Stepping Into a New Bird

Many of you will recall what it was like to learn to fly in one airplane model and then move to a different one after gaining your private pilot certificate. Perhaps you learned in a Skyhawk but then joined a flying club that owned Warriors and Archers. 

Flying the venerable C172R during training myself, I recall the one and only time I flew a Warrior and how grateful I was that the nose wheel was stronger than my attempt to break it with insufficient backpressure after the mains touched down.

Hopping into a new airplane presents multiple risk factors due to unfamiliar performance specs, instrumentation, and even the feel of the plane. If you learned to fly in rental airplanes, chances are you’re aware of discernable differences between specific airplanes that are the same model. I have flown two different 1996 Cessna 172R models with IO-360-L2A engines on the same day and noticed such a difference that I gave them their own names (Alfie is a good plane, but Marty is just so much smoother).

An even better example is the differences between the 1979 and 1980 versions of the Cessna 172. The design and performance differences are significant enough to make a flaps-deployed takeoff just fine in the 1980 plane but prohibited in the same model that’s only one year older.  

The bottom line is that attention to detail and care not to make false assumptions are requisite to flying and becoming proficient in a new-to-you airplane.

The AOPA Air Safety Institute has a 30-minute online course (for WINGS credit) called “Transitioning to Other Airplanes” that provides a plan for moving smoothly and incident-free into a new bird. Here are some takeaways.

Wing loading and power loading differences greatly affect the performance and feel of an airplane. Low wing loading (low lift per square foot of wing surface) means the aircraft will have a relatively lower stall speed, with the opposite being true for high wing-loading airplanes.

Aircraft with lower power loading have much more excess thrust available at your command than those with high power loading. In a low-power-loading airplane, you’ll enjoy a better climb rate, but with great power comes great responsibility (see also: greater turning tendencies and more rapid acceleration).

Systems will be different than what you’re used to in other aircraft, possibly much different. Before diving into the weeds of every novel instrument, develop a solid understanding of how each system works and how to use it in every phase of flight, including emergencies.

Where you fly matters. If you’re moving from a Bonanza to a Piper Cub, chances are good that you plan to take that little yellow plane afield at some point. Be sure to gain familiarity with the new airplane in the environment where you’ll operate. With the Cub, that likely means turf.

Checklists are critical and serve as a failsafe against habits you’ve formed in the airplane with which you’re familiar but could get you in trouble in a different aircraft. Follow each checklist item every time.

Your first flight will likely be with a CFI familiar with the model. It shouldn’t be the last time you fly with them in the new airplane.

Performance specs and characteristics are important to absorb. Do more than skim the POH and take a note or two. You should understand the capabilities and limitations of the powerplant and airframe in different modes of flight.

With a CFI, find the edges of the envelope to get a feel for the plane and a view of new sight pictures. Stalls, ground reference maneuvers, and emergency procedures such as emergency descent and engine failure will all help with this.

Pay more attention to what the airplane has and lacks compared to your more familiar plane. For example, you’ll want to know how and when to deploy the speed brakes in an M20K as you watch your destination sail past you, unable to slow down.

Make new friends familiar with the airplane by joining a type club or similar. You’ll get valuable information only available from hangar-talk with experienced pilots.

When I asked a group of Mooney owners about transitioning from a Cessna 182 RG to an M20J, I got back more information than we can publish in a newsletter. The cliff notes:

• When deploying flaps, the M20J nose will move in the opposite direction you’re used to in the C182 RG.
• Flying the prescribed airspeeds on approach is essential to avoid floating in ground effect.
• Floating and correcting the wrong way can lead to the “Mooney Bounce.” It sounds like a dance move but can lead to a costly insurance claim.
• If you ain’t first, your last: You’d better want to go fast, Ricky Bobby. Okay, they didn’t say it like that, but they did emphasize repeatedly that you will go fast in the M20J and keep going fast even when you pull back the throttle. Stay far ahead of the airplane.

Be safe, be diligent in learning the new airplane, and have fun along the way.

Know Before You Go