Page 28 - Sept 19 TNT

that could make it better would be a huge column of smoke billowing out around us. Sensing that I want to see more, Dan shows me a hammerhead, a segmented roll and a few other tricks that I couldn’t tell you the name if I tried. Post-Flight Briefing With two feet firmly back on the ground and a refreshing ginger ale to settle any hint of an upset stomach, Dan and I sit in the shade of his hangar to debrief. “Today, you experienced all the re- gimes of flight. You gained at least a little bit of comfort with aerobatic flight, and you learned a few new sight pictures.” I cannot help but laugh a little. Judging by his relaxed tone and mannerisms, I may as well have been doing pattern work as a private pilot student. But in my mind, all I can think is, “That was without a doubt one of the coolest experi- ences I will ever have while flying!” All I want to do is give high fives and pose for pictures in front of the airplane. But that is just the adrenaline talking. As I listen to Dan breaking down the maneuvers one by one and the key takeaways of each, I return to reality. Just as in the L-39 upset training course, aerobatics is much more than a way to have a good time or show off in an airplane. It is as fundamental as learning to fly straight and level in your first hours of private pilot training. Just because we prefer to fly aircraft right- side up does not preclude the chance that someday we find ourselves in an aircraft out of our control or beyond our comfort zone outside the 30-degree bank left and right and 10 degrees nose up or down. What do we do then? Beyond simply experiencing what it is like to be outside the “normal” flight envelope, aerobatic flight training will also improve stick and rudder skills and general knowledge of aerodynamics. And in the day and age of the magenta line, when everyone is accused of be- ing too reliant on automation to fly the aircraft, what better way to increase our flying skills than to push them beyond our previous limits? The classic example is the jet that was caught in wake turbulence and flipped over. The pilot, having completed some level of aerobatic training, recognizes the situation and simply completes the roll like it is no big deal. Dan sums it up nicely in this quote: “Every pilot should at least do upset recovery training, and even better, a be- ginner aerobatic course. You don’t want your first time flying upside down to be in an emergency. We want it to be done in a controlled environment. This way, when you do experience it due to turbulence, wingtip vortices, disorienta- tion, etc. – you can recover from it much more safely.” CIES Corporation CD Aviation Services 26 • TWIN & TURBINE / September 2019 Jared T. Jacobs is an ATP-rated turbine pilot, instructor and mentor. He currently flies corporate aircraft both single-pilot and as crew for a Fortune 500 company. Jared can be reached at jaredjacobs2@gmail.com.