25 hours of transition training?

Holy moly.

It’s a Piper, not a G-V.

Ron is a newly rated PPL without an IR - what would you expect out of an insurance company? Plenty of time to get the Complex and HP signoffs and get to know the airplane. The Hershey-bar winged Piper flies very differently than the 150.

Ron got himself a great traveler.

It has the Piper Autocontrol IIIB but has also had an altitude hold added afterwards. There's a switch on the panel for the altitude hold and a button on the yoke.


Ron

James, I'm TOTALLY cool with the 25 hours. As Doug pointed out, I'm still a new pilot with just 100 hours in a C-150 and this plane feels HUGE compared to the 150 not to mention 3X the hp and swinging gear. Throw in an adjustable prop and there will be an ass-ton of stuff to learn.

Oh, and I have no idea how the GNS 530 works either. Or the auto pilot. Or the emergency gear system, OR the..... well, you get it, lol.

Really looking forward to getting some hours in it but waiting on an annual now



Ron

Hey Ron I remember meeting you and your wife at SEF. Nice upgrade, good luck with the transition!

Thanks Doug. I am the only person in the world who likes the look of the T-tails more than the straight tails but I'm weird anyway. The CFI who will be doing the training with me is a friend from childhood who has a bunch of time in PA-32s. If by chance the endorsements are done and there are still required hours, we will probably start on IFR training.

Ron

Yeah Rob, kinda hard to forget a guy who drools on your plane!

Thanks for the encouragement.



Ron

Congrats Ron. I'm a big fan of the C-6 and Lance. I often recommend them over an A36 depending on the mission.
Years back I had about 60 hours in C-150 and 10 in C-172 and I checked out in the rental Cherokee 6-300. As i remember it sinks like an anvil but was easy to land. You'll do fine.

I would look for ground-based simulator / desktop instruction on the GNS530 or GNS530W, whichever it is. I used to have a free Windows program from Garmin that basically simulated the 430w and you could set up scenarios and fly them. Or, maybe there's a Redbird sim near you that can be set up with a 430/530. Or, maybe a PC training software you can buy from Sporty's.

My point is, don't spend $150 an hour in gas and operating costs to learn the avionics in a "bad classroom" ie, the airplane. Spend 3 cents worth of electricity to learn in the comfort of your own chair at home, or in a simulator with an instructor.

Congratulations! The Lance is a great airplane. I moved from a Grumman Tiger into the Lance so I too had to obtain the HP and Complex endorsements; though, I did have my Instrument ticket. 25 hours should be plenty of instruction.

As a former Lance driver let me provide a couple of items:
1) Fully understand the landing gear system and practice manual gear extension including using the rudder to yaw the gear down. Two times I had to deploy the gear manually.
2) ALWAYS keep the nose baggage door closed and secure. Do not walk away with it hanging open or one day the contents will liter the field and the door will be bent. You cannot see the door from the cockpit and it is easy to miss it on a quick inspection.
3) Watch your CG. The plane is easy to overload as it is quite roomy. It is also easy to get a very rear CG making your rotation quite exhilarating.
4) The lower skin of the fuselage has a tendency to hold water and corrode. I had to repair mine and the shop told me it was a common issue.
5) If the autopilot starts acting up you may want to clean the edge connectors of the AP circuit boards. The AP uses what I call "STD Bus" type friction fit edge connectors and they can oxidize. Use a soft pencil eraser and they clean up nicely. Not sure if your "box" is in the same place as mine but it was located under the co-pilot side middle seat if memory serves.

FYI, I jumped from a similar place (wet PPL, all hours in 2 seater) straight into the non-retract PA-32-300 and insurance wanted 10 hours dual. Sounds like retract definitely adds a bit to the insurance risk.

OK, I'll say it. That's a LOT of airplane to step up to. I admire your tenacity in doing so and your positive attitude toward getting the training you need. You are starting out in the game with your head in the right place and that, above all, is what will make you a safe and competent pilot.

I wish you many happy hours in the Lance. Those monster doors will spoil you for anything else that might come your way in the future!

No Sir, you are not the only one who likes the look of the T Tail. However the two tails land and take off very differently. For your flying, being a PPL who is used to the 150 and needing to land it slowly or the thing will float forever, the T tail would be a MUCH different nut to crack.

As for the weird part, you said it - not me!

You got yourself a good airplane.

Thanks guys for all of the encouragement and info.

Jesse, that's a great suggestion on how to learn the Garmin. Searching for a sim right now. If anyone knows of one, let me know.




Ron

Check out any place that has a Redbird sim. Lots of them were configured with either a 430 or a 530.

You can also just get X-Plane for your computer. At least as of last year's release, the 530 was featured in the Skyhawk panel.