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Hi All
I’m not a genuine ‘Bearhawker’.
The only plane I’ve ever built was a paper dart to fill in time at school.
I don’t profess to know the Bearhawk intimately. When folk start talking part numbers and build techniques I find myself a long way out of my depth.
I enjoy the forums, but don’t participate much.
My relationship with Bearhawks only goes back about seven years when a close family member (Dad) purchased a flying four-place. During this time I’m very fortunate to have been allowed to fly ZK-FHR regularly gaining about 150 hours.
As a career commercial pilot, I’ve spent 23 years flying a variety of different types including about 1500hrs tailwheel in types like Cessna180/185 Maule, Glastar, Bearhawk and almost 1000hrs in DC3’s. Often flying with heavy loads in challenging scenarios.
GA pilots say ‘bloody airline pilots’. Airline pilots say ‘bloody private pilots’.
Giving regular flight instruction in GA as my airline career continues with Air New Zealand has me defending both sides and trying to take the best of each side to pass on some techniques and philosophy’s in my instruction.
Ab-initio flight training isn’t really my favourite, I’m far more interested in extending and consolidating pilots skills in the playground that New Zealand has to offer. The mountains, valleys, and airstrips we enjoy are awesome.
But they all require respect, as do the aircraft we operate.
My teaching is typically with a private owner, in their own aircraft or one they operate regularly.
As a flight instructor, my efforts go into the philosophy, mindset and decision making in that pilots operation, as much as the technical handling of an aircraft.
My lifetime has been spent around aviation. I’ve made a number of cock-up’s. I’ve seen a lot of stuff-up’s and I’ve heard some horrendous stories.
I’m simply lucky to have some interesting and varied experience with qualification to pass on to other pilots, but I’m no Bearhawk guru.
The Bearhawk is a great aircraft, but it’s not the perfect aircraft.
There’s no such thing as the perfect aircraft.
Like any aircraft the Bearhawk has its compromises, its pitfalls and its challenges.
The Bearhawk, like any any aircraft has a critical angle of attack. An angle of attack where the aerofoil will stall. A stalled wing is no use to us pilots, so we operate with a comfortable margin.
The Bearhawk has a powerful rudder. It takes some getting used too.
At slow speed, this is an asset for controllability.
At high speed, it can be a curse. Easy to over-control. Very easy to fly out of balance for extended periods of time.
One of the biggest risks from flying out of balance, especially at slow speed, which is often at low level (think base turn) is stalling out of balance. Using too much rudder in the turn (skid), and not having enough margin above the stall will induce a spin, and you will die if this happens at low level.
Fly with margin. Fly in balance.
Most aircraft don’t have sight-glass fuel indicators, but the Bearhawk does, and it’s a fascinating indication when out of balance.
The fuel system, as I understand it, has two ‘pickups’ on each main tank.
If one pickup becomes uncovered, the other should continue to gravity feed. If the other pickup becomes uncovered, we’re sucking air. The noisy engine goes quiet.
The only fright I’ve had in the bearhawk has been when neither of the pickups were covered. Taking off, with only minimal fuel in the tanks for a five minute flight to a nearby fuel pump, I elected to takeoff with fuel selected to the fullest tank. Turns-out, the rear pickup was blocked. With the nose raised to a climb attitude, the front pickup became exposed. Noisy IO540 went quiet. Engine Failure at Takeoff training has taught me to lower the nose. Pickup now covered and engine splutters into life. Phew.
Whilst this was a technical problem, with the blockage that was uncovered later, the same would happen if the fuel state was low. Not necessarily illegally low, but low enough that if flow out of balance, the pickups could be uncovered.
Fly with margin. Fly in balance.
Recently, directional control issues have made the headlines.
There’s a variety of reasons for these, but here’s what I pass on to folk doing a tailwheel rating (or checkout).
The first step is to understand the CofG location, being aft of the main wheels which is the reason for the tail sitting on the ground.
In any aircraft, the pivot point is an imaginary needle pointing vertically from between the main wheels. It’s only natural for the centre of gravity to want to be forward of the pivot point, and ‘drag’ the pivot behind.
That works perfectly for tricycle undercarriage aircraft, but unfortunately it means tailwheel aircraft would be directionally stable going backwards.
Tailwheel config aircraft are inherently directionally unstable.
The only way we can counter this instability is to keep four points in line
1 - CofG,
2 - the pivot point
3 - the nose of the aircraft
4 - the line of the airstrip.
