teakettle31

A Site To Catalog My Aircraft Adventures

Raytheon 390 Premier I

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Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Raytheon (Beechcraft) Model: 390 Nickname: Premier I
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Business Jet
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Multi-engine Land
> Engine Description: Twin jet

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 9/2/2021
> Number of Hours Flown: 30.2
> Number of Times Flown: 18
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: n/a

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 122
> Date First Flown: 4/24/2002
> Location First Flown: Beech Field, Wichita, KS (KBEC)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: Beechcraft Flight Test

Recollections: This business jet could be called a “Hot Rod”.  It’s an amazing airplane, certified under Part 23 (small airplane), even though it’s swept-wing design flies into the high flight levels at high speeds.  It’s also single piloted!  To achieve this single-pilot designation, it was required to have a checklist system that utilized a series of yoke-mounted buttons to select and advance thru checklists.  Pretty slick for a design of this vintage.  

Raytheon 390 Premier I (stock photo)
(c) Airliners.net

My first flight in the airplane was behind an Icing Tanker (King Air) operated by Beechcraft.  We were investigating an in-service issue concerning wing anti-ice.  Most of my work on this design–which had been already certified by the time I started working in Wichita–concerned either follow-on safety issues or simple production audits.  My memories of the airplane were that it was quite capable and would be high on my list to own if I had the budget!  I also learned (from my boss, the venerable Gerry Baker) about how to assess stall characteristics in a swept wing jet in part 23.  These lessons would serve me well later in my career.

Beechcraft King Air Icing Tanker (stock photo)
(c) CAV

Cessna Citation Jet (CJ)

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Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Cessna Model: 525 Nickname: Citation or CJ
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Business Jet
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Multi-engine Land
> Engine Description: Twin jet

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 9/2/2021
> Number of Hours Flown: 54
> Number of Times Flown: 27
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: CJ, CJ1, CJ2, CJ3

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 115
> Date First Flown: 2/4/2002
> Location First Flown: Wichita Mid-continent airport (KICT)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: Cessna Production Audit

Recollections:
My first few flights in this airplane were a mix of production audits (a good way to get to know a design) and RVSM (Reduced Vertical Separation Minimums).  I later did autopilot, takeoff performance and flight control malfunction tests.  The “CJ” is a wonderful airplane that has been upgraded (avionics, engines, stretch) several times and is a very commercially successful airplane.  I’d love to own one!

Cessna 525A CJ2
(c) Wikipedia

Aero L-39 Albatros

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Aircraft Information
Aircraft Make: Aero Vodochody
Aircraft Model: L-39
Aircraft Nickname: Albatros
Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Tactical Jet
Category: Airplane
Class: Single Engine Land
Engine Description: Single Engine Jet

Aircraft Experience
As of: 10/31/2024
Number of Hours Flown: 2.1
Number of Times Flown: 2
Other Aircraft Models Associated: None

First Flown Information
Sequence First Flown: 104
Date First Flown: 5/24/2000
Location First Flown: NAS Patuxent River, MD (KNHK)
Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: USNTPS Qual Eval (Vendor pilot: “Smith”, details unknown)

Recollections: I’ve flown the L-39 twice, once while in the Navy and more recently as part of training for my job as a Test Pilot in the FAA.  Unfortunately, I do not remember the first flight in 2000.  My logbook is no help and has a curious entry in the remarks section “Smith (imposter)”.  No idea what that means.

Perhaps that first flight was replace in my memory bank with the next one, which I do remember well.  I attended a short course with the UAT company (a company that I’d flown with many years prior in a P-51 during my year as a student at TPS) for Upset and Recovery Training.  I flew with John “Homer” Black and, enroute to the practice area, we flew formation off of fellow FAA test pilot Bill Witzig in another T-39.  

UAT L-39 Albatros (Stock photo) (c) UAT

The upset training was excellent and the jet was easy to fly.  This jet, perhaps as no other, has made it’s way into the civilian “warbird” world and it’s also used in a variety of flight test roles.  Perhaps I’ll get to fly it again!

Aermacchi MB-326 Impala

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Aircraft Information
Aircraft Make: Aermacchi
Aircraft Model: MB-326
Aircraft Nickname: Impala
Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Tactical Jet
Category: Airplane
Class: Single Engine Land
Engine Description: Single Engine Turbojet

Aircraft Experience
As of: 10/30/2024
Number of Hours Flown: 1.3
Number of Times Flown: 1
Other Aircraft Models Associated: none

First Flown Information
Sequence First Flown: 119
Date First Flown: 3/27/2002
Location First Flown: Mojave, CA Airport (KMHV)
Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: National Test Pilot School (NTPS), Ed Solski

MB-326 Impala at NTPS (stock photo) (c) Airliners.net

Recollections:
I flew this aircraft, on a familiarization flight at the National Test Pilot School, while I was attending a 6 week “initial” course for my job as an FAA Test Pilot.  It was a flight of two, with Greg Lewis and John Hagen in the other airplane and, after conducting some formation flight, we split to conduct spins, including inverted spins.  The airplane struck me as being a wonderful machine, somewhat akin to the T-2 in terms of it’s utility and ease of operation.