Piper Apache
 

I will be getting my MEI in a 1959 PA-23 160 (Piper Apache) at the FBO I will be teaching at this summer.

If anyone has any input/tips/suggestions about flying the Piper Apache, or has packets/websites that cover systems and/or maneuvers in the airplane, I'd appreciate it if you could post your .02 here or send them my way - [email protected]

Thanks in advance!

Try contacting Herb at PAS...he's owned N76HK for a long long time. www.prairieairservice.com

This will be the first plane I have flown in that only has toe brakes on one side.

I'll be instructing in this aircraft which only has toe brakes on the left pedals.

Is this that big of a deal? Does anyone have any experience teaching/flying aircraft with brake pedals only on one side?

Twin Comanche, and Baron 55 has brakes on the left only..... Just make sure you brief your students about it and make sure they spend sometime handling the airplane on the runway at high speeds. Get them comfortable at breaking at high speeds. Good luck

old cherokees have brakes on one side. just use the parking brake to slow down. Watch it if you lose an engine at high density alt, those apaches don't hold alt for anything on only one.

I have a lot of Az-truck time, and the airframe on that family is pretty solid (hence Az-truck).

But 160/side is pretty anemic...it weighs almost as much as a Duchess or Seminole with 40 fewer HP. When teaching, make CERTAIN you know...

1) What density altitude you can hold level altitude SE.
2) How much climb you can get after TO when SE at your field.
3) Where to go straight ahead if you lose one and can't get enough altitude to come back around.
4) Spin characteristics of the airplane...you might need them at some point.


Operate with less than full fuel if needed to improve margins.

Private pilots often operate light twins without balanced field or without decent SE T/O climb (they die a lot too). As a professional, you won't be able to get away that in the long run, so you may as well start doing things correctly now...always leave yourself a way out. Just because it's legal, doesn't mean it's safe...

Roger that. Thanks for all of the input everyone. I also noticed that the only hydraulic pump is located on the left engine, so if you loose the left engine you can only raise the gear by manually pumping it up.

I know in this particular airplane the gear doesn't effect the performance as much as other light twins, partly because they hang down 1/3 of the way when fully retracted anyway.

I guess as far as a takeoff briefing goes, say if we plan to "go" as soon as we have rotated and selected the gear handle to the "up" position. During the retraction process the left engine fails (I know this is highly unlikely but still), I think this would be a definite retard the throttles and land straight ahead - but at the same time while your only hundreds of feet off the deck and your trying to decide whether its the left or right engine and bla bla bla - thats too much thinking.

So maybe in this plane it shouldn't be a "go" once you have selected the gear handle to the up position - but rather once the amber light comes on which means the gear is completely retracted.

The decision to "go" of course also depends on obstacles and terrain in the area and the density altitude effecting our ability to fly on one engine.

What does everyone else think?

You'll have a better idea once you get some time in the thing, but in an apache I'd probably put it back down as long as there was flat dirt/grass beyond the runway.

That's a bad idea. Bend the dang airplane. That's what insurance is for (although I'd be willing to bet there is only liability coverage on that one). Hull coverage is cheaper to pay out than ADD. If you're are at 100 ft then there should be plenty of runway/clearway/stopway/overrun to put it back down. The Apache is a pig. At SL and GW, IF YOU are and the plane are perfect (sans 1 engine), you get +175 fpm. The T/O distance is only 1200 ft -- you have the room.

Also, might see if there is only one gen, too.

Mine has two generators but only one engine driven hydraulic pump. Be sure to brief the student how to operate the pump cause you won't have time if the crap hits the fan. If you carry three hours fuel, I'd bet you'd be 500 pounds under gross. Where you flying out of? Twin Oaks? TTD? HIO?