by Pete Schoeninger
Q) To be on my friend’s Cessna 206 insurance policy as a named pilot, their underwriter is requiring me to get 10 hours of dual instruction including at least 10 takeoff and landings at gross weight. I just got my private license and have about 90 hours, all in a Cessna 152. As such, I have flown the C152 light (me alone) and at gross (with a passenger and full fuel) and not noticed a huge difference in performance. Why would the underwriters be so strict on the C206 checkout?
A) The C206 has roughly twice the gross weight of your C152, and more than twice as much power. So, it is much faster, heavier, and frankly a lot more to handle. While the load in your C152 might vary by 15% of gross weight, in a C206, it could vary as much as 40% of gross weight. Believe me, in the C206, there is a major difference in performance and handling characteristics at gross weight vs light weight…. much more so than the difference you have noted in your C152. The same is true in other six-seat airplanes like the Saratoga and A36 Bonanza.
Also be aware the checkout makes you eligible to be a named pilot on the owner’s policy. That means if you smack the C206, the owner’s interest is covered. But you have NO COVERAGE for any liabilities you might incur if you smack something with or to that airplane. I would suggest calling your friend’s or another aviation insurance agent and inquire how you might cover yourself when flying the C206, or other planes not owned by you.
Q) I have read and heard there have been changes of used airplane values the past several years. Can you give specific examples:
A) Yes, used airplane values have held, or even gained some in value, contrary to typical history. With a little help from my friends at www.aircraftbluebook.com, see the following on the retail price of a 2014 Cessna 172 Skyhawk and 2014 Beech A36 Bonanza:
Q) In a saloon near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, a group of older pilots were telling flying stories about the St. Louis area. Their discussion was about who was first to fly thru the Arch, and what student at Parks College threw his calculus textbook in the Mississippi River from an airplane after finally passing calculus? You have said you spent some time around there at Parks College… do you recall anything?
A) I can say with perhaps 80% certainty that the first airplane to fly thru the Arch was an Aero Commander owned and flown by a well-known radio personality. This was before transponders, so there was never proof where they landed after the event and thus no proof as to who did it.
At Parks College (in E. St. Louis), you had three tries at Calculus 1, and the same for Calculus 2. If you did not get a C by the third time in each class, you were tossed out. A dummy I know intimately barely got a C on his third try in Calculus 1, and the same in Calculus 2. An hour after getting the news that he finally was going to get a C in Calculus 2, and thus graduate, he and another guy in the same predicament rented a Cessna 172 and flew south, down the Mississippi River about 20 miles. They both tossed their calculus books out the window into the river. So yes, with 100% certainty, it is a true story.
Q) With Winter coming, you recommend removing wheel pants if equipped on fixed gear airplanes. Did you practice what you preached?
A) Yes, on every airplane I bought for our FBOs rental and training fleet, I removed wheel pants. On a resale airplane, if it had wheel pants on, I usually left them on unless it was winter. The pants came off the rental airplanes so students, and mechanics, could better see the condition of wheels, tires and brakes. It also saved an hour or so at each maintenance inspection. And under some conditions of snow/slop/temperature, snow and slop will freeze in the wheel pant, preventing the wheel from turning, possibly causing a loss of control on landing.
Q) I have seen some pilots put duct tape over part of the cooling inlets in the front of their engine cowlings in the winter to allow the engine to run a little warmer. Is that a good thing to do?
A) Generally, you’re much better off, and legal, by installing manufacturer recommended baffles in certain temperature ranges. On some older airplanes, there are no specific baffles, and in that case, possibly taping off a bit of cool air entrance might be okay, but be sure to check with your mechanic first. You can do damage if done improperly.
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., 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.
© Copyright 2024. All rights reserved!