In the air, Mitsubishi factory pilot and vice-president of Turbine Aircraft Services Pat Cannon demonstrated how pilots can maintain roll control with the spoilers in virtually any flight regime, including slow flight, normal and accelerated stalls and turns into a feathered, non-operating engine, a feat not generally allowed in aileron-equipped aircraft due to a lack of control authority. An emergency descent showed the capabilities of the full-span flaps. With an airspeed of 155kt (288km/h) and full flaps (40°), Cannon pointed the nose earthward and easily achieved a 3,500ft/min (18m/s) descent rate.
After the Special Federal Aviation Regulation takes effect, pilots wishing to continue flying the MU-2B will have six months to complete either an initial course, if they have less than 50h of MU-2B flight time in the past two years, or a requalification course if they have more than 50h. After the initial and requalification training is complete, all pilots will have to undergo recurrent training once a year. Approved training centres include SimCom in Orlando, Florida Reece Howell in Smyrna, Tennessee and Professional Flight Training in Salina, Kansas. Some instructor pilots for Part 135 companies have already completed the SFAR training, qualifying them to teach company pilots. However, most of the 100 participants so far have been private owners, says Cannon.
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Pilots learn to maintain turns into a feathered engine |
Initial training will take about nine days and include 20h of ground school and 12h of flight time, with a minimum of 6h in the aircraft, says Cannon. Requalification training will be faster, with 16h of ground school and 8h flight training that can be completed in the aircraft or in a simulator. Annual training will include 8h of ground school and 4h flight time in the aircraft or in a simulator. Courses will conclude with a "phase check" with an instructor pilot, rather than a check ride with the US Federal Aviation Administration.
Source: Flight International
