Petite visite du F-GOGR:
Escale PA46-350P MALIBU MIRAGE D-EVEC
Visite du KOLIBER 160A F-HAZE AC NARBONNE
Décollage 33 à 10:25z: 6V-AEF , cap sur l'Afrique (nota: second tour des élections présidentielles au Sénégal aujourd'hui)
26/03/12
Parking ASR: SOCATA TB20 N°459 (84) PH-TWT H.J.F. GREENEN, arrivé vers 10:00z
Escale de ravitaillement vers 10:00z: 4 CAP 232 MARCHE VERTE
Décapage A320-232 EI-EUHP6: CESSNA 560XLS CS-DXL NETJETS EUROPE
27/03/12
Reprise des liaisons DUB-PGF-DUB AER LINGUS EIN510/511 avec l'A320-214 EI-DVH
AG: PA.28 181 ARCHER F-GJHR AC DE GAILLAC
29/03/12
Vol (test?) KING AIR 90 F-GEOU
30/03/12
Décollage 10:30z: PILATUS PC6 - D-FICA?
Décollage 10:45z PA46 N346P
SOCATA TB20 F-GFQJ
09 May 2009
PA28 Archer joins the Aéroclub de Limoges fleet
I am pleased to announce that the Aéroclub de Limoges has added a new aircraft to its fleet.
N30385 is a Piper PA28-181 which was built in 1982 in the USA. It was privately owned in America and then it was bought by the‘Auberge De Savoie‘ Limoges who flew it from America to France in two days, flying two lots of 12 hours.
N30385 is the first Piper to be added to the Aéroclub's fleet and, along with F-GUVE, is the only aircraft that is not a Robin.
Unlike the Robins, N30385 will be aimed at pilots who have already obtained their PPL and are now looking to build their hours and travel further afield. With its inbuilt DVD and music player, the longer flights will certainly go by fast for you and your passengers.
I personally flew N30385 for the first time yesterday. It was the perfect day to fly; sun, beautiful clear blue skies and very little wind.
I had invited Esteban to come and sit in the back, as he is also interested in flying the Piper and even purchasing something similar.
So Esteban and I pulled it out of the hanger and up to the fuel pumps where we refuelled and completed the pre-flight preparation and checks.
We were then ready to venture into the large cabin to have a look at the cockpit and start the internal checks. The cockpit is very crowded and complicated compared to those of the Robins, as the aircraft has TCAS, a weather radar, two types of GPS, DVD player, and music input so all of this equipment means that there are quite a lot of little buttons.
Anyway, once I had worked out what everything was and how to use it, we started it up and taxied to S2 for a runway 21 departure.
Previously, I had only ever flown the Robins and the Diamond which are fairly light aircraft so, at 1156kg, N30385 is heavy and quite a large aircraft. As soon as you start taxiing, you immediately notice the effects of the extra weight as quite a lot of power is required to get the aircraft rolling, However, once you have got it going, it feels a lot more stable.
The pre-takeoff checks were completed and we were cleared to takeoff on runway 21. I applied full throttle and, despite being 180 hp like F-GMKT, it obviously has to carry twice the weight and was fairly slow off the mark. However, the speed soon came up and we were rolling down the runway,
Compared to the Robins, which are rather wobbly and needing a lot of rudder to keep straight, N30385 was stable and needed very little rudder to stay on the white line.
We hit the 60 kts takeoff speed and tugged back on the yoke before getting it off the ground. This was a new experience for me as you can take-off by pulling back the control column with one finger on the Robin. However, with the Piper, it was more like trying to get a tank off of the ground.
However, once we were up, the Piper performed really well and climbed easily to 3000ft.
At first we just flew around the local area so I could get a feel for the aircraft before heading over to Gajoubert, where Esteban is building a new home next to a private strip, for a few steep turns and Practice Forced Landings.
Again during the flight it was incredibly stable, hardly ever moving. We completed a few Practice Forced Landings where, unlike the Robins, the aircraft came down like a ton of bricks once the throttle was closed. We then did a few ‘Go Around’.
We then tracked the Limoges VOR (LMG) so I could see how the instruments worked and needed to be operated. We arrived at LMG and asked for rejoining instructions to complete the training in the circuit with a few touch and go’s, including glide approaches.
This was hard work as the aspect from the cockpit is so different from the other aircraft in the fleet and a lot of force was needed on the yoke to manoeuvre the aircraft at low speeds.
However it was all great fun.
Finally, we finished on a flapless landing and taxied N30385 back to the apron after an hour and a half of flying.
Fortunately, the previous owner of the aircraft was at the aéroclub and kindly explained anything I had not fully understood as we ran though all of the instruments and equipment again.
I really enjoyed flying the Piper and cannot wait to fly it again. However, I think this aircraft will come into its own when being flown on a long journey and then you could not find a better aircraft.
Specifications:Horsepower: 180Top Speed: 129 ktsCruise Speed: 125 ktsStall Speed (dirty): 49 ktsGross Weight: 2550 lbsEmpty Weight: 1416 lbsFuel Capacity: 48 galRange: 565 nmRate Of Climb: 667 fpmCeiling: 13236 ftTakeoffGround Roll: 870 ftOver 50 ft obstacle: 1210 ftLandingGround Roll 925 ftOver 50 ft obstacle: 1390 ft
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P4: CESSNA 550 CITATION BRAVON G-OMRH Mc AIR SERVICES
A320-232 EI-EUH (futur Vueling?)
Liaison EIN510/511 A320-214 EI-DEA AER LINGUS
