Learning to Fly the 200HP Piper Turbo Arrow III

Flight Hours: 77.6 to 97.2
-
Part 2 (Solo):    • Piper Turbo Arrow III First Solo + SN...  
-
This footage was shot over 3 months in the Piper Cherokee Turbo Arrow III. I'd tried the Arrow out a couple times at the start of my pilot training, but this is essentially all my training leading up to the complex solo flight (in the next video).
Compared to the Cessna 172 Skyhawk, the Arrow is a faster, heavier, complex aircraft. It has a more powerful engine, faster climb/cruise/approach speeds, a retractable landing gear, and variable pitch propeller. Its low wing design also affects handling.

Every leg of the traffic pattern happens a lot faster than in the Cessna 172, and I frequently found myself behind the airplane. While task-saturated I made a lot of rookie mistakes I'd mastered long ago in the C172 (losing altitude, drifting off heading, hard landing, comms errors). At first I even struggled with the basics of straight & level flight. It quickly became obvious how even very experienced pilots can get themselves into trouble when flying an unfamiliar aircraft.
Aside from its speed, the most challenging feature of flying the Arrow is that it involves heavier reliance on throttle control. You have to anticipate where the aircraft is going and make throttle adjustments ahead of time. It sinks much faster than the 172 due to its weight, and power-off glides are especially challenging. (We jokingly refer to it as a "flying brick".) While these handling characteristics are a challenge at first, they do allow for better control in certain situations, i.e. crosswinds, gusts, or when you need to lose altitude on a high final. The Arrow's weight keeps the wind from tossing it around as much, so landings feel more about consistent control inputs and less about compensating for surface winds.

At around 12 hours in this aircraft I was consistently keeping ahead of the airplane. The exercises that really drove things home were the short-runway airport-hopping flights and the simulated engine out maneuvers, shown in the second half of the video.

This footage is from November 2019 through January 2020.


[Filmed in compliance with 14 CFR 91.21]


Cameras:
GoPro Hero 5, GoPro Hero 7 (overhead view)


Music:
Joey Pecoraro - Music For Happiness
(Paid for and downloaded from BandCamp - give this guy a listen:
https://joeypecoraro.bandcamp.com/alb...)


Study Material:
Jeppeson Guided Flight Discovery: Private Pilot (textbook)
http://ww1.jeppesen.com/documents/avi...

FAA Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge
https://www.faa.gov/regulations_polic...

FAA Airplane Flying Handbook
https://www.faa.gov/regulations_polic...

Sporty's Private Pilot Test Prep 2018
https://www.amazon.com/Private-Pilot-...

@steveo1kinevo
   / steveo1kinevo  

@FlightChops
   / flightchops  

@TheFinerPoints
   / @thefinerpoints