Seminole Observation flight

Aircraft: Seminole
Instructor: Digrazia
1OCT2011

I was able to observe a multi-engine flight with Mike Digrazia and his student. It was a particularly interesting as two students were observing so the airplane was 30lbs lighter than max gross weight. This situation allowed for the multi-engine pilot to use decision making in take off distances, accelerate stop distances, climb gradients and so on in order to make a successful go no go decision.

The flight was rather uneventful. Since the airplane was so heavy we did not do an engine shutdown. I was able to observe normal operations and an emergency decent. I never noticed how anxious passengers can be sitting in the back and the pilot's presence can really determine how comfortable passengers are.

The student was very thorough in checklist which put me at ease. Every input can be felt in the airplane and so it reinforced the idea that small smooth inputs are best when controlling the airplane. Flying a heavier airplane requires more planning and much more trim. I noticed the more trim was used the easier the airplane wanted to respond since the pilot wasn't trying to use a lot of force in order to make inputs.

The last thing I noticed was that airspeeds were higher. Because of this, things were happening quicker than in single engine airplanes so decisions and checklists needed to be completed early and in a timely fashion to stay ahead of the airplane. This will be one of the characteristics of higher performance, heavier airplanes that pilots need to become used to. It appeared to be easier to get behind the airplane quickly if planning and efficiency wasn't present.