Private Multi Engine Add on Completed!
After having my usual BE-76 go down the day before my checkride I was able to go to a competitor and use their BE-76 for my checkride on Friday.
It was a long day and I got to the airport at 10am to do my checkout in the other fbo's duchess which was the rental agreement, a written exam and then a 1.1 flight with their chief pilot, immediately after landing my examiner was already there (he knew the situation and understood I would be there a few minutes after him) After a 2 hour oral and a 1.3 flight it was all over at 5:30 in the afternoon. Overall it was a great flight and great experience and a fun chapter towards a career. I am doing the remainder of my ratings back to back so I am looking forward to the commercials.
I am glad I had to do the checkout beforehand because this airplane performed differently than my usual plane. On my regular plane for a shortfield I come in at the required 76 kts and pull power in the flare and settle right on my point (pulling power beforhand causes the plane to drop out of the sky) In the plane I took the exam in for my checkout shortfield I pulled power at 76 kts and it climbed right out to 20'agl, the instructor told me that the plane lands like a cessna 152. For my next shortfield and the one in the checkride I pulled all power well before the threshold and glided in and flared just like a small cessna, it did not drop out of the sky as my other plane would have..oh well thats the way it is I guess. It was neat to see the differences between the two same model airplanes. I think it was an airspeed difference, although it was indicating 76 knts I believe we were probably more or less at 80 +/- a few.
forgot to mention that my plane is very nicely equipped with a garmin 430 stack and a sandel EHSI and all equipment no older than 3 years. The plane I took the exam in had old avionics that were probably original in the airplane, no digital anything with an old adf and an old quirky hsi. It was interesting to see first hand how little to no difference the avionics made at all. The newer stuff is nice to have of course but it really does not make a bit of difference, just a waste of money to pay to have all the fancy avionics