- Joined
- Oct 30, 2003
- Messages
- 18,363
- Location
- Santa Maria, California
- Aircraft
- Givens Predator
- Total Flight Time
- 2600+ in rotorcraft
I have a client (Robert) who in my opinion was ready to solo in The Predator but still has some issues to work on to solo in his RAF. He took his aircraft back to his home airport to install a larger horizontal stabilizer and his Sport Copter trim system.
We scheduled a week of training at his home airport in Carson City, Nevada (KCXP) with the goals being to clean up his radio calls at a non-towered airport and solo him in his aircraft.
We were flying out of Carson City (CXP) and that had some challenges of its own. We typically saw over 6,000 feet density altitude in the afternoon and CXP is in sort of a bowl causing rapidly changing winds and rising terrain.
Robert and I are not small people and with fuel the RAF is carrying over 500 pounds putting us close to the maximum takeoff weight.
She is powered by a Subaru EJ25 and we are not sure she will climb out at my personal minimum of 500 feet per minute with the two of us on board even in the morning when the density altitude is around 4,000 feet.
It is a forty minute drive from Robert’s home in Sparks to the CXP so we left before dawn each day to maximize our time before the density altitude went higher and/or the afternoon winds came up. I was reminded what I don’t like about 27 degrees Fahrenheit.
There are not a lot of places for a successful emergency landing on downwind unless we can make it back to the runway. That is not always practical with a low time student pilot.
We worked all week to resolve minor issues and make minor adjustments. We had radio issues and we removed some seat padding for more headroom. Each setback took precious time away from training.
The first day as we finished out preflight with some minor repairs the wind came up early so we were grounded for the day. I currently have a ten knot wind limit with a minimal cross wind component flying this new to me RAF at this new to me airport.
The next day on my first takeoff demonstration I was having challenges with excursions when I inadvertently touched the nose wheel down during the takeoff roll. The steering seemed uncommonly twitchy to me. On another takeoff attempt I rocked back on the tail wheel and made an arc to the left. The rudder seemed ineffective when rocked back on the tail and she seemed disinclined to get the nose back down until I reduced power to idle. Robert had the only brake and I could not find the words to have him gently apply the brakes to ease the nose wheel down as we approached the edge of the runway.
It felt to me like there was some resistance to the stick coming all the way back. It was better as soon as Robert released the pre-rotator. Apparently the cable tries to straighten out when transmitting torque.
These did not seem to me like acceptable quirks for training a thirteen hour pilot.
With about 100 hours in RAFs and RAF derivatives I was feeling out of my depth with this RAF 2000 so I called my friend Duane Hunn and he patiently talked me through the nose wheel steering adjustment procedure. He is a very experienced RAF flight instructor.
We found the tail wheel turned slightly right compared to the keel and when we turned it upside down it was slightly left and she now goes straight when rocked back on the tail wheel.
We spent most of the second day testing our adjustment and adjusting till the wind came up quite suddenly at 2:30.
We were very pleased with her overall transformation.
I called Duane back with the report on our progress and my feelings of inexperience and he was kind enough to share his syllabus for teaching takeoffs in an RAF which is very different than mine for teaching takeoffs in The Predator.
Duane reported he had not soloed anyone in less than 20 hours of dual instruction.
It was very cold Thursday and the water temperature gauge would not come off the peg. I was proud of Robert when he chose to return to the hangar and investigate the problem. The radiator was cold so we figured it was either air in the system or a thermostat. Robert purchased a new thermostat at Napa and some antifreeze. Forty five minutes later the gauge was showing 160 degrees but the radiator was still cold. We spent quite a while chasing bubbles out of the system.
Once we got her running again with the temperature gauge apparently stuck at 160 degrees Robert took to the new procedure well despite my concern he would be frustrated with the slow methodical progress. We performed many full length high speed taxis practicing balancing on the mains and adjusting the steering.
I have never been a crow hop enthusiast. I can now see the value of spending more time balancing on the mains and doing crow hops; particularly in an RAF.
Our next step is to balance on the mains doing S turns across the centerline and I can see where this has value for landing challenges.
Unfortunately on the fifth day on the taxi back feeling satisfied with progress ready for our first lift off the wheel bolts sheared and the right main wheel departed the aircraft ending our training efforts to accomplish our goals.
As is often the case help magically appeared from new friends. I love the way people simply pitch in to help. We borrowed
a small wheeled cart, a jack and some tie down so we could tow the crippled aircraft back to the hangar. We had not previously met either of our new friends.
Robert has still not soloed although his non-towered radio calls are vastly improved.
Next time we may go to Silver Springs (SPZ) twenty six miles to the north east for a friendlier environment. It is five hundred feet lower and flat. It doesn’t have an AWAS so we will need to rely on the wind sock to manage our limits.
