I'm an MEI now!!! Advice?

cezzna618

cezzna618

yyhhaaaarrr
I don't get on here much, but I do read alot on these forums so I figured I'd drop a quick post. I just past my MEI ride in a Beech Duchess. It's not even been a year yet that I've been CFI'ing so I'm stoked. I thought I'd also ask for some advice from anyone willing to offer it. I have a good bit of multi time (100 hrs, but it's from about 2 years ago. I am well aware of the dangers of light twins, and now acutely aware of how students can compound that danger. Any advice from seasoned MEI's or anyone who knows the ins and outs of multi's and teaching in then? Any pointers would be great!!!

Thanks a bunch!!
 
Even though you said you known about the dangers I shall stress them.

This is THE most dangerous rating you will likely obtain. Be vigilant at all times. Don't kill yourself.

Look up some NTSB reports for the twin you will be flying. Get an idea how others have screwed up and learn from them.

That said, congrats!
 
Use your feet against the rudder pedal to simulate reaching full rudder control a little early during VMC demos. As one who experienced simultaneously reaching VMC and a stall, it's not pretty and it tends to "stay with one". Have a basic idea where that "critical altitude" is where those two lines, VMC and Vs, meet. I almost "bought the farm" back in 1995 by overconfidence.

Every takeoff, consider it an inevitable engine failure, know at what speed you're going to stop and what speed you're going to continue. Seminole in PRC? Put it in a field, straight ahead. Lightly loaded Baron on a cool day? You may have options. Not always. Promises and performance figures don't count. Better to land on that road than watch your VSI go the wrong direction as you approach blue-line. If you're below, you're a motor glider out of energy, put it down.

ME is no more dangerous than SE flying, it's just different and you have different choices and alternatives.
 
Derg said:
Use your feet against the rudder pedal to simulate reaching full rudder control a little early during VMC demos. As one who experienced simultaneously reaching VMC and a stall, it's not pretty and it tends to "stay with one".
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Yeah in hindsight and having been inverted in a Twin Comanche because of this.....Block the rudder.

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desertdog71 said:
Yeah in hindsight and having been inverted in a Twin Comanche because of this.....Block the rudder.

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Kind of serene as you're inverted after that first smooth helical rotation, huh! :) I can still smell the garlic over Gilroy and the smell of wet fields after a morning rain shower. A little earthy, a little "farmy" but I remember the smell of "brown dirt" and garlic. Ball point pen caps, discarded napkins and the look of calm confusion on my students face. Mr. Kim, a former Korean Air Force F-16 pilot, really had no idea how dire the situation was. Wore his flight suit that day and a fresh pair of swap-meet gold-colored aviators.

Like it was yesterday, brotha!
 
Derg said:
Kind of serene as you're inverted after that first smooth helical rotation, huh! :) I can still smell the garlic over Gilroy and the smell of wet fields after a morning rain shower. A little earthy, a little "farmy" but I remember the smell of "brown dirt" and garlic. Ball point pen caps, discarded napkins and the look of calm confusion on my students face. Mr. Kim, a former Korean Air Force F-16 pilot, really had no idea how dire the situation was. Wore his flight suit that day and a fresh pair of swap-meet gold-colored aviators.

Like it was yesterday, brotha!
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I was with an Indian student that had more money than ability so I had to keep training him. Bosses orders.

Basically did a wingover, I was chopping throttle as the inside wing stalled. Pulled out of the dive around 1800 AGL and near Vne.

I just said "lesson over" as he had his usual half smiling clueless stare. Same guy that gave me a wicked case of the leans in IMC.

I did some stupid stuff. But yeah having students at the controls is not the time to "explore the limitations of the airplane."

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I'd pretty much just echo what others have said.

The PTS talks about 3,000' AGL as the minimum altitude for recovery from maneuvers in a twin. The BE-76 AFM says 5,000' AGL and clear sky. There is a reason and it isn't because Beech wanted to take the fun out of flying.

Always think "what is the worst that could happen" and "what is the worst situation the student could put me in if we do this" and then ask yourself if you could recover from that with room to spare.

When you teach aborted takeoffs, do it on the widest runway practical.
 
As soon as I saw the thread I was hoping Doug would share the Mr. Kim story. I read that shortly before I got my MEI and it stuck with me.

One of my pre-mei flights I was flying with another mei student in the left seat, he wasn't current so he was playing the student, and did too well. I demonstrated and coached him through his VMC demo, left engine inop. Once we started losing directional control he kicked left rudder. I had my feet up, blocking so it didn't take long for me to slam right rudder. My instructor, observing from the back was surprised to say the least, but happy with how I was ready for it.

ME's were explained to me as twice the horsepower and half the life expectancy, in the case of poor training and/or execution of it. Aside from the flying portion, and this is true with all facets of flying--never stop studying.

