Kenny Keller preps a student for Monday's helicopter checkride in an R22. They're doing a touch-up flight to practice autos and confined-area landings after mechanics fixed a magneto problem. A mechanic shares a hot-start fuel-pump tip to keep in mind.
January 29, 2018
Robinson R22
Foreign. And I'm just pulling into the airport and I see an R44 on the ramp. That's probably our guys here to try to fix the R22. R22 had a mag problem getting ready for checkride. So I should find out here shortly what the scoop is. The idea is if they get the R22 up, I'm gonna go out with Bruce and just do a quick little flight, get my two best computers fired up, do some more editing. What are you doing here On Saturday.
I stopped by to help Bruce with his cross country plan.
Who cares if you got stuff for fuel? No big deal to sleep 15 minutes earlier than you were.
I'll just call him while I'm waiting on his oral.
There you go.
Yeah, and I'll read through the rest of that fer.
Oil light. I think they're oil impregnated on 1958 pillar. All right.
I filled out the ones near the building green paper all the checkpoints. We either that or leave this blank. One of the two. Because you'll have to get the winds from flight service Monday morning. Leave the temperature blank until until that morning. But you can have everything else, you know, figured.
So out there working on our R22. Try to get ready for Monday. Gary's going over some cross country stuff for him for Monday and I'm jumping back on editing so we don't know my work Saturdays. But hey, checkride crunch and it's really not even a crunch. We're really looking pretty good for his checkride Monday. Looking real good. Got some help with editing.
So I picked up a little tip in Fostoria from the mechanic there that runs the airport. He says that on a hot start you will want to cycle the fuel around with the boost pump with the mixture off and throttle off. Then as you go to start it, you will not prime it. You will just turn on the mags, get the starter going and when the engine starts to hit, push in the mixture slowly. As soon as it's running, get the boost pump on.
So quick update. They got the R22 fixed. I'm going to go out and fly with Bruce Jaspera. Just touch up flight. Just kind of overlook everything. Chris is planning on doing one more time tomorrow before checkride Monday. And a little note. If you're just new to this helicopter world, helicopter training, you always got to be ready to adapt and change and go with the plan to get people done. In this example, you know, maintenance problem pops up, got everybody here got it fixed. I don't foresee Any problems? Chris says he's doing really good. Gary said he's doing really good. They both said that he's doing really well on everything. He's super on the ground. Of course, he used helicopter ground school and the flying. Chris that he's really, really good. He said, just touch up the hard stuff, go hit the autos, do a confined area with him, and we should be good to go. This is the part that I like. I really like, you know, the help putting the finishing touches on somebody, just giving them those little bits, little nuggets of things that really make a checkride go well. There is a lot of stuff to know when you go take a checkride, but if you stay with the common rules, like in the video we recently did on the 10 checkride tips, and you stay calm and you stay cool and you stay collected, most likely you're gonna get through on the first try and not have a problem. People normally get all freaked out and worried right before the checkride. That's normal. Everybody does. Everybody feels that way. But what's really cool is you see somebody as they get closer to checkride day, you see them maybe not do as well. And then somehow the day the checkride, that little bit of nervousness actually helps you do well. Now, I'm not saying every instance, but normally it will help you get through the checkride. So I'm dropping off some food for Gloria, which is why I really don't like working Saturdays. You know, Saturdays should be for family and, you know, should be time for yourself. But in a situation like this, for the good of our members and to help make a checkride go well, Krista's, you know, he goes, he'll just feel better if you jump in with him. So that's cool. Bruce is shutting down right now. Did a really, really nice job. I think he's gonna be in good shape on Monday. He's gonna come back. Done. First time around. Real. Sam.