Winter is coming and we don’t know how long the weather will hold for a return visit.
The entire week was an emotional rollercoaster with success followed by delays and frustration. We were so near the goal when we had to stop for repair.
We scheduled a week of training at his home airport in Carson City, Nevada (KCXP) with the goals being to clean up his radio calls at a non-towered airport and solo him in his aircraft.
We were flying out of Carson City (CXP) and that had some challenges of its own. We typically saw over 6,000 feet density altitude in the afternoon and CXP is in sort of a bowl causing rapidly changing winds and rising terrain.
Robert and I are not small people and with fuel the RAF is carrying over 500 pounds putting us close to the maximum takeoff weight.
She is powered by a Subaru EJ25 and we are not sure she will climb out at my personal minimum of 500 feet per minute with the two of us on board even in the morning when the density altitude is around 4,000 feet.
It is a forty minute drive from Robert’s home in Sparks to the CXP so we left before dawn each day to maximize our time before the density altitude went higher and/or the afternoon winds came up. I was reminded what I don’t like about 27 degrees Fahrenheit.
There are not a lot of places for a successful emergency landing on downwind unless we can make it back to the runway. That is not always practical with a low time student pilot.
We worked all week to resolve minor issues and make minor adjustments. We had radio issues and we removed some seat padding for more headroom. Each setback took precious time away from training.
The first day as we finished out preflight with some minor repairs the wind came up early so we were grounded for the day. I currently have a ten knot wind limit with a minimal cross wind component flying this new to me RAF at this new to me airport.
The next day on my first takeoff demonstration I was having challenges with excursions when I inadvertently touched the nose wheel down during the takeoff roll. The steering seemed uncommonly twitchy to me. On another takeoff attempt I rocked back on the tail wheel and made an arc to the left. The rudder seemed ineffective when rocked back on the tail and she seemed disinclined to get the nose back down until I reduced power to idle. Robert had the only brake and I could not find the words to have him gently apply the brakes to ease the nose wheel down as we approached the edge of the runway.
It felt to me like there was some resistance to the stick coming all the way back. It was better as soon as Robert released the pre-rotator. Apparently the cable tries to straighten out when transmitting torque.
These did not seem to me like acceptable quirks for training a thirteen hour pilot.
With about 100 hours in RAFs and RAF derivatives I was feeling out of my depth with this RAF 2000 so I called my friend Duane Hunn and he patiently talked me through the nose wheel steering adjustment procedure. He is a very experienced RAF flight instructor.
We found the tail wheel turned slightly right compared to the keel and when we turned it upside down it was slightly left and she now goes straight when rocked back on the tail wheel.
We spent most of the second day testing our adjustment and adjusting till the wind came up quite suddenly at 2:30.
We were very pleased with her overall transformation.
I called Duane back with the report on our progress and my feelings of inexperience and he was kind enough to share his syllabus for teaching takeoffs in an RAF which is very different than mine for teaching takeoffs in The Predator.
Duane reported he had not soloed anyone in less than 20 hours of dual instruction.
It was very cold Thursday and the water temperature gauge would not come off the peg. I was proud of Robert when he chose to return to the hangar and investigate the problem. The radiator was cold so we figured it was either air in the system or a thermostat. Robert purchased a new thermostat at Napa and some antifreeze. Forty five minutes later the gauge was showing 160 degrees but the radiator was still cold. We spent quite a while chasing bubbles out of the system.
Once we got her running again with the temperature gauge apparently stuck at 160 degrees Robert took to the new procedure well despite my concern he would be frustrated with the slow methodical progress. We performed many full length high speed taxis practicing balancing on the mains and adjusting the steering.
I have never been a crow hop enthusiast. I can now see the value of spending more time balancing on the mains and doing crow hops; particularly in an RAF.
Our next step is to balance on the mains doing S turns across the centerline and I can see where this has value for landing challenges.
Unfortunately on the fifth day on the taxi back feeling satisfied with progress ready for our first lift off the wheel bolts sheared and the right main wheel departed the aircraft ending our training efforts to accomplish our goals.
As is often the case help magically appeared from new friends. I love the way people simply pitch in to help. We borrowed
a small wheeled cart, a jack and some tie down so we could tow the crippled aircraft back to the hangar. We had not previously met either of our new friends.
Robert has still not soloed although his non-towered radio calls are vastly improved.
Next time we may go to Silver Springs (SPZ) twenty six miles to the north east for a friendlier environment. It is five hundred feet lower and flat. It doesn’t have an AWAS so we will need to rely on the wind sock to manage our limits.
Winter is coming and we don’t know how long the weather will hold for a return visit.
The entire week was an emotional rollercoaster with success followed by delays and frustration. We were so near the goal when we had to stop for repair.