7. Brakes – CHECK
8. Flaps – AS NEEDED
After Landing Checklist
1. Fuel Boost Pumps – OFF
2. Landing Lights – OFF
3. Inverter – OFF
4. Transponder – STBY
5. Props. – HIGH RPM
6. Oil Shutters – F.
7. Flaps – UP
8. Pitot Heat -OFF
9. Taxi Lights – AS REQUIRED
10. Time – RECORD
Shutdown Checklist
1. Parking Brake – SET
2. Radios – OFF
3. Mixtures – IDLE CUT-OFF
4. Magnetoes – OFF
5. Battery/Gen SW’s – OFF
6. Tailwheel – LOCK
7. Controls – LOCK
8. Tie-downs – (3 POINTS)
9. Chocks – ALL WHEELS
Airspeeds – Miles-per-Hour
Vne 257
Vyse 122
Vmc 86
Vno 205
Vyxe 110
Vle 160
Vy 135
Vlo 160
Vx 119
Va 153
Vfe 120
Vso 75
Vs 80
Max T\O Wt: 10,100
Max Lnd Wt: 9,800
“Hanley, what does Vne 257 mean?” Jumma asked.
“The number, 257, is miles-per-hour. The Vne means never exceed airspeed. After 257 miles per hour, the wings may fall off,” Hanley explained.
“Then we should not go 257 miles per hour,” Jumma observed.
“Don’t worry, we won’t. Let’s start with the simpler stuff, okay? Even though the first thing is closing the cabin doors, we’ll wait until we’re set to roll and then we’ll close them,” Hanley said.
“Set to roll?” Jumma asked.
“Just an expression. When the plane begins to move, I say it’s rolling. Now, we’ll wait to secure the door due to the heat. So, let’s start down the list and I’ll show you how we check everything. Experienced pilots check each and every item. That’s how they become experienced. It’s a pilot’s joke, Jumma.” Seeing the blank expression on the young man’s face, Hanley said, “Overlooking a problem may kill you. New experiences tend to elude the dead. Never mind. Let’s get started.” Hanley took them through the checklist, letting Jumma ask questions as they went. Hanley thought he noticed Jumma seemed less tense as they worked their way through the list.
Reaching over to flip switches as he checked through the systems, Hanley said, “When we were inspecting the plane, you watched as I swung the propellers. I was checking for any problems with the hydraulics. Some people believe in swinging the props more often than I do, but my experience has shown a problem of that nature will show itself quickly. I brought oil with me, several cases that I stored at the mission. These engines use oil, but most of that occurs turning the engines over, starting them. Unless there is a leak. Radial aircraft engines are great, they run for hundreds of hours without a problem. The starting procedure is not that complicated. Some pilots think it is, but a little experience, again, shows it isn’t hard at all. I usually prime the engines eight times, throttles opened until you hear a click in the gear system, turn on the fire suppression to the engine you’re starting, hit the starter, wait for a half dozen rotations and hit the magneto switch and it will kick over. I always start the right engine first, it’s farthest away and I can listen for problems without the roar of the engine in my ear.” Jumma’s eyes never left Hanley’s face as he described the ritual for starting the Beech’s engines.
When Hanley started the right engine, the entire plane shuddered, the vibration familiar to Hanley as it ran though his body. The noise was overpowering. A friend of Hanley’s once described it as like riding down a road bracketed by ten Harley Davidson motorcycles. Jumma grabbed the steering yoke as if afraid he would be ejected from the plane. Patting the young African on the shoulder, Hanley gave him a thumb’s up signal, getting a faint smile in return.
The entire procedure, from initial inspection to starting both engines took almost an hour. As Jumma gained knowledge and experience, Hanley thought it might shorten the time needed to prepare the plane and depart. One item worried Hanley. The Beech was a tail dragger with a tailwheel that was locked for takeoff. The airstrip, with its graveled surface would be challenging.
Hanley took a headset from behind Jumma’s seat, plugged it into a receptacle in the control panel and put it on. He retrieved a second set from behind the seat and gave it to Jumma, watched as he put it on and helped him adjust it to fit, then showed him how to turn the unit on and adjust the volume. Pointing to a small red button on the steering yoke, Hanley demonstrated how Jumma could talk by pressing the button and listen when it was released.
“Okay, Jumma, we’re about to begin our departure. I will taxi out and line the plane up with the landing strip, lock the tailwheel and power up. The plane will roll forward slowly, but only for a moment and then surge forward, pushing you back, against the seat. It will take most all of the airstrip to get off the ground. Don’t be alarmed if it appears we’re running out of room, we’ll make it.” Jumma’s smile faded even more.
Setting the Friction Locks, Hanley pulled the throttle back, the reverse of most planes whose throttles are pushed forward. The big plane began to move, the pulse of the large engines rhythmic and impressive, a force that pushed everything around it back, the wind generated by the triple blades causing the grass and the brush to bow before their power. Noticing Jumma’s arms straightening as the big plane gained speed, Hanley glanced over to see Jumma pressed into the seat by the thrust of the plane’s momentum. Hanley thought he saw both fear and wonder on the young African’s face.
The shuddering smoothed out slightly as the tail of the plane rose, the pilot and his young co-pilot now seeing the airstrip passing beneath them in a blur. Hanley pulled back on the yoke and the plane’s nose came up, the first loss of contact just detectable. The end of the runway was approaching fast, then the Beech was airborne, the sway of the plane loose of the ground, a minor shift as the Beech cleared the bush below, sliding sideways, slipping into the wind.
Pressing the red button as
