Bowlus taping the landing gear fuselage area?

[WmInce]

CTLS has better gear, by far.

Concur.

[Buckaroo]

Yes the only three landings I've experienced so far are harsh even with a greased landings. There's not much of a reward!

 

For me this will demand I even land smoother! Lol!

[WmInce]

Even the most experienced pilot can be humbled by this little CTSW.

It is a great little airplane though.

[Buckaroo]

I love mine! I have thousands of old hours dating back to the 80's. I still own my private, commercial, instrument, flight instructor and multi engine but after all those years hold a new respect for this airplane! I need a biannual flight review and a type check out for my insurance.

 

If I'm wrong and under this class of aircraft with my license I can go legally on my own please advise as I'm ready to go but waiting for a Flight instructor to sign me off.

 

If under light sport with my licenses I can go without waiting for a Flight instructor please advise. I'm getting tired of waiting for a Flight instructor in the middle of know where who can check me out but I'll know more than he!

[Tom Baker]

As to which gear is best, both have advantages. With the CTSW if you have a hard landing it will bend the gear leg, but you are less likely to do damage to the fuselage. Also you might still be able to fly the airplane somewhere to be fixed. The CTLS, when the gear is broke it is broke.

 

For you to be legal to fly the airplane you need a current flight review. It would be smart to get a checkout in the airplane. Your insurance may require it, but it in not a legality. You could go do a flight review in a Cessna and then go fly the CT legally.

[Buckaroo]

That's a benefit in some way for SW owners I think!????

 

Any responses to can I fly this plane without a sign off?

 

I'm getting tired of waiting to pay a CFI to ride with me so I can show him the ropes on the CT so he can sign me off!

[Doug G.]

Also check to make certain the CFI doesn't need a certain amount of "time in type" before they are ok with it. There is a guy here in Fargo and another in Fergus Falls, MN I know of. I don't know of anyone closer to you.

Like you, since Doc Ron left to be warm I have not seen any other CTs.

[Doug G.]

I don't think he is from around here Buckaroo. That is certainly a good option, but you can't fly out of ND or MT for that cheap. Usually more like $400-900. It would still be an excellent option. You would learn a lot more than you could from a CFI unfamiliar with the airplane.

[Buckaroo]

Great ideas everyone thanks! This whole thing is a strange conundrum for sure! ????

[Tom Baker]

I know this is a little redundant to what has been said, but I'm going to say it anyway. This refers to the legality of flying the airplane.

 

From your post you are a commercial pilot SEL and MEL. The CT is a SEL airplane plain and simple. Like any other aircraft except ultralights you have to have a current flight review to fly it. This is no different from anything you have flown in the past.

 

As a pilot your medical status determines what you can do. With a second class medical you can exercise commercial pilot privileges. After you have had that medical for over 12 calendar months it is still valid, but you can only exercise private pilot privileges. After 24 calendar months the medical is no longer valid now you can only exercise sport pilot privileges, unless you go get another medical. The requirement for a flight review still remains.

 

Now lets turn to aircraft certification. The CT was delivered with an airworthiness certificate in the light sport category. This is simple just another way to issue an airworthiness certificate. It does carry some restrictions as compared to a standard category aircraft, as to what kind of commercial operations can be performed. The CT can be flown by a pilot with any rating, or medical. The pilot is restricted to what they can do by their pilot certificate and medical status. For example a private pilot with a current medical can fly the CT at night, where a commercial pilot without a medical can not.

 

Like the others I think a checkout would be very worth while. However that being said I didn't have much of a checkout when I first got my CT. I simply had a couple landings with another pilot who wasn't an instructor. I got along just fine without the checkout except for wanting to land crooked, but I did have over 1,000 hours of flight time in aircraft that were lighter than the CT. That flight time certainly helped.

[Buckaroo]

Thanks Tom! Lots of valuable insight in your post. It looks like I'm back to square one! I'll brief my CFI guy on the intricacies of my CTSW, we'll talk about flap settings, we'll discuss Rotax warm up and rpm requirements, I'll hand him a sheet of all AC speeds and then we'll go fly. The check out is a must for my insurance coverage.

