by Pete Schoeninger
© Copyright 2023. All rights reserved!
Published in Midwest Flyer Magazine October/November 2023 Digital Issue
Q: I have read that mechanical tachometers can have errors. Is that true?
A: Yes, some do, especially older ones. If errors occur, they are more likely seen at higher RPMs, with lower than actual readings. Your mechanic probably has an optical tachometer that could check your RPMs, or you can buy one for a couple hundred dollars that will indicate RPMs from inside or outside your cabin.
Q: You’ve said climbing at best angle of climb speed (Vx) is not a good idea unless absolutely needed to clear obstacles out of a short runway. Why?
A: In the unlikely event your engine fails, or even sneezes, you’ve got to immediately dump the nose down to prevent stalling. Since an engine failure right after takeoff is a complete surprise, many pilots will not do anything for a couple of seconds… too late to recover from a stall and impact with the ground. Some pilot operating handbooks (POHs) even caution that an engine failure at best angle of climb speed at low altitude is not recoverable.
Q: What do you notice “weak” pilots do, or don’t do, that are not often addressed by other publications? How about some real-world examples?
A: Just in my opinion, here are some things I have seen more than once that are dumb. I can say that because I am GUILTY of every one of them!
1.) Checking oil level with an oil dipstick, but not checking security of a filler cap. (Most Lycomings have a dipstick in the oil fill tube, but some Continentals have separate oil dipsticks and oil fill caps.) After checking oil on the dipstick and noting that the engine needs a quart of oil is good, but not checking that whoever added the oil, secured the cap, is dumb. Don’t ask me how I know.
2.) Taking off in a fixed-pitch prop airplane and not knowing what RPM to expect at the beginning of the takeoff run. A quick story if I may about this… When I once took off from a short runway in an airplane that was strange to me, the engine seemed sluggish but smooth. My passenger (a knowledgeable A and P mechanic) yelled at me to abort the takeoff, which I did. Later we did a full power runup, and sure enough, the engine was turning about 150 RPM less than it should have been, a figure I didn’t know at the time, but should have known. A collapsed muffler was the culprit. Had I known that the takeoff RPMs should have been about 2350 at the beginning of the takeoff run, rather than 2200 RPMs, I would have known that. Dumb me.
3.) Many folks way over control ailerons on final approach. You can see them furiously moving the wheel left and right quickly in slightly turbulent air. This stresses the control rigging, and is usually not necessary. In most airplanes, a little bit of rudder input, and less aileron control, yields a smoother ride.
4.) Not checking fuel quantity and quality after refueling. Before the first takeoff of the day, most pilots do a fuel sample check, and if possible, do a visual check for fuel cap security, and also look at the fuel gauges. But while on a cross-country flight at a refueling stop, many pilots do not. Another story about dumb Pete: Cherokee Six aircraft have four fuel tanks. Once, when ferrying a Six from Kentucky to St Louis, I stopped for fuel in southern Illinois. Both tip tanks were dry, so I asked the lineman to fill both tanks, and bring each main tank up to the 17-gallon tab. While the airplane was being filled, I went inside for a quick pit stop and pilot lunch from the vending machine. I settled up on my fuel bill and departed on the single runway with a strong left crosswind requiring almost full left aileron input. To my surprise, on liftoff with left deflection of the control wheel for the left crosswind, the left wingtip nearly scraped the runway. I immediately had to add about half right aileron deflection to hold the airplane level on climb out. Then it dawned on me to look at the fuel gauges. The lineman forgot to refuel the right tip tank, so I had a major imbalance of fuel. Had I checked the tanks visually, or checked the fuel gauges, or checked the fuel bill, I would have caught this potential problem.
5.) My last confession is about FAR Part 91.151, which requires a 30-minute fuel reserve for a daylight cross-country flight in good weather. On a four-hour flight, a little change in winds aloft can play havoc with your fuel reserve. I once landed a Lake Amphibian in the Atlanta area with less than 3 gallons of fuel remaining in the only fuel tank after a 3 ½ hour flight because the flight took about 15 minutes longer than planned. A planned 30-minute fuel reserve may make you legal, but in my opinion, it is rarely enough to be safe while on a trip. Winds change a little from what’s forecast, and many other things can go wrong delaying your arrival a little. Don’t cut it too close. Personally, I try to always have an hour of fuel onboard when I land. End of confessions!