I had my CMEL student last week ask a question about flaps affecting VMC and realized I had been neglecting my studies as my explanation left plenty to be desired. I spent the entire day on Sunday (my only day off) up at the office, studying and typing up a multiengine packet. I'm a kinesthetic learner, so actively typing up something is much more valuable than reading or just staring at pictures, and now I have a better packet to give students who may not be kinesthetic
 
Always have that left hand ready to chop the mixtures if something goes nutty on takeoff.
Two things I can guarantee:
1. you will have a student forget to cut the power during an engine cut on the roll.
2. you will have a student forget to put the gear down during a single engine approach, and after a go around. for some reason those are the times they forget.
Other than that, what everyone else said and don't let the student ball it up.
 
Roger Roger said:
Always have that left hand ready to chop the mixtures if something goes nutty on takeoff.
Two things I can guarantee:
1. you will have a student forget to cut the power during an engine cut on the roll.
2. you will have a student forget to put the gear down during a single engine approach, and after a go around. for some reason those are the times they forget.
Other than that, what everyone else said and don't let the student ball it up.
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2. Happens when DPE says not to go gear down until final then proceeds to allow the student ding both props before initiating a go around and realizing the gear wasn't down. POI then covers DPE's ass and dispatches the Gestapo to crawl up the CFIs ass.

Hypothetical of course. :rolleyes:

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This is a great thread. Being an rather new MEI myself, I have heard most of these things before but its great to hear some others to protect myself in the future.
 
If you fly the Seminole, check the fuel selectors before takeoff. Then double check them. Then check them again. Reading the accident report on the PA-44 that lost an engine on takeoff and rolled because of a fuel selector being left off gives me chills.
 
That said I've seen a Cessna get rolled because they didn't pull the throttle out and ride it out in the dirt (see left). There must be an unconscious 'full throttle' gets me out of trouble thinking (i.e. we're meant to be flying), which it can, but not always. Experience helps I think.

The fact that accelerate stop distance means little in flight training (DPEs love to ask what if the distance is greater than the distance available - we still go fly we just realise that (same as for if climb rate is negative OEI) we're landing straight ahead.

Doing the checks of the performance charts show that depending on temperature, performance loss can be 80% but it can also be 85. 90. 95% OEI. So temperature is a big factor. Most students aren't that nuanced, but it helps to think around it rather than just quote 80%.
 
I haven't checked this tread in a few days, and was just now going through all the responses. Thank you all for your replies. They won't be taken lightly, on a side note (why it never occurred to me I have no idea) but who buys light twins...no one but flight training operations. Flight schools use then because they are affordable, but no one else does because of the danger of light twins. A bit unnerving!!!!
 
I have never found a light twin to be inherently dangerous. It is what you make of it. Know the airplane, know it's limitations. It is hard to do that in 15 hours of PIC or 5 make and model.

Remember, it is your ass in the airplane. Don't be afraid of retarding the student's learning by taking the controls early. VMC demo is probably the most dangerous maneuver you will do. Teach your students to be very conservative when it comes to recovery. Also, when doing engine cuts on takeoff roll, keep your hand on the other mixture and be ready to cut it instantly.
 
cezzna618 said:
I haven't checked this tread in a few days, and was just now going through all the responses. Thank you all for your replies. They won't be taken lightly, on a side note (why it never occurred to me I have no idea) but who buys light twins...no one but flight training operations. Flight schools use then because they are affordable, but no one else does because of the danger of light twins. A bit unnerving!!!!
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No, it's because for what you pay in maintenance and fuel you could buy do way better with a piston single.
 
Had several students not cut power during an engine failure on the roll. (For their first one, probably almost half would forget what to do) Biggest surprise was the student that was getting ready for the checkride, and had a really bad day - we nearly mowed some grass. Every takeoff I had my left hand on the mixtures ready to pull them (Don't try to pull the throttles as you never know when you'll get a student who will lock up on them.)

Had a student stand on the wrong rudder during an engine fail after liftoff. I was setting zero thrust and was like "hey, that's not right!" Keep your feet near the pedals, and know which pedal should be applied before you pull the engine,

Had an accumulator go flat so the prop wouldn't unfeather after a shut down at altitude. Had to crank the piss out of it to get it to restart...

Got crazy good at ninja-pulling a fuel selector to fuel off climbing through 6k so that the engine would fail as the student was doing clearing turns. Funny story, two students were like what the heck? How'd the fuel get shut off? And, turned it back on.

Had a lot of fun. I absolutely loved the Duchess. Having flown both the Duchess and the Seminole, I have no clue what Piper did wrong, but the Duchess is hands down a better plane, and a better trainer. It's like the difference between a dump truck and a sports car...
 
Hammertime said:
Had a student stand on the wrong rudder during an engine fail after liftoff. I was setting zero thrust and was like "hey, that's not right!" Keep your feet near the pedals, and know which pedal should be applied before you pull the engine,
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Yeah, every student will do that at least once. I think thinking about which pedal to press is a sure way to kill yourself, just gotta always be thinking "stop yaw, stop yaw". If you do that you won't psych yourself out and go "lets see, I'm pulling the left, so I need....wait...dead foot dead engine...so....left rudder...wait...no...dead foot...so I need right rudder".
 
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