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as an informal instructor, as he has enough experience to tell me if I’m being sloppy or need some correction.”
“Also, I’m constantly updating my checklists. I don’t think checklists are supposed to be static; you need to add to them. I had watched a video on someone who mentioned this idea, and ever since, even before, I have been ensuring that my checklists were always updated and reordered. The checklists for my plane were written in the 1970s, and not that there’s any- thing wrong with them – but you just find your own things to add to them. Flying the plane each time is a great part of plane ownership because you can find its nuances and the things you should add to a checklist.”
Perumal has found that a frequent piece of advice Twin Cessna owners give prospective ones is to not rush into owning the aircraft.
“Don’t jump into one without ex- perience. It’s about the quality of experience, like my extensive IFR cross-country experience for a decade on the [Cessna] 182. It’s about skill stacking; putting a pilot into busy IFR airspace in a new high-performance machine is too much. I am not smart enough to handle it all on day one.”
Naturally, insurance demands also determine when it’s appropri- ate for a pilot to jump into twin own- ership, he noted.
“Expect insurance to ask for twenty- five hours in type with an instruc- tor. I initially did around fifty hours with an instructor, including cross- country time. Also, a good sim pro- gram is a must. I did mine with Aircraft Simulator Training (AST) in Burnet, Texas, specializing in Twin Cessna training. They throw everything at you and give you lots of nuanced information about your Twin Cessna. That’s invaluable.”
Perumal concluded his thought, “Twin Cessnas have incredible value. Even for a million [dollars], you can’t get the pressurized cabin class plane that goes at flight levels. So, expect similar maintenance and know you are getting into the restoration busi- ness. Do a good pre-buy and know what you are getting into. But don’t
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June 2023 / TWIN & TURBINE • 17