GEAR UP FLYING Opinion
66 | SEPTEMBER 2019 FLYINGMAG.COMThis did not bode well. After talking
my way in with a dozen donuts, I
was told that both supervisors were
away for a week of training and my
request for a medical f light test
would be placed on the appropriate
supervisor’s desk. “They assign the
examiners,” the receptionist said.
I waited. I did not want to be a
pest or offend anybody and ruin my
chances for a quick reply. None ever
came. If it weren’t for another piece of
luck developing in a separate part of
the universe, I’d still be waiting.
That good fortune came in the
form of Bob, the FA A man from the
Orlando FSDO. Bob was in Tampa for
an awards ceremony when I met him.
He quoted “Locksley Hall,” a poem
by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, that sig-
naled to me he was a kindred spirit. Iasked if he might be able to help me get
unstuck with the medical f light test.
To my happy surprise, Bob
suggested forwarding the appropri-
ate paperwork from Tampa to Orlando
and shortly thereafter called me with
his colleague, Steve, on the line. Steve
is typed and current in my airplane,
the Cessna CJ1 (CE 525) and therefore
eligible to give me the MFT.What about the short time frame?
And would I have to find a pilot to
get me to Orlando for the test? Not
to worry. These tests for pilots f lying
jets are best done in the simulator.
FlightSafety has a level-D sim in
Orlando that qualifies, Steve told me.
Well, I wouldn’t need a medical
to f ly a simulator. And I would
have time to review the proposed
tasks as published by the FA A.
They included the “ability to selectemergency-landing fields, to simulate
forced landings at difficult fields...
to recognize other aircraft and to
read aeronautical charts,” among
other things. FlightSafety could
rent me a CJ3 sim with instructor
for $1,640 an hour.
And so I set out by car to
FlightSafety in Orlando. Turns out, I
already knew Steve from a previous
Part 135 check ride. Rienaldo—“Call
me Rei”—was our instructor. Steve
made sure we all were in agreementabout the plan. We prepped for a
13R departure out of KJFK, climb to
4,500 feet and then we’d look for land-
marks to prove I could see something.
The sim’s idea of daylight and mine
were markedly different; the cockpit
was dark. Taxi was very rudder sensi-
tive, but I managed to find the runway
without hitting anything. Cleared
for takeoff, I called out, “70 knots,
V1 and rotate.” With positive rate, I
fingered the gear up.
At 400 feet, I called, “400, V2 plus
10, f laps up, sync on, after takeoff ’s
complete.” My reward? Rei said,
“Oh, we have a pro here.” This made
my day.
Steve asked me to identify Coney
Island, the Atlantic Ocean and then
said, “You have an engine fire, where
will you land?” I hit “direct to near-
est airport” on the Collins FMS and
saw that KFRG in Farmingdale, New
York, was four miles to the right. “Do
you see it?” asked Steve. It was almost
under our right side. I said, “It is right
there on your side.” “Circle it,” he said.
We ran through the other tasks and
then—four miles from Newark Airport
at 4,500 feet, with the rabbit in sight—
Rei failed both engines. Somehow,
I hadn’t quite processed that this
was how we were going to simulate a
forced landing. I thought there would
be some power. Gear down, flaps 15,
I started a right 270-degree turn at
130 knots. When the airport came
into view, I saw that I was high and
selected f laps 35. “No hydraulics,” was
all Rei said. Right.
We made it down on the runway.
The brakes worked. Thanks to
Susan Northrup, the regional f light
surgeon in Atlanta, I had that SODA
a week later. That same afternoon my
trusted aviation medical examiner,
Tom Beaman, fit me in and declared
me good to go.THESE TESTS FOR PILOTS FLYING JETS
ARE BEST DONE IN THE SIMULATOR.
FLIGHTSAFETY HAS A LEVEL-D SIM IN
ORLANDO THAT QUALIFIES.
With Steve and Rei after the “forced
landing” at Newark.