Page 38 - Sept18T

Airport Day
by Kevin Ware
T oday is not a typical day of f lying. We are nearly 6,000 pounds under maximum takeoff weight. In a Lear 40 with a basic empty weight of 13,232 pounds, that is really light. The airplane’s TFE 731-20 turbofan engines each put out 3,500 pounds of thrust, giving us a thrust-to-weight ratio of 1:2. Following the maximum performance takeoff checklist, we hold the brakes, push the
throttles to the takeoff indent and wait a few seconds for the FADEC computers to get the engines operat- ing at MTO (maximum takeoff thrust). Then with the airplane shuttering slightly, we suddenly release the pressure on the brake pedals. Particularly at sea level like we are, the sensation from all of this is akin to being launched from a sling shot.
When the brakes are released, the airspeed comes alive almost immediately. And nearly as fast as I can call out the numbers, the airplane accelerates through 80 knots then V1 and Vr (rotation speed). By the time the tires leave the ground, we are already going through V2. As the wheels come up and lock with a firm “clonk,” we pitch up to maintain V2 as the airplane climbs out at over 5,000 feet per minute. We pass through the crosswind turn at 500 feet AGL in 10 seconds. In order to stay halfway close to the traffic pattern, we then roll into a left hand 45-degree banked turn. At 1,500 feet AGL, we cut back the throttles to keep the speed legal and pitch forward to arrest the climb, which produces a contradictory feeling of rapid deceleration and a slight sense of weightlessness at the same time. We make another steep left turn to keep the downwind leg close in. At the speed we are flying, our position reports on Unicom at this non-towered airport are almost continuous, yet we have the whole airport to ourselves.
We are flying this way because we are performing a demo flight as part of our local “Airport Day.” Below us is a large crowd gathered on the ground watching our every move. Unbeknownst to me, the announcer even plugged his PA system into the Unicom frequency, so all of my airborne transmissions were heard
36 • TWIN & TURBINE September 2018