In practical terms, we need to keep the aircraft straight. REALLY STRAIGHT.
Sounds simple. But it’s not. It takes practice. Lots of practise.
A couple of good exercises.
The aircraft must be flown accurately and with suitable margin.
Practise, practise, practise.
Following initial checkout I prescribe pilots to go out at least three times a week for the next 10 weeks and do five landings each time. 15 landings/week x10 = 150 landings. Good consolidation following intro to a new type.
This pilot is now current, and most importantly knows what currency feels like and be able to identify that feeling in the future.
It might sound expensive, but it’s the much cheaper than a damaged aircraft.
The skills learned in that 10 week period will be with that pilot for life.
Practise go-arounds. These are often seen as ‘abnormal’ by GA pilots.
A go-around is a normal manoeuvre.
Sometimes pilots don’t do a go-around for several years between flight reviews, and they get messy, fast.
I encourage new tailwheel pilots to stay away from tailwinds and sealed runways, especially with aft CofG and/or heavy aircraft.
The difference between landing with a five knot headwind vs tailwind is huge. The control surfaces are considerably more responsive in the critical stages of rollout with a headwind.
Avoid touch-n-goes.
In real life, we takeoff from a standstill and we land to a stop.
Practising the takeoff is just as important as practising the landing.
Applying full power, while almost stopped and tailwheel just off the ground is a very very tough time for directional control.
One aspect that is often overlooked and/or underemphasised is the use of Ailerons to assist in keeping the aircraft straight.
Keep pointing the aileron into wind.
As experience is gained you’ll find that you feel the change in direction even before you can see the nose move sideways. These get countered by smaller, earlier movements of rudder.
After a while, three key areas develop. Competency, Currency, Confidence.
It’s your job as a pilot in command to manage these aspects of the operation and make decisions appropriately. I cannot emphasise enough that deciding to operate with margin to spare is the best way to keep an aircraft in one piece.
Fly with margin. Fly in balance. Fly within your abilities.
I’m not a genuine ‘Bearhawker’.
The only plane I’ve ever built was a paper dart to fill in time at school.
I don’t profess to know the Bearhawk intimately. When folk start talking part numbers and build techniques I find myself a long way out of my depth.
I enjoy the forums, but don’t participate much.
My relationship with Bearhawks only goes back about seven years when a close family member (Dad) purchased a flying four-place. During this time I’m very fortunate to have been allowed to fly ZK-FHR regularly gaining about 150 hours.
As a career commercial pilot, I’ve spent 23 years flying a variety of different types including about 1500hrs tailwheel in types like Cessna180/185 Maule, Glastar, Bearhawk and almost 1000hrs in DC3’s. Often flying with heavy loads in challenging scenarios.
GA pilots say ‘bloody airline pilots’. Airline pilots say ‘bloody private pilots’.
Giving regular flight instruction in GA as my airline career continues with Air New Zealand has me defending both sides and trying to take the best of each side to pass on some techniques and philosophy’s in my instruction.
Ab-initio flight training isn’t really my favourite, I’m far more interested in extending and consolidating pilots skills in the playground that New Zealand has to offer. The mountains, valleys, and airstrips we enjoy are awesome.
But they all require respect, as do the aircraft we operate.
My teaching is typically with a private owner, in their own aircraft or one they operate regularly.
As a flight instructor, my efforts go into the philosophy, mindset and decision making in that pilots operation, as much as the technical handling of an aircraft.
My lifetime has been spent around aviation. I’ve made a number of cock-up’s. I’ve seen a lot of stuff-up’s and I’ve heard some horrendous stories.
I’m simply lucky to have some interesting and varied experience with qualification to pass on to other pilots, but I’m no Bearhawk guru.
The Bearhawk is a great aircraft, but it’s not the perfect aircraft.
There’s no such thing as the perfect aircraft.
Like any aircraft the Bearhawk has its compromises, its pitfalls and its challenges.
The Bearhawk, like any any aircraft has a critical angle of attack. An angle of attack where the aerofoil will stall. A stalled wing is no use to us pilots, so we operate with a comfortable margin.
The Bearhawk has a powerful rudder. It takes some getting used too.
At slow speed, this is an asset for controllability.
At high speed, it can be a curse. Easy to over-control. Very easy to fly out of balance for extended periods of time.
