Nav8tor
Line Up and Wait
I recently joined the flying club at Willow Grove NAS mainly to fly their two T-34 Mentors. The past two weekends I got some dual as part of the checkout. To be checked out I’ll need a minimum of five hours time in type and flights with two instructors.
Before the first flight I had read through the NATOPs (Navy talk for POH) to learn AC systems and procedures. The morning that we had scheduled the first flight turned out to be rainy with low ceilings so we spent a hour on cockpit familiarization with me sitting in the front cockpit and the instructor standing on the wing, sometimes holding an umbrella over us both, while he explained the cockpit layout and went thought the preflight and engine start checklist. Although it’s a military airplane most of the controls and instruments were familiar. The main differences from what I’m used to are more a function of the airplanes age. It was built in the 1950s and the panel’s been upgraded somewhat, but most of the instruments are not in the standard layout. One difference is that it has automatic mixture metering so you leave the mixture lever full forward until it’s time to shut down the engine. Another difference, which I find annoying, is that you need to push a button on top of the throttle lever to talk on the intercom. It’s real easy to confuse it with the transmit button on the *side* of the throttle, a fact I would later discover when I making some dumb comment intended for the instructor but broadcast on the tower frequency.
The next day was the first flight which was mainly to help me get comfortable with the airplane.After takeoff, the first thing I noticed was how loud the engine noise was in the cockpit. It was so loud I thought my ANR headset was turned off. I fiddled with the switch turning it off and back on but it had little effect. I mentioned it to the instructor and he told me he wears earplugs under his headset (the next time I flew it I used my older, passive headset and it was noticeably quieter).
Out to the practice area we went so I could do some basic 4-fundimentals flying, just turning, climbing and descending to get a feel for the airplane. The controls are amazingly well balanced and it flies like a much lighter airplane (except when you pull the power
). After that we when went back to Willow Grove for some touch and goes.
The next week, for my second flight, we did high airwork, stalls, slowflight, steep turns etc and then more landings. We did a few at a 3000 ft long uncontrolled field and then back to Willowgrove for more. For a couple of them we went up to 2000 agl and the instructor pulled the power abeam the numbers. The gear and flaps were out and the thing came down like a rock. There was just enough altitude for one 360° turn.
It's a fun airplane to fly and I'll hopefully be checked out in in after another flight or two.
Below are some photos from my the day of my first flight. I didn’t take in flight cause I kinda had my hands full.
Before the first flight I had read through the NATOPs (Navy talk for POH) to learn AC systems and procedures. The morning that we had scheduled the first flight turned out to be rainy with low ceilings so we spent a hour on cockpit familiarization with me sitting in the front cockpit and the instructor standing on the wing, sometimes holding an umbrella over us both, while he explained the cockpit layout and went thought the preflight and engine start checklist. Although it’s a military airplane most of the controls and instruments were familiar. The main differences from what I’m used to are more a function of the airplanes age. It was built in the 1950s and the panel’s been upgraded somewhat, but most of the instruments are not in the standard layout. One difference is that it has automatic mixture metering so you leave the mixture lever full forward until it’s time to shut down the engine. Another difference, which I find annoying, is that you need to push a button on top of the throttle lever to talk on the intercom. It’s real easy to confuse it with the transmit button on the *side* of the throttle, a fact I would later discover when I making some dumb comment intended for the instructor but broadcast on the tower frequency.
The next day was the first flight which was mainly to help me get comfortable with the airplane.After takeoff, the first thing I noticed was how loud the engine noise was in the cockpit. It was so loud I thought my ANR headset was turned off. I fiddled with the switch turning it off and back on but it had little effect. I mentioned it to the instructor and he told me he wears earplugs under his headset (the next time I flew it I used my older, passive headset and it was noticeably quieter).
Out to the practice area we went so I could do some basic 4-fundimentals flying, just turning, climbing and descending to get a feel for the airplane. The controls are amazingly well balanced and it flies like a much lighter airplane (except when you pull the power
). After that we when went back to Willow Grove for some touch and goes. The next week, for my second flight, we did high airwork, stalls, slowflight, steep turns etc and then more landings. We did a few at a 3000 ft long uncontrolled field and then back to Willowgrove for more. For a couple of them we went up to 2000 agl and the instructor pulled the power abeam the numbers. The gear and flaps were out and the thing came down like a rock. There was just enough altitude for one 360° turn.
It's a fun airplane to fly and I'll hopefully be checked out in in after another flight or two.
Below are some photos from my the day of my first flight. I didn’t take in flight cause I kinda had my hands full.
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Guess I know what you'll be flying the rest of the year and next 
