Teller1900
En-Route
I had my last flight in the Beech 1900 (again) tonight. Actually, I had my first last flight last week, but then they pushed our class back a week and I got put on this two day trip out of Albany. This one is for real, though, I'm almost certain.
It was a great day for flying. I over-nighted last night in the Hilton at the Boston Airport with a late start this afternoon in BOS. I got to sleep in, a bit before getting Dunkin' Donuts on my way through security. Unfortunately we were in 191, the one plane in the fleet that I really can't land smoothly. I come in on speed and on slope, pull the power out early, and the thing still floats halfway down the touchdown zone before plopping onto the runway. Fortunately, no else can land it either, so I know it's not just me.
I was flying with a brand new captain, literally...this was his first flight off IOE. I met him two weeks ago at LGA when I was down for my recurrent sim training. He's a real nice guy, funny, and lots of fun to fly with. As a former Cape Air captain he's a pretty good stick, too. Nevertheless, it's a little fun to be the senior guy in the plane and know (a very little) more than the captain (they always forget the autofeather
).
We did a RKD/AUG turn before our two hours of "airport appreciation" time in BOS. I took the landings in AUG and BOS...not bad landings, but nothing to write home about - they were both floater/plunkers. After a quick dinner we had to take a van ride over to the other side of the airport to pick up 152 for the last flight of the night to Albany. We put 16 people in the back and pushed 5 early for the quick ride. It was my leg, and with almost 30 bags in the back we're close to MTOW.
Despite the heavy load, the 1900 didn't hesitate when I dropped the brakes and pushed the props up on the governors. At 123kts I hear the only words you want to hear when traveling this fast on a runway: "V-1, rotate." And up we go. There's a high over cast at about 14,000 today, so the air is nice and smooth below. It's fairly cool out, only in the 70s, so we're making a decent 2700 fpm climb at 160kts. We're filed at 8, but Bradley approach wants us at 10, so we cruise up in the nose bleed section until Albany gives us their patented slam-dunk approach. It takes 2000 fpm down to get onto the visual glide slope. In true 1900 style, I hold 200 kts to five miles, then throw the parachute out and configure. Flaps 35 come at 700 feet for the stabilized approach, and I make a slow speed reduction as we cross the fence.
At 50 feet I start pulling the power levers the last four inches back to flight idle. At 10 feet I start pulling the nose up and dip the right wing into the light 8 knot cross wind. A little left rudder and some more right aileron and the plane drops about a food. A quick pull on the yoke and I can feel the plane level off. Another yank back and I drop the wing just enough to gently touch the right main on runway 1's 1500 foot marker. No float at all. I ease the pressure on the aileron and the left main rolls onto the concrete. I push the ailerons fully to the right and pull the yoke to my chest to keep the nose up. At 100 kts, the nose wheel drops and I ease the power levers over the flight idle gate into beta. I tap the brakes, then - for the sake of doing it one last time - I pull the power levers up and over the gates into reverse. All the way back to the bottom of the throttle quadrant. The engines spool up again and the plane slows through 40kts. I push the power back to ground idle and take "Charlie to the ramp." The captain lets me taxi in to the gate where I pull up on the plunger to set the parking break for the last time.
We let the people off, then taxi the plane over to the company hanger where it spends the night. As we round the corner into the alley, there it is, right next to our parking spot...the DHC-8-400Q. Side by side, the (very) old, and the shiny new. I go home tomorrow for two days, then it's off to St. Louis for a month and a half for transition training. Should be fun. Nothin' gonna be as fun as the Mighty Beech was, though.
It was a great day for flying. I over-nighted last night in the Hilton at the Boston Airport with a late start this afternoon in BOS. I got to sleep in, a bit before getting Dunkin' Donuts on my way through security. Unfortunately we were in 191, the one plane in the fleet that I really can't land smoothly. I come in on speed and on slope, pull the power out early, and the thing still floats halfway down the touchdown zone before plopping onto the runway. Fortunately, no else can land it either, so I know it's not just me.
I was flying with a brand new captain, literally...this was his first flight off IOE. I met him two weeks ago at LGA when I was down for my recurrent sim training. He's a real nice guy, funny, and lots of fun to fly with. As a former Cape Air captain he's a pretty good stick, too. Nevertheless, it's a little fun to be the senior guy in the plane and know (a very little) more than the captain (they always forget the autofeather
). We did a RKD/AUG turn before our two hours of "airport appreciation" time in BOS. I took the landings in AUG and BOS...not bad landings, but nothing to write home about - they were both floater/plunkers. After a quick dinner we had to take a van ride over to the other side of the airport to pick up 152 for the last flight of the night to Albany. We put 16 people in the back and pushed 5 early for the quick ride. It was my leg, and with almost 30 bags in the back we're close to MTOW.
Despite the heavy load, the 1900 didn't hesitate when I dropped the brakes and pushed the props up on the governors. At 123kts I hear the only words you want to hear when traveling this fast on a runway: "V-1, rotate." And up we go. There's a high over cast at about 14,000 today, so the air is nice and smooth below. It's fairly cool out, only in the 70s, so we're making a decent 2700 fpm climb at 160kts. We're filed at 8, but Bradley approach wants us at 10, so we cruise up in the nose bleed section until Albany gives us their patented slam-dunk approach. It takes 2000 fpm down to get onto the visual glide slope. In true 1900 style, I hold 200 kts to five miles, then throw the parachute out and configure. Flaps 35 come at 700 feet for the stabilized approach, and I make a slow speed reduction as we cross the fence.
At 50 feet I start pulling the power levers the last four inches back to flight idle. At 10 feet I start pulling the nose up and dip the right wing into the light 8 knot cross wind. A little left rudder and some more right aileron and the plane drops about a food. A quick pull on the yoke and I can feel the plane level off. Another yank back and I drop the wing just enough to gently touch the right main on runway 1's 1500 foot marker. No float at all. I ease the pressure on the aileron and the left main rolls onto the concrete. I push the ailerons fully to the right and pull the yoke to my chest to keep the nose up. At 100 kts, the nose wheel drops and I ease the power levers over the flight idle gate into beta. I tap the brakes, then - for the sake of doing it one last time - I pull the power levers up and over the gates into reverse. All the way back to the bottom of the throttle quadrant. The engines spool up again and the plane slows through 40kts. I push the power back to ground idle and take "Charlie to the ramp." The captain lets me taxi in to the gate where I pull up on the plunger to set the parking break for the last time.
We let the people off, then taxi the plane over to the company hanger where it spends the night. As we round the corner into the alley, there it is, right next to our parking spot...the DHC-8-400Q. Side by side, the (very) old, and the shiny new. I go home tomorrow for two days, then it's off to St. Louis for a month and a half for transition training. Should be fun. Nothin' gonna be as fun as the Mighty Beech was, though.
.
. The route structure for the Q seems to be ever changing. I wrote your freq in the front of my Jep binder, though, so if I do make it out that way I'll be sure to ask for you!