Turbine Flying – Discovering a Whole New World

Turbine Flying

Turbine Flying-My first experience flying my PT6A-20 turbine powered amphibian was at the Sarasota, Florida airport, KSRQ, spring 2012. My then instructor a high-time Seawind pilot and former navy fighter pilot, late Jack Ardyno, coached me through what looked like and inebriated airplane zigzag taxi to the active runway. I took me awhile to get used to the very responsive electric-hydraulic nose wheel steering. He was patient till I got it. Cleared, I lined up for takeoff, held the brakes, placed the engine in high idle and with my heart racing I pulled the yoke full aft. Next, I pushed the throttle to 90% power and then released the brakes. To my surprise N71RJ sprung like a horse I used to ride bursting out of the gate. Jack and I were pinned to our seat backs. Five to six breaths later, we were airborne – and climbing fast. Wow, all that power!+

Gates to a whole new world of vastly more power choices now this turbine opened to me. Takeoff and landing distances, climb rates and altitude ceilings were my new horizons quantum leaps from my prior experiences. My training goal and practice was to tame and not inflame this turbine tiger. A little too much power, for instance, and my speed jumped 20-30 knots. This airplane definitely required a new feel. It took me some time to be familiar with it. I recall practicing landings and takeoffs at Venice airport, KVNC, where I landed too fast and then climbed out so fast I popped pattern altitude in an eye blink. I eventually learned to reduce the power to settings that worked best. Remember, although the Lycoming powered Seawind version had a POH this was the first ever PT6-powered airplane to enter the vast experimental community. No POH existed specific to N71RJ. Jack and I were now working on one via flight testing and recording the performance data.

Density altitude

Density altitude is a big concern for gas engines because of their limited ability to compress air for efficient combustion. With oxygen content less than 1/5^th of air mass pushed into the combustion chamber the ability gas engines to mix fuel and oxygen is very limited. Not so with turbine engines. Their incredible ability to compress ambient air in a combustion chamber translates into vastly more power per pound of engine weight. Bottom line; turbine powered airplanes takeoff in shorter distances and climb much faster than their gas cousins at the same gross weight. Thus, density altitude, still important, now becomes a minor factor even for landings because N71RJ also has reverse thrust.

Hello to new horizons.

With two-place oxygen I can reach anywhere in the continental USA in a single day. Depending on destination and winds, at 200 knots true airspeed at altitude, coast to coast trips are only 12-15 hours flight time. Further, consider the entire Caribbean is a fraction of that time and distance when departing Florida. Moreover, with GPS and TruTrak autopilot guidance N71RJ also flies the shortest routes. This opens a whole new world of opportunities. No more do I have to rely exclusively on commercial flight hub systems taking me where I do not want to go and then landing me hundreds of miles from my lakeside stay. In N71RJ I can just land there! Once there I am a turbine powered boat. Unlike any other plane that floats on water I can back up and I have water brakes too! Try that in a float plane. I did once. Yikes!

New friends and a new flying opportunities; Oshkosh, here I come! (2014 and 2016). There’s nothing that grabs peoples attention like landing my turbine Seawind especially on the water. Generally, people are complimentary and very curious. “What kind of airplane is this? How did you get it? What kind of engine is that?” These are some typical questions. Some admirers are famous, some are press, many are fellow pilots and some like Jay Drury, CFII, and Leo the Lion have become a really good friends. Who knew a whole new world would open up by flying a PT6A-20 powered Seawind? What a wonderful new world it is!

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