's Gilbert
Field (K), and did our touch and goes over the beautiful Chain-of-Lakes.
By the end of
this time, he gave me my endorsement. I can now rent anything up
to the 182 at Plant City, and can legally fly High Performance Aircraft
from now on whenever I want. I can also rent a 182 anywhere else
simply by doing a check ride at that FBO and getting it in their
file on me.
During the last
few weeks while I've been doing this, my regular FBO has sent out
an email informing their rental customers that they have just acquired
a brand new 172R, and I jumped right in and reserved it for the
next three Saturdays. After that, I've got another lesson scheduled
in the 182 with Tom, when we'll do a cross country and maybe some
hood work. This'll also make the rest of the time requirements for
my next level of wings in the FAA Safety Foundation Program. These
hours have to be endorsed by a CFI or CFII.
I also plan
to get in some night flying in the 182 soon. All in all, I'm very
happy with having at least three local airports to rent and fly
from, and thrilled to have my High Performance Rating so I can fly
182's now. They can really cover an amazing amount of ground! I
can't wait until some newer 182's become available to rent in this
area.
I haven't decided
on my next training pursuit yet. I might get my Complex at Tampa
North, using their 172 RG Cutlass, or I might go down to Sarasota
and do some Irregular Attitude Recovery with an instructor I met
at an FAA event a couple times over the past two years. He uses
Zlin's for training aircraft, and I'd LOVE to fly one. IO-540 and
a stick. Plus, the safety factor of being able to recover from virtually
any attitude would be a huge comfort for me and my passengers, too.
Anyway, whatever
it turns out to be, I hope it is as enjoyable as the High Performance
rating was. Happy flying!
--- Wingnut |