PPL in the pocket! So what's next?

[Maritime_Ev]

Tailwheel endorsement is fun and challenging - my son just did his in conjunction with the MPPC endorsement and loved it (he only got his PPL last year). Certainly teaches you to understand all the controls ! The other one thats purely fun if you can get a second person is formation although many schools would require a minimum hours before they will teach that.

The tailwheel endo will be the first one I'll do I reckon, a bit more attention to the footwork during the landings can only help and all the nice looking aircraft seem to have the little wheel at the back . If I do it in a decathlon I can get the MPPC endo at the same time and maybe even a little bit of upside-down stuff.

 

 

[Maritime_Ev]

I think there's a bright yellow Antonov 2 operating from YCAB, probably not for rent though. Also likely to use more fuel than my ship (and definitely more oil!).

 

Remember reading somewhere that the AN-2 is the largest piston powered single in the world, with the back-end of it being a reverse engineered DC-3(?) I guess if that's true there are no SEPs of more than 5700kg.

 

You can buy one for (relatively) little in Eastern Europe, but having worked a bit with Russian engineered engines and auxiliary systems I wouldn't want to own one (unless, like the ship, it came with a 5 engineers, lots of spare parts and company paid fuel and LO). Russian built cars/ships/aircraft have the reputation of being built crude but strong, but in my experience (just with cars and ships admittedly) the only reason all this Soviet made stuff still drives/floats/flies is the ingenuity of the guys (and a few galls) in the dirty coveralls.

 

That being said, that radial does make a really nice noise, and if you can't afford to the upkeep you could always put it in the yard as a cubby house (the kids would love that!)

 

 

[Phil Perry]

A tailwheel endorsement isn't a bad idea EV, an additional string for your bow. . . . . and those Antonovs used to sell ( from Siberia ) a few years back for around US$5,000, which included manuals, spares and in some cases a complete spare engine stuffed in the back ! ( Mechanics were extra )

 

Not really a Practical type for a PPL though, the manuals are written in Russian of course . . . but if you can manage to beg ( or Blag ) a front seat ride in the one you mentioned at YCAB, I'm sure you'd find it a memorable experience, especially if they get you to start that big engine with the clockwork wind up starting handle on the inside wall ! ! Not sure how deep this forum historical database is, . .but you could try a search as we had a bit of a thread on these things back in 2013.

 

Phil

 

 

[Maritime_Ev]

Did my RA-Aus conversion flight in a Foxbat on Tuesday; cool little aeroplane with amazing views (looking down, not as much in the circuit) so much glass all around that I even felt a but queasy glancing down during the first left turn. Impressed with the Rotax, it sounds like a lawnmower but it goes alright, on the first take off I was off the ground before I had the throttle fully open (flying from 18, we could probably have climbed to 500ft, landed and taken off again from an intersection departure).

 

After the (heavy G1000 and full long range tanks equipped) C172 the day before the controls felt very light, and with the wrong hand too... I guess that's where the 5 hour requirement for GA/RA-Aus conversions comes from (I already did sufficient time in the C162 which is also classed as an LSA).

 

Has anyone here ever gotten into trouble switching types? Not too much harm in flaring the Foxbat early, worse case you add power and go around, but in the other direction it might be more 'interesting': flying a C172 (or worse, something heavier like a C206) after flying a foxbat for a bit and you might come in a bit heavy.

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Has anyone here ever gotten into trouble switching types? Not too much harm in flaring the Foxbat early, worse case you add power and go around, but in the other direction it might be more 'interesting': flying a C172 (or worse, something heavier like a C206) after flying a foxbat for a bit and you might come in a bit heavy.

I'm sure there are many here who have had the experience of changing type from lighter to not - so - light EV,. . . ! which is why, even if you've flown the heavier type before, but had a bit of a lay off,. . .a ride with an instructor is by far the best medicine, even just as insurance, worth every cent. . . .

 

Some pilots, and obviously instructors, seem to be able to regularly " Type hop" with little difficulty but this only comes with much practice and currency. You've mentioned the really rapid climb rate / angle of a Foxbat, but this is true of most 100HP lsa types, due to the sightly different power to weight ratio as compared to something somewhat heavier. . . but the same principle applies pf course, if you flare a bit too high,. . don't let the grey matter go into dialling tone. . . power on - go around. easy peasy. There will be plenty of time to practice salvaging a bad approach ( should you REALLY want to try. . .) later on when you get some more experience

 

Many happy levitations. Phil

 

 

[Maritime_Ev]

lighter to not - so - light EV,. . . !

OK, I guess I was asking for that In the grand scheme of things a C206 is still a tiny AC, but at the moment anything that I can't pull out of the hanger by myself is 'heavy'.

 

It's a bit like the situation with the ship I'm working on; for the non maritime peeps it is a big ship... However my old cargo ship colleagues are making fun of being able to put the whole 3000 tons of it in one of their cargo holds with plenty of room to spare.

 

 

[Phil Perry]

I didn't critise your comment EV, please don't think that. . . .and switching from flying a wheelbarrowload of wet cement ( 206 ) to a Foxbat can certainly cause any pilot to inadvertantly over-control the pitch and "Balloon" a little ( or a lot ! ) on a lighter aircraft like that in the round-out / flare quite easily when there's several acres of grass / tarmac / gravel / lakewater heading toward you and getting larger at landing speeds. . . .

 

Like the bit about stuffing your little ship in a cargo hold too ! ! Had a tour around a Maersk cargo tub recently. . .what a Humungous vessel . . .

 

Phil