Multi-engine instruction...Mission Impossible?

[BKlott]

It started back in 1990 while I was completing my Commercial ticket training. The FBO at the airport where I based my Grumman Cheetah had acquired a Twin Comanche that had been sitting for some time. They pulled it into the maintenance hangar and started working on it. They even put a couple of remanufactured engines into it and placed it on the rental line.

As a reward for passing my check ride, I treated myself to an hour of dual in the twin. Two things stand out from that lesson. First, I was so far behind that thing that we were climbing through 1,100 feet when my CFI suggested that it might be a good time to start our turn to crosswind. Second was the fluctuating fuel pressure gauge on one engine during our pre flight run up. After landing, my Dad commented that when we flew across the field to switch the pattern due to changing winds, “that thing sounded awful”.

Maybe that is why we cut the lesson short at .7 and my CFI had me park the plane in front of the maintenance hangar instead of at the fuel pumps as we would normally do. It turns out that the fuel pressure fluctuated and the plane sounded “awful” due to the fact that the intake manifold on one engine was loose. I didn’t fly the plane again before it was sold to a new private owner.

Some years later, at the same airport, I watched a Cessna 310 lose it’s right engine at rotation. He elected to continue the takeoff and it did not turn out so well. He killed himself, his wife and their teenage daughter in front of their relatives who they had just spent the weekend with and had delivered them to the airport. I will never forget the woman on the ramp going berserk or the color of that column of smoke rising from behind the tree line West of the field.

In 2004 I decided to try to overcome my fear of twins and scheduled a lesson in a Seminole. Had a good lesson, made a good landing for my first try and it didn’t really bother me being in the airplane...once we got the takeoff behind us. I guess the $400+ bill for .9 must have discouraged me from pursuing it further at that time. My log books still reflect a whopping 1.6 hours of multi-engine time.

I am retired now, financially secure and starting to work on the bucket list while I still have the ability to do so. The Multi-engine Rating is on my list of “unfinished business”. I started studying again this year, watching videos and getting ready to schedule some lessons, only to find out that scheduling dual in a twin is nearly impossible to do.

After thoroughly considering the subject, I decided that I wanted to train in either a Duchess or possibly a Grumman Cougar. They are both known for docile handling characteristics, have upright seating positions which I prefer and would both be candidates for possible future ownership if I liked flying them and decided to go nuts.

I tried to contact an out of state school with a Cougar and a great reputation by filling out the contact page on their website. To date I have received no response.

Four local flight schools, by local I mean within two hours of driving time, offer training in a Duchess. I visited one school and asked to see their Duchess. The Manager asked the girl working the front desk to walk me out to the plane, which turned out to be beat up looking. While out there, she confided with me that “This plane has problems. Don’t be surprised if it goes down for maintenance during your training.” This was the replacement Duchess for the one that crashed following a power loss on departure during a check ride. The engine failed because the Bendix mag drive fell off the back of the engine. Want to fly there?

I checked the three other schools pricing. Two were comparable and one was $75 per hour more. I decided to schedule dual with the one that has two Duchesses available and had won the AOPA Best Flight School Award a few years ago. I called them up last Friday and told them that I was interested in getting my Multi-engine Rating and that I wanted to schedule some dual to get started. 

Silly me. That is how we used to do it but apparently that is not how you do it anymore. Now you have to leave your name and number because someone is in a meeting and they’ll call you back. Oh, they may not get back to you until Monday. They didn’t call back Friday or Monday so I guess I won’t be flying tomorrow as I had hoped.

Then I remembered that I had previously attempted to obtain information from this outfit before by completing their contact page on their website. Like the out of state FBO, they never replied either.

Maybe that is why the Leesburg outfit charges $75 per hour more than the others. At their school, you actually can get on the schedule and fly their airplane. That is probably worth $75 per hour right there.

The other outfit states that their average time to Rating is 15 hours, which probably is more a comment on the school than the students. They have some unfavorable reviews out there. Of course, they would be the closest and most convenient choice.

I have no idea how this story is going to turn out. In the olden days, renting airplanes and obtaining dual was so much easier. I can remember just walking in to the FBO at the old West Pasco Airport and asking if I could get checked out? The CFI was sitting behind the desk, grabbed the keys and off we went. The good old days...
 

 

[StevenL757]

I know what you mean, and I sincerely hope you find a way to get the rating soon.  It was a fun rating to get.  Challenging and rewarding.

[laytonl]

It is a fun rating to get.  Sanders Aviation in Jasper Al is good place to get your ME.  
 

https://sandersaviation.com/sanders-flight-training/

 

lee

[carusoam]

+1 for executing bucket list items...   

Single engine ops are supposed to be simulated... not actual...

Good luck finding the right combination BK!

I’m looking forward to your PIREP!

BK has great writing skills...

Best regards,

-a-

[mike_elliott]

Not far up the road from Hidden lake is Gudi Davis at Maj Tom Davis airport in Crystal River. Gudi is a superb instructor/DPE I love to use for applicants when ratings are sought. Their flight school has a twin of some nature on the line (dont remember what it is) but knowing Gudi and Tom, it is in excellent mx shape. They might not be the lowest when you look at the bottom line, but when you look above it, they are a very attractive offering

[Parker_Woodruff]

I always tell people to pick a place with two or more multi-engine aircraft of the same model in case one goes down on maintenance for a long period of time.  I can't tell you how frequently it happens.

