AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2019 - 86

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P&E PERFORMANCE
JOSEPH PATTERSON, ASSISTANT CHIEF FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR,
MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY-DIAMOND DA40:

The ramp at the Murfreesboro Municipal Airport is
home to an impressive collection of Diamond aircraft. Flight students at MTSU start in the DA40
as student pilots and stay in it for all their singleengine training. The DA40 especially shines as
a stable instrument platform and an efficient
cross-country aircraft. Patterson says that MTSU
made the switch to the DA40 more than 15 years
ago, in part because the sticker price made it the
best choice and "it was the newest thing out there.
The Garmin G1000-equipped DA40 qualifies it as
a technically advanced aircraft so, with recent regulatory changes, students can use it to satisfy complex time
required for the commercial certificate."

BRUCE WILLIAMS, AEROBATICS INSTRUCTOR-EXTRA 300L: The

Extra 300 provides a nimble platform for competition
and airshow aerobatics, and Williams finds it a perfect
training platform, as well. "The wide envelope-with
two on board, the G limits are plus or minus 10-
means that you can explore the corners of the
envelope without stressing the airframe. Although
we never approach those extremes in training,
that span means I can let customers recover
from botched maneuvers without intervening
immediately to keep us inside the limits. Now,
you don't need a high-performance aircraft like an
Extra to deliver great training, but the capability of
the airplane allows you to perform several maneuvers
in sequence while preserving energy." He adds, "You can't
learn if you don't enjoy the experience," and his students return
from training flights with huge smiles.

CATHERINE CAVAGNARO, AEROBATICS INSTRUCTOR-CESSNA
152 AEROBAT: With its low roll rate, high power loading,

Available for membership levels with Pilot
Protection Services coverage

SHELDON BROWN, RETIRED AIRLINE PILOT-CUBCRAFTERS
CARBON CUB: Brown and his wife, Billye, fly their Car-

bonCub almost daily in southeast Tennessee and find
it exceptional for flying in and out of short, unimproved landing strips-even on days where density
altitude leaves other airplanes in the hangar. Its
high lift devices such as flaps and vortex generators give the Carbon Cub a stall speed of only
32 miles per hour. Brown says, "All of the above
impressive stats were just icing on the cake.
The biggest reason I bought the Cub was that I
wanted a challenge, and flying a tailwheel aircraft
provides just that. All-weather flying ended with my
airline retirement. Furthermore, since the Cub qualifies as a Light Sport aircraft, I don't even need a medical
certificate to fly it."

86 | AOPA PILOT September 2019

KAYLA PATTERSON, FELIX KNAACK, PETE HAIGHT, PETE HAIGHT

Learn more
aopa.org/pps
or call
800.872.2672

and lack of inverted fuel and oil systems (inverted
flight can't last long), the Cessna 152 Aerobat
doesn't boast the aerobatic prowess of an Extra
300 or a Pitts Special. Still, the Aerobat serves as
a terrific platform for spin, aerobatic, and emergency situation training where learning energy
management skills is a high priority. Most general aviation aircraft, of course, are not optimized
for aerobatics, so they will respond much like
the Aerobat in a sticky situation. Still, the turn rate
during a spin is impressive and it will not recover
from the spin simply by releasing control inputs. The
Aerobat recovers predictably by using the procedure
from the operating handbook.

http://www.aopa.org/pps

AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2019