Q: I have had my 1982 Cessna 172 for sale for 6 weeks with almost no response. Is the market dead? Would reducing the asking price $2500 help? Where should I look for help?
A: At the risk of being a wise guy, I will tell you to look in the mirror for sale help. IF you are advertising the airplane in at least three major places, including Midwest Flyer Magazine, and not getting a satisfactory response, your price is too high, period. A $2500 price reduction is not enough to prod buyers to jump on a roughly $100,000 asking price. If a buyer believed that you were only $2500 above what they felt your airplane was worth, they would offer $2500 less than your asking price. My suggestion is that you lower your price a significant amount of perhaps 10%. We are at the end of the post covid buying spree, and buyers are fewer than in recent times, but there is ALWAYS a demand for good Cessna 172s priced fairly. Since I got your question in the middle of August, which is the second slowest aviation sale month of the year, by the time readers see this column, we will be in the good market months of September and October. This should help.
Q: I recently moved my Cherokee 180 from Texas to Iowa. With winter approaching, the local FBO mechanic is recommending I change from straight 50 weight oil to multi weight oil, and have an engine preheater installed. I do plan on flying about 50 hours a month during winter months. Should I do either or both?
A: Two of the best inventions in the last 50 years for winter flying in my opinion are multi weight oil, and good electric (plug in) engine heaters. Yes, I urge you to get one and follow the manufacturer’s, and your mechanic’s, guidelines, and you’ll be a happy winter flyer.
Q: It appears to me that the Cessna 182 and 206 have a pretty similar wing area. Yet the 206 is allowed a higher gross weight. Why?
A: In addition to wing strength, aircraft performance requirements must be met to get an airplane certified, including minimum climb rates. In the C206, an additional 50 hp or so provides the extra climb power needed to haul the heavier load, and wider span flaps on the wing, help keep the stall speed down.
Q: A friend flies for an air taxi outfit in Alaska. He claims they are allowed to depart at 15% OVER gross weight under certain conditions. If this is true, is it a major gain for an operator?
A: FAR Part 91.323 has your answers. In a nutshell, the gross weight is approved ONLY for Part 121 and Part 135 operators on a case-by-case basis. So, Dave and Peg, vacationing in Alaska in your Cessna 182 Skylane (Part 91 pleasure pilots), you cannot operate over gross weight. These increases were primarily allowed so commercial operators could carry more fuel to remote destinations and still have some weight left over for payload.
Let’s play with some numbers: If we have an airplane that has an empty weight of 2000 pounds, and has a gross weight of 3000 pounds, useful load is 1000 pounds. Subtract 250 pounds or so for a pilot and survival gear, and payload (fuel and load) can be 750 pounds max. But if the airplane is approved for a 15% gross weight doing Part 135 air taxi operations, gross weight now could be 450 pounds higher, allowing a payload of 1200 pounds vs 750 pounds without the 15% gross weight approval. Again, note this is ONLY for Part 121 (airline) and Part 135 (air taxi) operations on a case-by-case basis by the feds.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Pete Schoeninger is a 40-year general aviation veteran, starting out as a line technician as a teenager, advancing through the ranks to become the co-owner and manager of a fixed base operation, and manager of an airport in a major metropolitan community. Pete welcomes questions and comments about aircraft ownership via email at PeterSchoeningerLLC@gmail.com
DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this column is the expressed opinion of the author. Readers are urged to seek the advice of others, including flight instructors, licensed aircraft technicians, airport managers, fixed base operators, and state and federal officials. Neither the author, Midwest Flyer Magazine, Flyer Publications, Inc., or their staffs, employees or advertisers assume any liability for the accuracy or content of this column or any other column or article in this publication.
