After decades of telling myself “Right rudder, right rudder,” I now had to use “Left rudder” to correct for those propeller turning forces.
I have been privileged to fly more than one hundred various makes and models of airplanes from the Piper Cub to Boeing’s 747 jumbo jet. My most recent addition to this list was my friend Ken’s “made in China” warbird; the Nanchang CJ6A, built in 1973. This airplane appeared in the April issue of EAA Warbird Magazine. It resembles the popular Beechcraft T-34 Mentor with tandem seating for two (fore and aft) and a sliding canopy. The T-34 was a trainer used by the US Air Force for a short time and used by the US Navy for three decades. The Nanchang has good stall characteristics but no light or horn to indicate a stall warning, only an identifiable stall buffet followed by a clean break. The roll rate is similar to the T-34 Mentor with similar airspeed; not nearly as fast as the roll rate on the Extra 300 aerobatic airplane, but certainly smooth and fun. The wheel braking system is a pneumatic (air-driven) system operated by a handgrip attached to the flight control stick. If you squeeze the grip with no rudder application, or with symmetrical application to both rudders, the brakes are applied evenly. But if you apply rudder pressure to one side and squeeze the brake, the wheel brake is only applied to the respective side. This takes some getting used to. The Nanchang also features a 9-cylinder 285 horsepower radial engine. And like the Czechoslovakian Yak 52, the propeller rotates in the opposite direction of US airplanes, counterclockwise. After decades of telling myself “Right rudder, right rudder,” I now had to use “Left rudder” to correct for those propeller turning forces. This was also very strange, but I turned it into a challenge.
My interest in warbirds (ex-military aircraft) started back during my first visits to EAA Oshkosh, or what is now called Air Venture. I loved the lines of airplanes like the P-51 Mustang, T-28 Trojan, T-6 Texan, and the T-34 Mentor. My attraction grew after joining Civil Air Patrol and making many friends with similar interests. This led to being able to fly the above-mentioned warbirds and even become a part owner of a Beechcraft T-34, which was a dream come true. Thanks to my friend Tim, I was even fortunate to get a dozen hours in his Aero Vodochody L-39 jet, built in the Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslovakia). This ultimately led to flying a four-ship of L-39 military jet trainers into EAA Oshkosh.
The capabilities and performance of these airplanes are incredible. It is hard not to smile when upside down or pulling a few Gs in these magnificent machines.
By the way, this is the easiest way I have found to get into EAA Air Venture. The ATC tower controllers just advised all the other inbound airplanes to enter holding and invited us in. Then they asked us to perform a low approach with smoke on and circle around again to land. Wow!
To fly the North American P-51 Mustang, I had to sign up for lessons at Stallion 51 in Kissimmee, Florida. Stallion 51 provides warbird, tailwheel, and upset recovery training in the T-6, P-51, and L-39 aircraft. The P-51 was great to fly except for the poor visibility while taxiing a tailwheel airplane. With 1700 horsepower in the Merlin Engine, we were able to do some interesting maneuvers. We performed steep turns with 70 degrees of bank while pulling 3 Gs. During the first turns, we would just hold 70 degrees of bank and 3 Gs for the entire maneuver. During the second set of turns, the instructor directed me to ride the edge of the stall buffet through the entire maneuver. No other airplane I have flown has had the power to do that and maintain 3 Gs. For our final set of steep turns, I flew the edge of the stall buffet for most of the 360-degree turn and then pulled the stick full back, increasing the angle of attack until a full stall break occurred, followed by performing an upset recovery. The yaw and torque from the Merlin Engine were so powerful that it would flip us over 180 degrees.
Another interesting airplane was the Cessna 337 Skymaster. This is a twin-engine airplane, but the engines are configured in the front and back rather than on the wings. This certainly eliminates the normal yaw during an engine failure. A version of this airplane was designated the “O-2” and was used as forward operating controllers or FACs during the war in Vietnam. This airplane does not have a published minimum controllable airspeed with the critical engine inoperative (VMC). If you were to use this airplane for your multiengine rating, your pilot certificate would have a limitation that states “limited to center thrust.”
The Piper PA-601 Aerostar is certainly an interesting design. This was my first, and perhaps the only airplane I have flown with a mid-fuselage wing. It also has a fuselage fuel tank in addition to two relatively narrow wing tanks, a clamshell door, and a hydraulic nose-wheel steering system that is operated by a toggle or rocker switch. This airplane was the star in the 2017 Tom Cruise movie “American Made.” I recollect that the thin wing needed some airspeed to fly well on one engine. Unlike a twin-engine Beech Baron with excellent single-engine climb performance, the Aerostar needed more airspeed to provide sufficient lift for the wings; otherwise it felt like it was attempting to swim in glue. But once it accelerated with both engines running, it was one of the fastest light-piston twins.
A modern, unique airplane I flew for the first time last year was the Diamond DA-42, Next Gen. This twin-engine airplane has an interesting appearance with sleek composite lines, a German inline diesel engine, and a FADEC system. The electronic engine system reduces the usual six engine control levers to just two. Starting up and shutting down the engine is done with the push of a button. The same thing applies for the entire runup sequence. Just press and hold a button, and watch the entire runup scenario.
For aerobatic and upset recovery training, I have had exciting times in the Pitts S2B, French CAP 10, Super Decathlon, Extra 300, and Marchetti S211 trainer jet. The capabilities and performance of these airplanes are incredible. It is hard not to smile when upside down or pulling a few Gs in these magnificent machines. The knowledge and skill you can learn from the UPRT schools is also remarkable.
Some of the classics are also fun to fly. I flew a Boeing Stearman on my 40th birthday, a gift from my wife. Thank you. Some early models include the Piper PA16 Clipper (1949), PA-18 Super Cub, PA-22 Colt, Cessna O-1 Birddog, Aeronca Champ 7AC, Yakovlev YAK-52, and the North American L-17 Navion. And while I’m not seaplane-rated, my first seaplane flight was on beautiful Lake Como in Italy with scenic mountains and waterfalls. My second was in an amphibian PA-18 Super Cub, also a great experience. The next possibility to add to my list of light airplanes happened as I was commuting to work. While in KORD, I bumped into a colleague who offered to let me fly his Cessna 140.
The Boeing 747 was a dream to fly! After simulator training, my very first flight started in New York and ended in New York. Yes, it was a flight around the world. That training flight was followed by two checkrides: a company line check and an ocean crossing check, consisting of two ocean crossings to Europe and back to New York.
The 747 has a maximum takeoff weight of 865,000 pounds. It has four engines of 54,000 lbs. of thrust each. They are 8 feet in diameter and 24 feet long. Except for the high cockpit, flying the airplane was fairly easy. Even the fuel load was enormous at 365,000 pounds. That fuel load alone is more than two fully loaded B-737s.
I still enjoy flying new-to-me makes and models. My next target airplanes are the Cessna 140, Beechcraft Staggerwing, and the Helio Courier. I never set out to fly more than 100 different types. It has been through friends, Civil Air Patrol members, EAA Warbirds of America, and serving as a DPE that have enabled me to do this. Thank you to all of you!
