You don’t realise how quickly the workload drops off when you have your ‘own’ (err group) aircraft and become totally familiar with it – you know where everything is and everything falls automatically to hand – leaving you to focus on flying. Conversely, you certainly do realise how the workload increases when you have to think then search for specific instruments and controls etc.
That’s how it is with the Arrow, well, that and the fact that it is about 25kts faster!
Anyway, decided to give myself a solo general handling. Since it is so much faster, I decided on a longer route for a one hour local. First down the Severn to the bridges, then up the Wye valley to Hereford, over the top of the Malverns, around Bredon hill, a couple of orbits of my village, then set up for an approach to Gloucester.
The weather was forecast to be wonderful sunshine and clear skies. So of course it was overcast with SCT at between 1800’ – 2500’ and OVC at 4000’! You know, the typical ‘high pressure gloom’ that you can get. QNH was 1027.
So set off and settled down. Moments of ‘head in cockpit’ checking and setting various bits, only to look up and realise that the ground had disappeared – oops! Nose down for a bit and ground reappears! If worse came to worse of course, I would have to have climbed on instruments then requested an instrument approach to Gloucester, but didn’t fancy that being both rusty and in an unfamiliar aircraft.
Found myself constantly ‘bumping my head’ on the cloudbase until closer to Evesham, when I could just manage 2500’.
Headed towards my village and slowed the aircraft down to do a few orbits around the outside at 1400’. Spotted that my neighbour (my regular flying companion) had literally just returned from holiday and was waving, so waggled the wings, gave it another orbit, then wandered away to gain height prior to rejoin at Gloucester. Could see a balloon in the distance launching from the racecourse – that’s the balloon festival I was expecting.
Wandered back to Bredon Hill, set myself up, listened to the ATIS and gave Gloucester a call. Would I like a direct approach? Yes, why not. Given direct to 27 report at 3 miles.
Started to slow the aircraft down at 5 miles. At 3 miles, given number 1. With the doughnut nicely in view, completed my pre-landing checks and lowered the gear. Got it nicely set up with some flap, but still pretty high – four whites on the PAPI’s – hmmm. Now about two miles. Pull on all the flap, set to fully fine and throttle back. There goes the doughnut. Its coming in now, three white and one pink, no - make that a red. Now a second pink – nice, power up a bit and hold this. Sometimes I swear I find it easier to land without PAPI’s, it’s too easy to get fixated by what they are telling you.
Can I put it on the number? No forget that, concentrate on giving it the full hold-off treatment and try to touch on the buzzer. Manage a good hold-off with a nice, light touchdown, but no stall horn – oh well! With minimal wind, I just miss the runway intersection (might have made it if I had stomped on the brakes, but why do that?). So I have to trundle to the end and make the long taxi back to stand.
Park up and shut down. Into the club to complete their tech log and charge envelope. OK, got all that. And the bad news is….. total for 1 hour 5 minutes plus one landing is £175 odd! Ouch – this club stuff is going to kill me! The sooner I am back in a share the better!
So what did I learn?
Well, weather pretty murky and didn’t get much of a horizon, but I did get it trimmed nicely and managed to hold the level most of the time (until I put my head in the cockpit that is).
I have definitely got the hang of the ‘Red / Green / Blue’ check on finals and of course how vital it is on a retractable gear aircraft – especially when you are given a ‘direct to final’ join. It would be easy to forget to do the downwind checks – and we all know how missing both checks would end up!
The big difference is the speed. Going from the training PA28’s at 95kts to the TB10 at 105 – 110kts wasn’t too tough speed wise (handling and landing were another matter). But going from 105kts to 130-135kts is a fair old step. It is gratifying how soon your waypoints come up, but it is also alarming how quickly you can be on top of the destination airfield.
All in all, a good flight and feeling on top of the aircraft by the end of it. Yes, I do really like the Arrow 2 as a tourer – a bit agricultural, but nice. All the familiarity of the PA28 with a nice turn of speed and the same fuel burn as the TB10. Of course it is not my ‘dream plane’ (hmmm…. Cirrus SR22, Beech Bonanza….), but as an affordable tourer – yes please!
The next door neighbour is complaining that with one thing and another, he has not been flying with me for nearly six months. So I had better schedule the next local to include him. At these sorts of prices, I think my flying will be in a holding pattern until the insurance is sorted out and I can get into another share.
