Archer
This evening I flew a checkout for the flying club I just joined, Plus One Flyers at KMYF in San Diego. My instructor, J, and I go back a ways, as he was the CFI who soloed me at my other club back in December when I was just beginning my PPL. At his suggestion, since all of my time is in Cessna's, we decided to fly a low wing so I could get checked out in the Pipers. I picked an Archer, PA-28-180, so I could get used to some more horsepower at the same time.
We took some time talking about MYF airspace since I haven't flown there before (and it's right smack dab in the middle of the KSAN Class B). We then took a good bit of time preflighting the plane and discussing the systems and panel. Finally, it was time to launch.
Man, that thing got out of there in a hurry! Compared to the 145 hp Cessna's that I have flown to date, the extra 35 hp really made a difference. I couldn't get it to stop climbing! I'm trimming down, throttling back, and it still want's to climb like a bat out of hell. It took a little while, but I got it settled down. While we flew out to the practice area, he showed me how to work the autopilot (single axis) and the HSI. We did some PPL maneuvers, including stalls and engine out landing, then headed back to MYF where we just beat the marine layer ceiling in.
So what are my likes/dislikes about the Archer:
Like:
Power!
Stall characteristics (very benign in the stall)
Visibility when looking for traffic
Not having to climb the nose to check the fuel levels.
Dislike:
Location of fuel selector and trim wheel. The trim wheel will just take a little getting used to. The fuel selector I just don't like.
Single door access. I don't want to depend on my passenger's motivation when I want to get out of that plane in a hurry.
Having to stoop that low to sump the wings.
Mixed bag:
Flap selector. I like having notched flaps that don't rely on electrical power. However, having a flap selector that I might think is an emergency brake will take a little getting used to.
All in all, I think I will continue to fly the low wings. They fly well and I should learn to be as comfortable in them as I am in the Cessna.
Fly safe,
Big Country
We took some time talking about MYF airspace since I haven't flown there before (and it's right smack dab in the middle of the KSAN Class B). We then took a good bit of time preflighting the plane and discussing the systems and panel. Finally, it was time to launch.
Man, that thing got out of there in a hurry! Compared to the 145 hp Cessna's that I have flown to date, the extra 35 hp really made a difference. I couldn't get it to stop climbing! I'm trimming down, throttling back, and it still want's to climb like a bat out of hell. It took a little while, but I got it settled down. While we flew out to the practice area, he showed me how to work the autopilot (single axis) and the HSI. We did some PPL maneuvers, including stalls and engine out landing, then headed back to MYF where we just beat the marine layer ceiling in.
So what are my likes/dislikes about the Archer:
Like:
Power!
Stall characteristics (very benign in the stall)
Visibility when looking for traffic
Not having to climb the nose to check the fuel levels.
Dislike:
Location of fuel selector and trim wheel. The trim wheel will just take a little getting used to. The fuel selector I just don't like.
Single door access. I don't want to depend on my passenger's motivation when I want to get out of that plane in a hurry.
Having to stoop that low to sump the wings.
Mixed bag:
Flap selector. I like having notched flaps that don't rely on electrical power. However, having a flap selector that I might think is an emergency brake will take a little getting used to.
All in all, I think I will continue to fly the low wings. They fly well and I should learn to be as comfortable in them as I am in the Cessna.
Fly safe,
Big Country
posted by Big Country at 9:35 PM
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