dmccormack
Touchdown! Greaser!
- Joined
- May 11, 2007
- Messages
- 10,945
- Location
- Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
- Display Name
Display name:
Dan Mc
I started flying with a Commercial Student this morning and it was my first time in a Beech Skipper.
I'm familiar with two ends of the Beech Line -- the 1947 BE35 (V tail) and 1980 A36. Those airplanes are both honest, solid, comfortable rides with great overall performance in every category.
The student led me around on a preflight and I asked lots of questions as I referenced the POH -- like other Beech handbooks, this one was complete -- almost voluminous.
The T-tail is an obvious difference, and though the airplane looks similar to the Piper Tomahawk, there are significant differences -- primary being the spin entry and recovery techniques.
I was struck by the overall diminutive appearance of the airplane -- it's really small. Everything seems to be in miniature -- even the gas caps.
I did like the twin doors and easy entry into the surprisingly wide cockpit. The panel in this airplane is very well appointed -- a standard Beech panel with a full Garmin stack including a GX20!
We taxied down and did the run up -- a fairly simple process in this O-235 equipped machine.
Soon we were centerline and rolling -- and rolling -- and rolling -- and rolling -- this is not a Bonanza. We rotated at 57 KIAS, the stall horn blared, we sorta hopped into the sky, and very gently started climbing. We were at pattern altitude 3 miles from the runway -- ouch.
The climb to 4000 took a while, then I asked for some slow flight. The airplane is definitely a trainer, taking the required attention to the rudder to keep things all lined up. In the stall it dropped a wing (as expected), but was not too disconcerting.
We did more slow flight, then clean, power on stall. More of the same.
Steep turns, steep spirals, etc were all predictable and honest. Best glide is 63 KIAS and we descended power idle at 500' FPM. Not bad.
On the way back at full throttle we saw 90 KIAS. This airplane won't be out of the white arc until you dive.
Landings were a bit more active as the little wings lose lift quickly near the stall. Elevator and rudder authority remained predictable.
Overall the Skipper is a very honest, solid trainer that requires active pilot input. It won't fly itself, and thus is not as stable a platform as a Bonanza, but has all of the traits one would expect in a VFR trainer.
5-6 GPH burn rate helps make this a very attractive alternative.
I'm familiar with two ends of the Beech Line -- the 1947 BE35 (V tail) and 1980 A36. Those airplanes are both honest, solid, comfortable rides with great overall performance in every category.
The student led me around on a preflight and I asked lots of questions as I referenced the POH -- like other Beech handbooks, this one was complete -- almost voluminous.
The T-tail is an obvious difference, and though the airplane looks similar to the Piper Tomahawk, there are significant differences -- primary being the spin entry and recovery techniques.
I was struck by the overall diminutive appearance of the airplane -- it's really small. Everything seems to be in miniature -- even the gas caps.
I did like the twin doors and easy entry into the surprisingly wide cockpit. The panel in this airplane is very well appointed -- a standard Beech panel with a full Garmin stack including a GX20!
We taxied down and did the run up -- a fairly simple process in this O-235 equipped machine.
Soon we were centerline and rolling -- and rolling -- and rolling -- and rolling -- this is not a Bonanza. We rotated at 57 KIAS, the stall horn blared, we sorta hopped into the sky, and very gently started climbing. We were at pattern altitude 3 miles from the runway -- ouch.
The climb to 4000 took a while, then I asked for some slow flight. The airplane is definitely a trainer, taking the required attention to the rudder to keep things all lined up. In the stall it dropped a wing (as expected), but was not too disconcerting.
We did more slow flight, then clean, power on stall. More of the same.
Steep turns, steep spirals, etc were all predictable and honest. Best glide is 63 KIAS and we descended power idle at 500' FPM. Not bad.
On the way back at full throttle we saw 90 KIAS. This airplane won't be out of the white arc until you dive.
Landings were a bit more active as the little wings lose lift quickly near the stall. Elevator and rudder authority remained predictable.
Overall the Skipper is a very honest, solid trainer that requires active pilot input. It won't fly itself, and thus is not as stable a platform as a Bonanza, but has all of the traits one would expect in a VFR trainer.
5-6 GPH burn rate helps make this a very attractive alternative.
