Page 23 - Jan21T&T

for the missed approach point alti- tude. Luckily, I remembered what to do and the audio alarm went off just exactly at the right altitude. Off went the autopilot, the throttles stayed in the same position, my eyes glanced down again to the three green landing lights, and I again checked to make sure the flaps were all the way down. The landing was almost perfect, and I rolled out exactly on the white line until reaching the yellow one leading to the taxiway.
Now feeling pretty good about my- self, I decided to repeat the entire en- deavor and mix it up with a simulated engine failure while on the approach. The takeoff went fine, and I found I had the engines up to full power much earlier than on my first try. The controller greeted me like a long-lost friend and I was soon back on the approach with the faulty GS needles and all. With the autopilot seemingly knowing where the glide slope was, I gradually pulled the right engine back to12inchesofMPandadded3to4
inches on the left. Occasionally, when doing this in my airplane, the autopilot will not handle the change in rota- tion about the vertical axis and kick itself off. I am carefully watching for this and wondering what I will use for glideslope monitoring if that happens. But for whatever reason, the autopilot decides to be kind to me and hangs in there. I arrive over the threshold with the airplane slightly turned toward the good engine, but manage to get that straightened out just before touchdown right on the white line, a landing which I must admit was safe enough, but not my best one of the day.
Taxing back in, I see my wife al- ready has the hangar door open, the lights on and the orange motorized pushcart outside where I will need it. She knows me well and wonders why I have such a wide grin on my face as I get out of the airplane. I ex- plain I am feeling quite happy with myself because I had not been flying much and was worried about a loss of competence. And, for a guy who has
11,000 hours and flying since age 18, that in turn had started to produce a very discomforting loss in my sense of confidence. But, all was better now.
If during this COVID mess you are getting worried that you are losing any competence (and confidence), my ad- vice is just go fly your airplane.
Kevin Ware is an ATP who also holds CFI, MEII and helicopter rat- ings, has more than 10,000 hours and is typed in several dif-
ferent business jets. He has been flying for a living on and off since he was 20, and currently works as a contract pilot for various corpora- tions in the Seattle area. When not working as a pilot he is employed part time as an emergency and urgent care physician. He can be reached at kevin.ware2@aol.com.
Aerox
Carbon Fiber Diluter Demand Mask
CIES Corporation
Short N Numbers
January 2021 / TWIN & TURBINE • 21