7KH May 2012 TWIN CESSNA)O\HU Featuring: The 310G at 50: Forever young twin cessna Stall-spin accidents two is better than one: 340 Move up readers write And much more...... 6XSSRUWLQJ7ZLQ&HVVQD2ZQHUV:RUOGZLGHVLQFH two is better than one by Eric Barfield, Hope Aviation Insurance “There I was” at 5,000 feet in our trusty mechanic-ese and too proud CE182, enroute to Charleston for a client to be exposed in a detailed visit. While admiring the Congaree discussion of things mechanical, Swamp’s winter-greyed hardwoods I just tell folks, “Uh, the engine from above on this clear December stopped working.” day, the engine went from running like a top to an oil-spewing geyser in the It didn’t take long for me to blink of an eye. In fact, as the plume imagine this having happened of oil was making its way out of the at night. Or in weather. Or cowling onto the windscreen, I couldn’t over the mountains. Or when declare an emergency fast enough. I wasn’t relatively fresh off Call the President, call somebody, call some in-aircraft training that everybody! We’re not going to make that included simulated engine- I’m fortunate that our company also operates a 340. meeting in Charleston today. out landings. I quickly did the With my intial training behind me, I’ll be spending math and now I’m a believer: whatever time it takes flying with a safety pilot to Two is better than one. This become “professional”. helps explain why the following month I found myself going through and fatigue. Interestingly, we also just Simcom’s initial CE340 course. While I learned during a recent safety briefing struggled to keep the simulator screen of two key barriers to professionalism from turning red, a very bright and very in the cockpit: pressure and fatigue. patient instructor, Charlie Bukoski, sat (Professionalism is on the NTSB’s somewhere behind me concocting all current Most Wanted List, along with sorts of nonsense to display on the panel general aviation safety, since GA in front of me. A former F-4 driver, and accounted for 450 of the 472 aviation therefore godlike in my eyes, Charlie fatalities in 2010.) For these reasons and deserves a medal for putting up with more, I will be flying the CE340 “dual my incessant questions and ham-fisted only” until I’m more comfortable, have flying during those few days in January. more experience and fly more regularly. On one occasion, Charlie had to “step Are there any insurance lessons in all of out for a second” and told me to just this? A few, actually: keep flying until he got back. Gladly, I thought; stay gone an hour so I can rest. • Insurance doesn’t respond when you In the blink of an eye, my windscreen was have an emergency landing with covered with oil. While I made a successful But, of course, it couldn’t be that easy. Sure enough, after a minute or two, no damage. Think of it like this: If emergency landing, I quickly became a you’re driving down the interstate “believer” in twins. the right engine oil pressure goes limp and the temperature is rising. Time to and your car engine seizes, you pull So throttle to idle then a quick check shut her down. When Charlie got back, off the road and call a mechanic, not of the “Nearest” feature on the Garmin he innocently asked, “What did you do the insurance company. (Insurance 430 to confirm that the 9,000 feet while I was gone?” I told him how hard only responds if there is bodily of concrete I had passed earlier at it was to shut down a perfectly-running McEntire Air National Guard Base was engine. But that’s why the other one indeed the closest field. Providentially is there. Two is better than one. The at about ten miles distant, it was within Simcom training was total immersion gliding range. After rolling the fire and, being away from the distractions of trucks, the tower controller asked if I work and home, the perfect environment needed anything and I replied, “Not for learning. unless you have windshield wipers.” He didn’t. At least the window was big So now I’m all trained up on our enough to hang my head out for the CE340 and ready to go, never more landing, Ace-Ventura style. The official to worry about scary engine failures, cause for the oily mess was that the #3 right? Not so fast. Remember, I learned bearing slipped, causing the front two two is better than one. That’s not only Simcom Instructor and intrepid warrior, rods to lose oil pressure. This caused true for motors. To me, it’s also true Charlie Bukoski. This mission about 40 one of those rods to punch a hole in the for pilots. An analysis of our shop’s years ago was likely much easier than crankcase, resulting in a very large oil fledgling SMS data shows our top three the one he had teaching me to fly a 340 in leak. Not being very understanding of risk factors are currency, pressure January 2012! 16 | TWINCESSNA.ORG From the editor injury or property damage – not mechanical failure alone.) (continued from page 9) • Underwriters prefer annual born in an era when only a competent, busiest times- Friday afternoon was the simulator-based training in well-trained human could safely fly an worst- you could wait for an hour or complex aircraft for good reason. airplane. Future generations will miss more to get a clearance to depart. But The emergencies that can be safely out on the joy and satisfaction that our now that I’ll be flying personally, I’ll be simulated, the repetition without generation of pilots has experienced. better able to avoid the busy times, so worrying about engine wear, fuel That’s sad, but there’s no holding back I’m pretty certain that when we visit burn or ATC delays, the ability to progress. New York, we’ll be flying into KTEB. take a break, detox and head right Since it’s been a while since I’ve flown back into the simulator or classroom Teterboro Safety there, I was delighted to stumble across all make for an ideal learning Video an excellent FAA video designed to brief environment. I also recommend pilots on the airport and its specific some in-aircraft training at the six- safety procedures. Most useful are the month mark as a minimum to help My oldest son graduates from college keep you at the top of your game. this month. After that, he heads to New York City for a two-year stint (continued on p. 29) • Underwriters give their best rates with Teach For to two-pilot operations for good America. My reason, too. Even though Twin wife and I have Cessnas were designed for safe always liked single-pilot operations, taking along visiting New a trusted co-pilot on some trips is York, so we’re a good risk mitigation tool to keep looking forward in your bag on those days when you to traveling (!24:%,, 02/0 #/.6%23)/.3 &/2 #%33.!3 discover two might indeed be better there frequently than one. to visit John. It’s about a 2.7 hour flight in the Crusader. In a prior life, I worked for a New York !LL KITS INCLUDE A BLADED PROPELLER UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED based company and flew my T310R there 182 Skylane (2 & 3-blade) often. I tried 170A, B, 172 & 175 w/O-360 208-208B Caravan all the airports (2-blade) 106” (3-blade) 96” (4-blade) in the area: White Plains A185E & F (KHPN), Long Island (KISP), R172K Hawk XP 210-210C, 205, & 205A (2-blade) Teterboro 210K-N (3-blade) (KTEB), Essex A188 County, NJ (KCDW) and 177B, 177RG Cardinal 310-310H & E310H Morristown, (2-blade) Eric Barfield is a Certified Aviation NJ (KMMU). 206 & T206 Insurance Professional (CAIP) with Of all of them, Hope Aviation Insurance, a national Teterboro 310I-R & T310 aviation insurance brokerage firm was the most 180 convenient and 207 & T207 specializing in business aircraft. He Improvements over two- Improvements over two the airport I TOP PROP is a Commercial pilot and currently bladed props: Better take- and other three-bladed serves as Vice Chair of the NBAA Safety flew into most off and climb performance. props: Longer TBO than Dramatically lower noise Committee and Chair of the South frequently. many McCauley props Convenient, levels. Improved appearance. (2,400 hour/6 year). All Carolina Aviation Safety Council. Hope Improved ground clearance PERFORMANCE conversions include a new CONVERSIONS Aviation operates Cessna 182 and but busy! and reduced blade tip erosion.. polished spinner. Cessna 340 aircraft. Airplanes were shoehorned in | @ | at the FBO’s. During the TOPPROP HARTZELLPROPCOM WWWHARTZELLPROPCOM THE TWIN CESSNA FLYER • MAY 2012 | 17 .