Getting to know you

I spent hours preparing for the flight. I read through the pilot’s operating handbook (POH) to get familiar with systems, V-speeds, emergency procedures, takeoff performance, weight and balance, and so on. I spent time just sitting in the front seat familiarizing myself with the location of the controls, switches, instruments, and air vents. I spent time looking over the exterior of the airplane and getting familiar with the various components and control surfaces.

This airplane was different from what I was used to. Most of my tailwheel time is in Super Cubs with larger-than-stock tires and Cessna 170Bs with 22-inch and 26-inch tires. If I hop in a 170 and fly 3.5 more hours, I’ll have more time in 170s than in the 172s I did my primary training in. But the stance is significantly more nose-high in those aircraft than in the Citabria, and the sight picture was quite different with incredible visibility over the nose while on the ground. The switches were in different places. In the 170, they’re all in front of me on the main instrument panel, and in the Super Cub, they’re on the right side above my shoulder. In the Citabria, they’re above my shoulder on the left.

This is a great example as to why it is so important to become familiar with systems and emergency procedures when transitioning to a new airplane. If something happens, you don’t always have time to pull the POH out of the seatback pocket and flip through it.

I flew with AOPA Editor at Large Dave Hirschman, an experienced flight instructor, for my checkout. He briefed me about the airplane’s characteristics—and its quirks, specifically a tendency for a sharp left wing drop in this particular airframe during the stall that could quickly develop into a spin. Our plan was to take off, head to the practice area, and give me some time to get familiar with the airplane’s feel. Afterward, we’d work through maneuvers and finish off the flight with some laps around the pattern.

The specific details of the flight aren’t as important. We did some Dutch rolls to get a feel for the airplane’s control harmony and did all the usual “checkout things.” We did stalls with and without power and with and without flaps, slow flight, turning stalls, emergency procedures, simulated engine-out landing, go-arounds, and three-point landings. Hirschman even gave me a couple spins to contend with (my first). And that attitude I mentioned earlier? It was even more evident when my first three-point landing resulted in the tailwheel touching down first. Hirschman told me that he was OK with it because it was safe; the angle of attack would only decrease from that point.

Why did I gloss over the flight’s details? Because a one-hour flight may check the boxes on paper, but checking boxes doesn’t equal proficiency. Sure, I’ve got a decent amount of tailwheel time, but I still plan to fly with another CFI to get a different perspective on learning this new-to-me aircraft. I plan to do more solo flights to get proficient with it before I start taking passengers along. I’m going to take it to some short and soft fields to get comfortable with other-than-perfect conditions. I’m going to learn to land it in a true three-point attitude instead of tailwheel-first. I’m going to fly it when it’s not a perfectly calm spring day.

Get to know the cockpit layout, switches, and instruments. Spend time sitting in the other seat to get a passenger’s perspective in the unlikely case you need them to help with something. Talk to other pilots who are familiar with the aircraft and learn as much as you can about it. Fly with a CFI or two and truly get proficient with the aircraft. The checkout flight is simply the first step of an ongoing learning experience.

[email protected]