Weight & Balance for the Piper PA-31T Cheyenne II

Full document text

213. " MEMORABLE MOMENTS FROM 38 YEARS OF TEST PILOTING FOR THE FAA" 413419 S By James G. Plackis B.s, M.A. Mgr., FAA Flight Test Branch (Retired) FAA DER and Safety Counselor ATP, CFI, CFII, Helicopter, LANDPLANE, SEAPLANE, GLIDER, BALLOON, FLIGHT ENGINEER, 24 ATP TYPE RATINGS D THE HUMBLE BEGINNINGS OF 70 YEARS ON THE STICK AND RUDDERS, IN 1943 Galloway 61995 46780 AVIATION CADET James G. Plackis OFFICER-CLASS THE AIR CORPS 143 路 us FAA Certification Flight Testing It's all about safety Flight testing is a branch of aeronautical engineering that develops and gathers data during flight of an aircraft and then analyzes the data to evaluate the flight characteristics of the aircraft and validate its design, including safety aspects. The flight test phase accomplishes two major tasks: 1) finding and fixing any aircraft design problems and then 2) verifying and documenting the aircraft capabilities for government certification or customer acceptance. The flight test phase can range from the test of a single new system for an existing aircraft to the complete development and certification of a new aircraft. Therefore, the duration of a flight test program can vary from a few weeks to many years. From Wikipedia "A test pilot is an aviator who flies new and modified aircraft in specific maneuvers, allowing the results to be measured and the design to be evaluated. Test pilots may work for military organizations or private, (mostly aerospace) companies. Testing military aircraft, in particular, is regarded as the most challenging and risky flying conducted in peacetime. In the 1950s, test pilots were being killed at the rate of about one a week, but the risks have shrunk to a fraction of that, thanks to the maturation of aircraft technology, better ground- testing and simulation of aircraft performance... From Wikipedia (3) DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS "The "Flying Boxcar" (no. 4404749) and its crew of 10. June 1944 BANGER FRAGILE NOT Jim's WW-II Combat Medals Jeanie W CITY NOMOND F CELEL VANG NC 549233 The -VANG VANG NC 549095 VANG NC 549307 NC 549100 THE POST-WWII YEARS, AS A FIGHTER PILOT IN THE VIRGINIA AIR NATIONAL GUARD: VIRGINIA GUARD JIM'S 149th FIGHTER SQUN. w/ him in top right (#4) position, 1947 792 M SIC SEMPER TY SQUADRON 149TH FIGHTERS 5 The Key Players: A. The Applicant B. FAA 1. Program Manager and Project Engineer II. Aerospace Engineering Specialists III. Manufacturing Inspectors IV. Test Pilots V. Flight Test Engineers/Flight Analysts VI. National Resource Specialists VII. Aircraft Evaluation Group VIII. Managers, Directorate and ACO THE FIVE KEY SAFETY THEMES: A) There shall be no features or characteristics present in the aircraft that could make it unsafe [FAR Part 21.21(b)(2)]. B) Operating Limitations shall be established for the extremes of atmospheric variable factors [FAR Part 23.45 & 23.1501]. C) All Operating Limitations and other information necessary for safe operation of the aircraft must be made available to the pilot and crew members in a definitive manner [FAR Part 23.1501, 23.1541 & 23.1581]. D) It shall not require exceptional skill, alertness or strength on the part of the pilot, nor exceptionally favorable conditions, in order to perform a smooth transition from any flight condition to any other condition, nor shall there be any danger of exceeding the approved limitations, including the limit load factor [FAR Part 23.141 & 23.143]. E) All required systems, equipment and installations must perform their intended functions accurately, reliably and safely under any foreseeable condition or operation, with no significant interference or degradation. FAR PART 23.1301 23.1431] ACCOUNTING FOR THE DOZEN KEY VARIABLES; A) Day & Night Illumination, Internal and External B) The VFR, IFR & Icing Environments C) Aircraft Configurations D) Range of Weights E) Range of Centers of Gravity & Limiting Load Factors F) All Anticipated Pitch, Roll & Yaw Attitudes G) Range of Airspeeds & Redlines H) Range of Powers & RPM's 1) Range of Takeoff, Cruise & Landing Altitudes J) Range of Operating Temperatures K) Impact of Headwinds, Tailwinds & Crosswinds L) Accuracy & Reliability of All Systems, Equipment & Installations FAA Risk Assessment and Risk Management: A. Safety Review Board Configurations Experimental Limitations Weather Conditions M. Landing Sites N. Emergencies, Responses, and Rescuing O. Safety and Survival O POR is Equipment Flight Test Plan Pre-Flight Briefing Flight Cards TIA and AFM Test Limitations U. Assessment of Test B. TIA Issuance C. Conformity Inspection D. Weight and Balance P. Medical Airworthiness E. F. Q. R. G. H. Test Area S. T. 1. Fuel Loading Predictions J. Ground Station V. Build-Up Approach K. Chase Aircraft W. Post-Flight De-Briefing L. Means of Communication X. Lessons Learned KAirways ATLANTIC AVIATION N6672[ 9 THE BOEING CH-46 (BV-107), PRIOR TO OUR BURNING IT UP THE OMEGA BC-12D, PRIOR TO THE LOSS OF CONTROL THAT PUT US UPSIDE DOWN, 50 FEET FROM A FUEL TRUCK SOME MEMORABLE MOMENTS Crashing/Trashing the BV-107 II BR NAVT (CH-46) Crashing/Trashing 1st Twin-Piston Helic. Cessna 420 Fatal Crash, Allentown Canadair CL-600/601 Loss of Prototype N78 10 Piper Cheyenne I (PA-31T) Divergent Phugoid Oscillation Gulfstream III Damage: Lightning Strike wwwww Double Flame-Out, Sikorsky S-61R (CH3C) Sinking the Sikorsky H-34 (S-58) Sikorsky CH-3C CRJ S.ARMY D Piper Twin Comanche Stabilator Damage: Flutter Spin-Testing C-182 Floatplane at Night NIB B-707, 1,000 ft Below Limits at Thule Autorotation to 1.1xVne at Night (A-109) PANAM HB-ZEQ Testing Hot Air Balloons Sailplane Soaring (1-35) Gulfstream IV, N-1" Gulfstream 159 (G-I) 7890 2 UNITED OF THE RESIDENT ON STATE AIR FORCE ONE OF THE SEAL THE PRESIDEN RESIDENT UNITED STAT OF 24 THE UNITED Questions? Comments? (5) 5