Getting More Experience

I'm feeling more and more comfortable with SQB. My landings are getting better. At first, one out of every five was a real shocker - several bounces of causing various degrees of alarm. Now, touch wood, I haven't got any real bounce for months, and in fact most of my landings are feeling pretty controlled and consistent these days. I've even done a few really gentle ones.

I've been getting more confident in a busy traffic pattern also. Recently, I got a really late clearance to land, because the preceding aircraft took surprisingly long to get off the runway, and I was flying a fairly tight circuit. Previously, I would have gone around. But this time, knowing I was seconds from getting a clearance (I could see the plane about to exit onto a taxiway), I just began my flare as usual, but squeezed enough power to prevent me actually touching down. I could have gone around at any moment, if required, but I got my clearance, removed the power and settled onto the runway. I learnt that from watching someone else do it - sometimes it helps everyone if you stay efficient, both with your flying, and on the radio, when things are particularly busy.

When Phil, the LAME who worked on my engine last year, asked me how things were going recently, I told him that things were going well, and I was feeling a lot more confident. He said "it's probably time to be extra careful then."

It made me stop and think. I think it's very wise advice.

SQA

One of the great things about maintaining a website is that people can discover it and contact you.

One such person is Ron, owner of VH-SQA!

Ron writes that VH-SQA and VH-SQB, serial numbers MB 289 and MB 290 respectively, were the first and second aircraft with the '19A' designation to come out of the Beech factory. They came out from the US together in the late sixties. Ron bought his about a year before I got mine. Ron, however, is a seasoned commercial pilot who has a lot of flying under is belt.

Amazingly, we had very similar (but reversed) ferry flights.

I live in the Western Australia, and had to fly SQB across the Nullarbor from the east.

Ron, based in New South Wales, bought SQA from very close to me, and came over and flew it back across Australia to his home.

There are a number of interesting things about Ron and his Musketeer.

Most noticably, he has taken his back to a brushed metal appearance. Ron writes:

"it is in a polished aluminium finish, which is remarkably easy to keep looking good. The nose, wing tips, tail tips, hubcaps and flash down the side are in Monza Red – the effect is of a 1930’s retro look, and is quite a head-turner, because it is so unusual. Almost nobody has polished aluminium aircraft these days. Compared to the $15,000 quoted for a professional strip and respray, the total cost in materials for the makeover was about $600"

With regard to both cost and appearance, I think it was a very good result:

Secondly, having the time and expertise, Ron has done some good work on his. I could see from his photos that the interior of SQA looked quite a bit nicer than SQB.

It's great to be in touch with other Musketeer owners - it's the same as belonging to any community - there's the advice, expertise, and camaraderie you get from talking to others with the same interests. The other place I go for this community and advice is the Beech Aero Club: http://www.beechaeroclub.org. I'd recommend membership to any Musketeer owner.