Page 17 - June22Tv2

learning the operational use of the jet. Pierce has been with Cirrus for many years and is well-experienced with the Vision Jet.
Mark Woglam, one of my classmates and a new Vision Jet owner, impressed me with his comprehensive recollec- tion of the memory items, motivating me to study harder during the course. Ulises Mones, a Cirrus Sales Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, also joined us to obtain his Vision Jet rating. Ulises is supporting a growing number of Vision Jets in his region. Even during the provided lunches, we learned about flying the jet from other students and instructors.
Just when we reached our absorp- tion limit on the first day, we had our first exposure to the avionics using the Garmin G3000 Cockpit Procedure Trainers (CPT). It was a great oppor- tunity to practice the procedure f lows for operating the Vision Jet. The train- ers are freely available for use by the students, and I took every advantage of them to practice for many additional hours. While I have flown and taught with the G3000 in various aircraft, the ability to explore more features with the Vision Jet was very helpful.
In addition to the desktop avion- ics trainers, Cirrus Aircraft offers two high-fidelity Level-6 FTDs with complete cockpits and visuals. While
non-motion, they have nearly equal value, in my opinion, for training. Cir- rus has integrated them well in its program along with the Level-D mo- tion simulator and fleet of Vision Jets, offering f lexibility that is not available with any other course. I’ve encoun- tered simulator breakdowns during training for other type ratings. If that happens during the Vision Jet course, the instructors can transfer the lessons to the FTDs or even the jet itself. This is essential to keep ev- eryone on schedule.
The second week centered on using the Level-D simulator and f lying f light profiles (with a number of emergen- cies, of course). The simulator is great. I asked my instructor, Landon Palmer, to top off the tanks and instantly I had 296 gallons of Jet-A. While the focus for the check ride (evaluated to ATP standards) is on understanding aircraft systems, mastery of emergency re- sponses, and instrument procedures, the simulator sessions also provide valuable scenario-based opportunities.
One scenario was a flight from As- pen (KASE) to Denver (KDEN). A low ceiling, warm temperatures and steep terrain made for a nice challenge. Even before starting the engines, it is im- perative to evaluate aircraft perfor- mance under those conditions and the associated climb requirements.
The LINDZ 9 IFR departure re- quires a minimum of 465 feet/ nm to 10,000 MSL. I limited the Vision Jet takeoff weight to 5,300 pounds to achieve the required climb gradient.
Prior to departure, I con- figured the G3000 MFD with both a map and terrain (TAWS) – useful when f lying in moun- tainous terrain. Climbing through 12,000 MSL, I heard a loud bang! I had a cata- strophic engine failure with zero chance of an air start. The TAWS page showed I was above terrain, however, it was solid IMC. I steered towards lower terrain and with two hands pulled the CAPS handle.
CAPS is more than just the parachute and rocket.
Activating it triggers several actions. The CAPS system, in concert with the autopilot, reduces the power to idle, then pitches the nose up to a maxi- mum of 60 degrees (usually 30) if nec- essary for the deployment speed of 135 KIAS. The tractor rocket then launches from the nose, an ejector airbag pro- pels the parachute free of the aircraft (attached to Kevlar harness straps po- sitioned on the fuselage), the chute inf lates, and the plane is stabilized – all within 15 seconds. You become a passenger as you (and any other oc- cupants) safely descend at 1,560 FPM. With CAPS and Safe Return (the Cirrus emergency auto-land system designed with Garmin), you have almost all emergencies covered.
With my prior flight experience, Cir- rus customized the training to include two training flights in the airplane in place of simulator sessions, which removed my Supervised Operating Experience (SOE) requirement after completion of the course. My instruc- tors Landon Palmer and Matt Welch flew with me on the flights around Tennessee, which was a great oppor- tunity to obtain more time in the jet. I kept reducing the throttle just to obtain more flight time. It was awesome to integrate the simulator training with flying the aircraft itself.
The Check Ride
After around 40 check rides, I can’t say they are my favorite flying ac- tivity, however, I do find them fas- cinating. Tony Hicks, a Vision Jet Technical Center Evaluator (TCE), met me at 7 a.m. and immediately put me at ease. When we were done with the ground portion of the practical test, I couldn’t believe we had spent two-and-a-half hours reviewing the airplane. I enjoyed all of it.
Tony offered me the option of com- pleting some tasks, such as emergen- cies, air work, etc. in the simulator and the rest in the jet. So, we headed to the simulator, where we spent over an hour doing steep turns, stalls and a myriad of normal and abnormal events – complete with the usual en- gine fire scenario.
It was then off to the Cirrus Vision Jet for some instrument approaches
Check ride success.
June 2022 / TWIN & TURBINE • 15