One of the biggest risks from flying out of balance, especially at slow speed, which is often at low level (think base turn) is stalling out of balance. Using too much rudder in the turn (skid), and not having enough margin above the stall will induce a spin, and you will die if this happens at low level.
Fly with margin. Fly in balance.
Most aircraft don’t have sight-glass fuel indicators, but the Bearhawk does, and it’s a fascinating indication when out of balance.
The fuel system, as I understand it, has two ‘pickups’ on each main tank.
If one pickup becomes uncovered, the other should continue to gravity feed. If the other pickup becomes uncovered, we’re sucking air. The noisy engine goes quiet.
The only fright I’ve had in the bearhawk has been when neither of the pickups were covered. Taking off, with only minimal fuel in the tanks for a five minute flight to a nearby fuel pump, I elected to takeoff with fuel selected to the fullest tank. Turns-out, the rear pickup was blocked. With the nose raised to a climb attitude, the front pickup became exposed. Noisy IO540 went quiet. Engine Failure at Takeoff training has taught me to lower the nose. Pickup now covered and engine splutters into life. Phew.
Whilst this was a technical problem, with the blockage that was uncovered later, the same would happen if the fuel state was low. Not necessarily illegally low, but low enough that if flow out of balance, the pickups could be uncovered.
Fly with margin. Fly in balance.
Recently, directional control issues have made the headlines.
There’s a variety of reasons for these, but here’s what I pass on to folk doing a tailwheel rating (or checkout).
The first step is to understand the CofG location, being aft of the main wheels which is the reason for the tail sitting on the ground.
In any aircraft, the pivot point is an imaginary needle pointing vertically from between the main wheels. It’s only natural for the centre of gravity to want to be forward of the pivot point, and ‘drag’ the pivot behind.
That works perfectly for tricycle undercarriage aircraft, but unfortunately it means tailwheel aircraft would be directionally stable going backwards.
Tailwheel config aircraft are inherently directionally unstable.
The only way we can counter this instability is to keep four points in line
1 - CofG,
2 - the pivot point
3 - the nose of the aircraft
4 - the line of the airstrip.
In practical terms, we need to keep the aircraft straight. REALLY STRAIGHT.
Sounds simple. But it’s not. It takes practice. Lots of practise.
A couple of good exercises.
- Balance a broom on one finger, with the broom head at the top. Your hands will be busy keeping the broom balanced, just like your rudder pedals.
- Go shopping. Next time you’re at a supermarket, push the trolley backwards. Then start running. The centre of gravity is aft of the pivot, just like in the aircraft. Your hands will be busy keeping the trolley straight, just like your rudder pedals in an aircraft.
The aircraft must be flown accurately and with suitable margin.
Practise, practise, practise.
Following initial checkout I prescribe pilots to go out at least three times a week for the next 10 weeks and do five landings each time. 15 landings/week x10 = 150 landings. Good consolidation following intro to a new type.
This pilot is now current, and most importantly knows what currency feels like and be able to identify that feeling in the future.
It might sound expensive, but it’s the much cheaper than a damaged aircraft.
The skills learned in that 10 week period will be with that pilot for life.
Practise go-arounds. These are often seen as ‘abnormal’ by GA pilots.
A go-around is a normal manoeuvre.
Sometimes pilots don’t do a go-around for several years between flight reviews, and they get messy, fast.
I encourage new tailwheel pilots to stay away from tailwinds and sealed runways, especially with aft CofG and/or heavy aircraft.
The difference between landing with a five knot headwind vs tailwind is huge. The control surfaces are considerably more responsive in the critical stages of rollout with a headwind.
Avoid touch-n-goes.
In real life, we takeoff from a standstill and we land to a stop.
Practising the takeoff is just as important as practising the landing.
Applying full power, while almost stopped and tailwheel just off the ground is a very very tough time for directional control.
One aspect that is often overlooked and/or underemphasised is the use of Ailerons to assist in keeping the aircraft straight.
Keep pointing the aileron into wind.
As experience is gained you’ll find that you feel the change in direction even before you can see the nose move sideways. These get countered by smaller, earlier movements of rudder.
After a while, three key areas develop. Competency, Currency, Confidence.
It’s your job as a pilot in command to manage these aspects of the operation and make decisions appropriately. I cannot emphasise enough that deciding to operate with margin to spare is the best way to keep an aircraft in one piece.
Fly with margin. Fly in balance. Fly within your abilities.
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