[A64Pilot]

No one answers the phone anymore, the Dr. office no one, well I guess us old farts do but the rest of the world txts and sends emails.

‘Maybe it’s all of the Spam calls?

I guess you need to go there and see them, your going to do that anyway, I’d fly there at least then they know your st least a pilot.

The other thing about kids is they are unrealistic, worse than we were as kids, the kid that delivered propane to my house stated he was going to get his helicopter license. In other words it’s real likely 99 out of 100 calls are unrealistic dreamers, after awhile you just quit listening. 

Fly in in your airplane and you’ll probably get a different response.

[BKlott]

UPDATE*** Received a call from a CFI at the FBO I contacted. Looks like I am in business after all. I’ll keep you posted.

[moosebreath]

When I got mine you had to complete an approach on one engine under the hood to pass.  I missed it and had to do the missed and make it the second time ... on one engine under the hood.  I was beat!  Even a light Duchess at sea level does not climb very well on one engine.

I have no idea if you still have to do that or not.  Makes for a good story though.

[N201MKTurbo]

1 hour ago, moosebreath said:

When I got mine you had to complete an approach on one engine under the hood to pass.  I missed it and had to do the missed and make it the second time ... on one engine under the hood.  I was beat!  Even a light Duchess at sea level does not climb very well on one engine.

I have no idea if you still have to do that or not.  Makes for a good story though.

Yes, you do.

[ragedracer1977]

11 hours ago, moosebreath said:

When I got mine you had to complete an approach on one engine under the hood to pass.  I missed it and had to do the missed and make it the second time ... on one engine under the hood.  I was beat!  Even a light Duchess at sea level does not climb very well on one engine.

I have no idea if you still have to do that or not.  Makes for a good story though.

On my checkride, on a single engine approach to an airport id never been to, the tower started vectoring me off the ILS to make way for an airliner.  I told the DPE "I'm simulating an 'unable' call to ATC, BUT I'm going to comply. Do you want to give me my engine back or should I stay on one?" He left me on one and we flew a big teardrop back to the ILS.  

It was fun!

[PilotX]

Good that you are working the bucket list. So many pilots say "I've always wanted to do that...its on my bucket list" which in my experience usually refers to a seaplane rating. They never make the time. If it isn't on the calendar, it isn't going to happen. Sounds like your issue was getting it on the calendar through no fault of your won.

I did my comm multi at one school with a Seminole and my MEI at another school with two Seminoles, both with other peoples' money. Always use other peoples' money whenever possible.

Good luck.

[RJBrown]

Two years after getting my IFR I got my MEI in a Piper Aztec. 
Fun experience. On the check ride, single engine ILS 35R under the hood. Centennial APA

Dropped the gear and it didn’t give 3 green. At decision height the examiner said OK you pass. Cycled the gear and did a tower fly by to check if gear down.

We then circled and landed on 28. If there was a gear issue they didn’t want us fouling the main runway.

[thinwing]

did my multi in a duchess without unfeathering acumulators....on my check ride ,DPE failed left engine and I complete securing thr dead engine after the "dead foot,dead engine routine.etc...but had a devil of a time getting engine to unfeather during restart...it finally did and bird went into maintance to check govenor....I was happy to discover the Baron I purchased 3 months later had twice the climb rate and unfeathering acumulators

[BKlott]

UPDATE  Took my first lesson in the Duchess today. Really enjoyed flying it and like my CFI as well. The Duchess does have a bit more performance than my 172. So far the yaw and roll from simulating losing an engine is a non event. Very little rudder is required. The Duchess appears to be quite docile. We were maintaining altitude at 5,500 ft today with one engine idled and we started with a full fuel load. 

Another nice feature is the acceleration on takeoff. You accelerate through VMC of 65 knots, wait to rotate at 71 knots and you reach blue line of 85 knots in just a few seconds. Unless you’re executing a short field takeoff over an obstacle and elect to climb out at Vx of 71 knots, you can greatly minimize the amount of time you are airborne at less than blue line airspeed.

Not flying out of Orlando, who never did get me on their schedule. 

[BKlott]

UPDATE. Dreams can and do come true…even if you are 64 years old!

Today was an absolute blast. I earned my Multi engine rating down at Venice (VNC) this morning, then got to fly back to Leesburg as PIC. Special thanks to CFI Adam Jacques and all the nice people at Sunair Aviation, Leesburg Airport (LEE) who helped make my dream a reality.

[N201MKTurbo]

50 minutes ago, BKlott said:

UPDATE. Dreams can and do come true…even if you are 64 years old!

Today was an absolute blast. I earned my Multi engine rating down at Venice (VNC) this morning, then got to fly back to Leesburg as PIC. Special thanks to CFI Adam Jacques and all the nice people at Sunair Aviation, Leesburg Airport (LEE) who helped make my dream a reality.

They are a lot more fun to fly with both engines running!

[carusoam]

Congrats BK!

Best regards,

-a-