[Roger Lee]

Most of the smashed gear in the earlier days was from high time pilots and CFI's that thought they didn't need transition time. That ended up driving the insurance market higher. I wouldn't think of letting a CFI in a CT without a minimum of an hour's time and then that would be a minimum depending on how they are doing at that time. Then they may not be ready to teach someone new without more time on their own.

[Buckaroo]

Yup I agree that's why I'm going to be in the plane with the CFI. I would never let him take my plane first to get used to it as I kinda know what's going on with a big three landings ???? With his zero! Then I get to pay him $50 an hour for all this!

 

This is really convoluted!????

[Buckaroo]

If you can afford to buy your own airplane, you can afford to spend $1,000 or more to fly somewhere to get a proper checkout. I don't understand your reluctance to do so. Please don't put an inexperienced CFI in there and the two of you damage your airplane.

 

EDIT: The only thing I can think of more dangerous that a high time, inexperienced pilot in your LSA is two high time, inexperienced pilots.

It takes a brave man to face death! ???? I may have lots of parts for sale here!???? Can't live forever!???? My CFI says he knows everything about aviation and so do I! Who's bringing the ????

[Anticept]

If you don't have a CT instructor available, try a cirrus instructor. While the CT get kicked around in winds a lot more than a cirrus does, they have quite similar landing characteristics... they float and float and float.... and float.. then suddenly drop if you aren't careful.

[Buckaroo]

I've tried to find someone in Montana with LSA experience to no avail. There are no Rotax experts as well. This is going to be a do-it-yourself deal just like most things up here!

[gbigs]

This advice and picture are not pertinent to the CTSW.

 

It's a CT forum.  Many read these threads who make no comment who own SW and later model CTs.  All the models and their mains matter.

[WmInce]

I have a feeling this forum is about to get a lot funner.????

Let's hope it stays respectful.

[Tom Baker]

It's a CT forum.  Many read these threads who make no comment who own SW and later model CTs.  All the models and their mains matter.

 

Of course all models and their mains matter. I didn't say anything to the contrary. What I did say is the picture and advice that you offered the OP for inspection does not apply to his airplane. The OP would be hard pressed to find anything that looks like the picture you posted on his airplane.

[Tom Baker]

I have a feeling this forum is about to get a lot funner.

Let's hope it stays respectful.

 

I have never resorted to calling names like some have in the past. I may be somewhat direct, have an off the wall sense of humor, and make pointed comments, but have never been disrespectful unless it was needed.

[Buckaroo]

That's why CTSW mains are superior to Newer models!????????????

[Doug G.]

I don't know where he lives, but I see round trip flights from Billings to Tucson for less than $200.

Wow! Really? We can only manage that with a lot of miles contributed from here or Minneapolis.

Go for it Buckaroo!

[FlyingMonkey]

Buckaroo, I know a lot of folks have suggested a CT-savvy CFI checkout, and I think that is a very good idea.  But it also seems like you might ignore that advice and go fly the CTSW after your flight review.  No judgment about that, just an observation.

 

If you do that, some things that might help:

 

*  I find that the CTSW lands better slow than fast.  50-55kt over the numbers will usually result in a pretty good landing if you do your part.  You can go slower than that in calm winds, but I'd stick to 50-55kt until you get more experienced with the airplane.  60kt+ over the numbers can lead to a lot of float and a tendency to balloon in the flare.  Touchdown should happen about 45kt at 15° flaps.

 

*  It is *very* easy to over-control in the flare, leading to ballooning.  The airplane typically then runs out of energy quickly and sinks rapidly for a "drop in" or "carrier style" landing.  This is how many gear legs get bent.  If you balloon in the flare, apply full power and go around!  Once used to the airplane you can correct the fast sink with a small amount of power, but for now discretion is the better part of valor.

 

*  It might help on the first few landings to keep a little power in through the landing sequence, perhaps 200-300rpm over idle.  That can soften the landings and make the drop in problem less pronounced.  But keep the speed correct, don't let it get fast.

 

*   The sight picture on the CTSW is unlike many airplanes.  There are no references ahead of the windshield, so it can be hard to know if your alignment is off.  If you are not used to it, the airplane is very easy to land in a crab and side load the gear.  For that reason, I'd suggest selecting your first few flight days as low wind days, and particularly days with no crosswinds on your selected runway.

