A Case Study in Using AC 90-109A

Over the summer, I had the pleasure of recon­necting with a Virginia-based flying friend who found himself in Phoenix for flight training. Natu­rally, we immersed ourselves in every pilot’s favorite pastime of enthusiastic hangar flying. As David regaled me with his training stories, I realized once again that he exemplifies the concept of pilot profes­sionalism. One of those ways is demonstrating what it means to use the recommendations in AC-90-109A – Transition to Experimental or Unfamiliar Airplanes. 

I first flew with David and Lissa, his pilot wife, when they owned a very capable Cessna 206 Sta­tionair. It was always impressive to see how carefully and, indeed, how professionally, they flew both as individuals and as a crew. They are still the only GA pilots I know who fly with a detailed, crew-oriented checklist that delineates duties for Pilot Flying and Pilot Monitoring. They also got regular training, which included a memorable and most enjoyable “learn-to-use-the-airplane” T206 trip from Virginia to Arizona a few years ago. 

Life intervened. They sold theStationair and, apart from occasional jaunts in friends’ airplanes, David and Lissa took a seven-year break from flying. But then a new kind of aircraft caught David’s eye, and rekindled his interest in general aviation flying. He fell — hard, it seems — for a PJ-260 that will likely be his by the time you read this issue. 

If you don’t know the model, the AeroSport PJ-260 is a two-seat derivative of the Parsons-Jocelyn PJ-260, an aerobatic tailwheel biplane first built for the 1962 World Aerobatic Championships and named for the two pilots who commissioned it. Variants of the PJ-260 were later marketed to home builders and, after a long search, David found “the” one and made a handshake deal to purchase the plane from its owner.

The PJ-260 is obviously different from the T206 and, even without any “encouragement” from Lissa, David recognized the need for training to fly this unfamiliar make and model. He started with the obvious first step of getting a tailwheel endorsement, logging some time in a venerable Aeronca Champ before switching to a more-capable American Cham­pion Citabria. That took care of the basic endorse­ment, but David knew that wasn’t sufficient to make him safe in something as zippy as the PJ-260. Since it’s not a model that one can easily find — much less rent — for training purposes, more research ensued. 

In so doing, David followed a key piece of advice in AC 90-109A:

The choice of airplane and instructor used for this flight training is very important. To accom­plish the best training, use the specific airplane that you plan to routinely operate, with a well-qualified instructor who, preferably, has recent experience in the specific make and model. The second-best choice would be in the same make and model as the one the pilot is planning to fly. For pilots intending to operate an experimental aircraft, a third choice is to fly an airplane with similar characteristics, which may include a TC’d [type-certificated] airplane. 

To get the kind of training that safety demands, David found that the Great Lakes 2T biplane, also known as the Great Lakes Sport Trainer, would be a viable option. So he located a flight school with a Great Lakes in the fleet and instructors on staff with experience in the airplane. From the stories I heard, it is very clear that he is also following this sugges­tion from the AC: 

If you purchased your plane from a previous owner, learn all you can from him or her. I can’t wait to see David flying his new bird with Lissa. Knowing how carefully he has prepared for this transition, I will also look forward to hitching a ride myself. (FAA Safety Briefing– NovDec 2018)