|
|
|
|
Familiarization with aircraft, engine, and controls (without inflatable parachute)
Set up and pre-flight your aircraft, just as if you were going to fly except without the parachute installed. Dress for flight (helmet, goggles, the works) and get in. Put on your lap belt and shoulder harness. Make yourself comfortable. Adjust your shoulder harness, tight enough so you can’t be thrown forward, but loose enough to reach the controls. The seat belt must be snug. Work the controls and think about their effect on the plane in flight. Push right to go right – left to go left. This is a difficult lesson if other people are around, because they won’t think you’re doing anything. The urge to perform is a great one. It’s part of our cultural heritage. Just having a neighbor kid who wants to hear the engine run is enough to cause most people to breeze right through this step. Please don’t.
The purpose of this step is to make you feel at home in the aircraft. It can save you from having to think where a control is when you need it. Move the controls and think about what they do. Work the throttle, switch the ignition, move the foot steering bars forward and back. Watch what happens and think about how it controls your flight.
Get out, walk away, take a break. After a short break, get back in the plane. Before you leave this step you must know your aircraft like the inside of your car. How long would you last on the highway if you had to hunt around for the brake pedal?
There’s another advantage to spending plenty of time on this step. This is the only part of your flight training where you can’t easily get hurt. So relax. Get the feel of things.
One quick quiz before you move on. Get out and wander around a bit. Walk back to the aircraft, close your eyes and get in. Put on your shoulder harness and work all controls. Does everything come easily to hand?
Check your aircraft and the surrounding area to see that nothing can get sucked into the propeller. Station your assistant in front of the airplane. Get in the aircraft wearing your helmet and other protective gear. Look over the area to be sure there are no stray animals and human beings in harm’s way. Shout “clear prop!” as loud as you can. If the assistant sees that, sure enough, you’re all alone out there, the traditional reply is to shout “clear!” You may start the engine as instructed by your owner’s manual. Stay away from the propeller. Run the engine at low rpm for a minute and then shut it off.
Let’s review the last minute and let me explain all the reason’s for going through these steps. The phrase “clear prop!” is a contraction of “I’m going to start this engine in a second. I don’t think there’s anybody in range who might get hurt by it. Please confirm my opinion and stay clear of the prop.” The reply “clear!” Means, “I can see you and you’re right, everybody is clear of the prop.” Seventy-five years of aviation history condensed this conversation down to three words, but it’s still a conversation.
Propellers are killers and deserve the utmost respect. Hundreds of people have been killed or seriously injured because of bodily contact with propellers. The “clear prop!” ritual is one safeguard.
A few conventional airplane pilots have developed bad habits. They yell “clear prop” and then hit the starter. Sometimes they barely say it loud enough to hear even inside the plane. The seclusion of modern airports and the fences around the runways keep spectators safe. You’re going to be out in the real world where there are many people. What’s worse, your aircraft looks so cute some of them won’t think it’s dangerous. Don’t assume the reply will be “clear.” One time in a thousand it might be “hold it. There’s a dog right behind you and a kid right behind the dog.” If a person or other living things come within 50’ of the engine while it’s running, shut it off, instantly. The few seconds it will take to restart are worth it.
Remember when the engine is running, the propeller disappears. A faint disk is sometimes visible, sometimes the illusion that the propeller is gone is quite convincing. It will be difficult to remember exactly where it is and how big around it is, so stay well-clear of it and keep everybody else well-clear, also. This ritual must be taught to anyone that accompanies you when flying for their safety and yours. The fan guard is there to protect the parachute. It is not there to protect you.
Now that the engine is running, the serious stuff has begun. Every step of your education from here on will have an element of risk and danger. The primary purpose of an assistant in this lesson is to drive you to the hospital if needed. Remember this simple truth whenever you run the engine: any portion of your anatomy which touches the propeller will be instantly transformed into hamburger. Let your vivid imagination dwell on that for a moment. The propeller is going as fast as a bullet, what kind of wound would you expect from a three pound bullet? The two major dangers of aviation are impact with the ground and contact with the propeller. The propeller is virtually harmless unless something gets in it, but if you forget its capabilities for destruction the doctor will not be able to sew all the pieces together.
I hope I’ve made my point without rattling your confidence. Look, most people are a few feet from death a hundred times a day. Every time an oncoming car goes by, you have to remember to stay in your own lane. You don’t lose sleep worrying about it but you don’t ever forget either. That’s the sort of respect you must give your prop. The prop is also capable of hurling things with great force, so make sure the area is clear of loose debris and the craft is clean. Make sure that no tools have been left on the engine and all nuts and bolts are tight. A loose nut can be hurled by the prop at lethal speed.
Get in the aircraft, wearing your helmet and other protective gear. Shout “clear prop!” Your assistant will confirm and say “clear.” Only then will you start the engine. Turn off the ignition switch momentarily to see that it kills the engine, then turn it on and restart. After the engine is warmed up, it should idle smoothly with the throttle pushed forward (closed). If something goes wrong with the ignition switch, the Rotax engine can be shut off by pushing and holding both magneto test switches. It is extremely disconcerting to have an aircraft engine running when you would prefer it was stopped.
There should be a hand signal by which the assistant can tell you to cut the power. A finger across the neck is the old standby. If you see this signal, shut off the engine first and ask why later. They may see something you don’t.
Run the engine at varying power settings (including occasional full power). Remember this step stakes place with the aircraft secured so that it will not go anywhere. Refer to the rotax engine manual for the proper break in procedure. Don’t overheat the engine and don’t forget the “clear prop!” routine. You are breaking in the engine and you are breaking in yourself. This is the easiest time to develop these habits. When shutting off the engine, push the throttle forward to idle and shut off the ignition switch.
After the initial engine break-in of your new powered parachute, (refer to rotax engine manual for proper break-in procedure), loose parts that were not detected before may be ready to fall off by now. Run the engine a few minutes, shut it down, check the entire aircraft again. Repeat this at least three times. A bolt or nut coming into contact with your propeller becomes a bullet, not to mention what it does to your $400.00 propeller. |
|
Email Us at Joe@QuakerStatePoweredParachutes.com with any questions. Email webmaster@QuakerStatePoweredParachutes.com with any problems with the website. Copyright © 2010
Quaker State Powered Parachutes
|