 

*  The round out and flare are probably lower to the ground than you are used to.  It might help to sit in the airplane on the ground and have a friend push down on the tail to get the nose wheel up, so you can get a sense of how close to the ground the airplane is with the nose up and the mains touching down.  Flaring too high was a particular problem that took me a long time to overcome, and it does lead (once again) to the drop in landing.

 

*  Make a few low approach passes before you do an actual landing.  Get the sight picture, speed, control feel, etc all down.  I'd say make a bunch of these, never intending to land.  Then when one of the passes seems trivial to get it on the runway, use that as your first actual landing.  

*  Go arounds are easy and almost instant in a CTSW, especially if you are solo.  If anything doesn't look or feel quite right -- do it.

 

*  Use 15° flaps setting for landing until you get comfortable. 

 

Good luck.

[Buckaroo]

Buckaroo, I know a lot of folks have suggested a CT-savvy CFI checkout, and I think that is a very good idea. But it also seems like you might ignore that advice and go fly the CTSW after your flight review. No judgment about that, just an observation.

 

If you do that, some things that might help:

 

* I find that the CTSW lands better slow than fast. 50-55kt over the numbers will usually result in a pretty good landing if you do your part. You can go slower than that in calm winds, but I'd stick to 50-55kt until you get more experienced with the airplane. 60kt+ over the numbers can lead to a lot of float and a tendency to balloon in the flare. Touchdown should happen about 45kt at 15° flaps.

 

* It is *very* easy to over-control in the flare, leading to ballooning. The airplane typically then runs out of energy quickly and sinks rapidly for a "drop in" or "carrier style" landing. This is how many gear legs get bent. If you balloon in the flare, apply full power and go around! Once used to the airplane you can correct the fast sink with a small amount of power, but for now discretion is the better part of valor.

 

* It might help on the first few landings to keep a little power in through the landing sequence, perhaps 200-300rpm over idle. That can soften the landings and make the drop in problem less pronounced. But keep the speed correct, don't let it get fast.

 

* The sight picture on the CTSW is unlike many airplanes. There are no references ahead of the windshield, so it can be hard to know if your alignment is off. If you are not used to it, the airplane is very easy to land in a crab and side load the gear. For that reason, I'd suggest selecting your first few flight days as low wind days, and particularly days with no crosswinds on your selected runway.

 

* The round out and flare are probably lower to the ground than you are used to. It might help to sit in the airplane on the ground and have a friend push down on the tail to get the nose wheel up, so you can get a sense of how close to the ground the airplane is with the nose up and the mains touching down. Flaring too high was a particular problem that took me a long time to overcome, and it does lead (once again) to the drop in landing.

 

* Make a few low approach passes before you do an actual landing. Get the sight picture, speed, control feel, etc all down. I'd say make a bunch of these, never intending to land. Then when one of the passes seems trivial to get it on the runway, use that as your first actual landing.

* Go arounds are easy and almost instant in a CTSW, especially if you are solo. If anything doesn't look or feel quite right -- do it.

 

* Use 15° flaps setting for landing until you get comfortable.

 

Good luck.

Thanks FlyingMonkey! Your post was just printed and will be handed over to my CFI to read. I can vision all of what you say and it relates to what I felt during my three landings. I did come in a little hot on one and ballooned twice on the 3 rd I added a little power to mellow the sink.

 

For lateral work someone on here might of been you suggested I line the center line up on the inside of my left leg and ignore the dash. That really helped!

 

All this makes total sense to me as it's all about physics. Ultralight aircraft with large elevator and short fuselage equals sensitive pitch tendencys. Then add in low energy retention equals an airplane that will turn into a rock quickly.

[FlyingMonkey]

It probably comes down to what does your insurance require, not only for you, but for the CFI you choose?  If they require you to have a check out in the same  make and model, seems like that would also apply to the CFI since you are just as qualified, if not more, than he is.

 

I agree.  Make sure you are covered for whatever you do.  Unless of course you are self-insured, then you are on the hook regardless!