I started training for the ATP license at Action Multi Ratings in Groton last week. Action has been around for a long time and a lot of folks have gone through their program to get their Multi Rating, MEI or ATP. My classes started on Monday 10/25 at eight in the morning. I drove to Groton rather than flying the Mooney as I was concerned that frost might keep me on the ground in Danbury until after my start time which my instructor at Action was emphatic that I keep else I forfeit my slot and the deposit money that I had sent in a couple weeks earlier.
Action runs a tight program with two 1970’s vintage Piper Seneca 200’s. I received a package from them in overnight mail a week prior to attending. The Package contained a Seneca POH and about thirty pages of dual sided material that included policies, driving and flying directions, hotels and the course requirements. A long paragraph outlined the commitment required to participate in the class which included reviewing all of the material, being instrument proficient, and memorizing the procedures to execute the flight maneuvers. The course requirements included a four page written test to be completed prior to arrival.
The instructor called me at home on Sunday afternoon and asked me to push my start time back to 9:30 which I was more than glad to do as it gave me an extra hour and a half to sleep and drive there.
I arrived at 9:30 and we spent the next few hours checking in photocopying my credentials and going over my written test and discussing what we would be attempting to accomplish over the next 3 days.
My CFII had a student who had a check ride scheduled for shortly after my arrival and he had to take the candidate up for a review flight prior to the test. He had me review some of the ground material while he was out flying and once he was done we went out to meet the airplane I was going to be spending 12 hours in.
N41382 is a 1974 Piper Seneca that has been training Multi Engine pilots for what looked like a very long time. The paint and interior were Spartan and the avionics included two KX170B Nav/Comms a non-functional ADF and a KMA20 autopilot. My first flight was an hour and a half and from the second I sat down in the left seat it was all preparation for the check ride. Ryan was emphatic that the examiner would be looking to see things done in a particular manner and accepted nothing other than certain procedures. From startup to shutdown the checklist was to be used and the sequence followed. Normally I use CGLUMPS rather than the traditional GUMP check and do that for every phase of flight. This was strongly discouraged. At Action the process is king and their success rate is based upon it. The flight starts with a normal takeoff and appropriate noise abatement. At 400’ the power reduced to 24”/2400 until 1000 when it is set at 20”/2400 and climb to assigned altitude (3000) is at 120.
Once out of the airport traffic area we transitioned into steep turns to the left and to the right immediately after two ninety degree clearing turns. I love steep turns and feel that they, followed by slow flight are the best indicators of how a particular airplane if going to handle. The Seneca tracked through the turns as if it was on rails and after the first day I never got the second 360 in as the engine had a nasty habit of quitting about 270 degrees through the turn. The fuel would be turned off on one engine so working through the engine failure checklist always resulted in a restart.
From steep turns we then setup for slow flight, into landing and departure stalls, then the VMC demonstration. Vectors for the ILS 5 followed and turning onto the localizer results in an engine failure two miles from the final approach fix. The approach is flown single engine and at 250’ Ryan calls the lights allowing us to descend to 108 feet. After reaching that he says nothing so we execute the published missed approach and head out to Babet intersection. At 500’ I’m told I can have my engine back and once established in the hold (Teardrop) he tells me that the oil pressure on my right engine is low and the cylinder head temperature is climbing rapidly. A precautionary engine shutdown is initiated and its always an eerie feeling to see a prop blade standing still outside the window when the airplane is flying along . A couple turns in the hold and we start the engine again and on the outbound leg I’m told that once established inbound I’m cleared for the VOR 23 approach. Execute that and we land and taxi into the ramp.
The first day was over and that was the introductory flight. The Instructor told me we were done for the day and we looked at the weather for Tuesday. The weather looked marginal and he suggested that I should drive back to Danbury and spend the night at home rather than spend the money on a hotel. As it was 3:30 in the afternoon I agreed and made it home for 5:30, had supper with Judy and slept in my own bed. I put myself back on the schedule for Tuesday and then after looking at Wednesday’s weather decided to do the same for then. I spoke with my instructor around two on Wednesday and expressed my frustration about the weather. I was a little put out as I had cancelled quite a few people for the week to get the rating and now I was looking at losing additional days into the weekend. I thought about my reaction and realized that since May I was accustomed to being able to train any time and weather.
The weather cleared out Thursday around 1pm and we were in the air again. As the front had passed High pressure was building into the area and with our proximity to the low the wind was howling. We flew three circuits of roughly 1.7 each with a ten minute rest between them and finished as it was getting dark. I spent the night in the Hampton Inn and nearly fell asleep in the restaurant I had dinner at. Next morning we were at the airport at 8am and we flew two more flights and finished right as the examiner finished up with the prior applicant.
My instructor ran to Burger King to pick up lunch for us and the Oral exam started while we waited for our food to come back. We broke momentarily while we ate and finished up and I went out to preflight the plane. The wind was out of the North at 19 gusting to 27 and after doing the flight maneuvers we discontinued the exam because it was getting too rough to perform the instrument approaches. We continued this past Tuesday when the wind was forecast to have lessened, the proverbial calm before the storm day.
I flew the Mooney out Tuesday and did a dry run of the ILS 5 on my way in. I rode with my instructor again and we finished up just as the examiners car pulled into the lot. The rest of the ride lasted 1.0 and we finished up the things we hadn’t completed and landed runway 33 just as the winds started gusting up to 20 again. The examiner shook my hand and congratulated me. He also gave me some insight into areas he would like to see me improve on. Paperwork done and certificate surrendered and I’m carrying a temporary that reads Airline Transport Pilot Airplane Multiengine Land; Commercial Privileges Airplane Single Engine Land; [Limitations] English Proficient.
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