FlyPast 08.2018

PILOT’S PERSPECTIVE MILES MAGISTER

128 FLYPAST August 2018

sideslips anywhere near the
ground, and if I do choose to
go-around, decide early and don’t
retract the flaps below 300ft.
Having primed the Gipsy, Peter
gave the prop a flip, the motor
burst into life and as soon as I’d
noted the oil pressure rising, I
moved the flap selector to the up
position and then back to neutral.
I had a guess at where the brake
lever needed to be on a warm
Tuesday morning with relatively
high humidity and the moon
waning, and was ready to taxi. The
view over the nose while taxying is
excellent for a World War Two-era
trainer (this particular aircraft was
built in 1941), and once I’d worked
out where to set the brakes, things
proceeded in an orderly fashion.
The pre-take off checks are
very straightforward, so having
noted the strength and direction
of the surface wind, I aligned the
aircraft with the centreline, rolled
forward a few metres to ensure
the tailwheel was straight, and
opened the throttle. There’s no
difficulty keeping straight, and as
soon as the rudder started to bite
I released the differential brakes.
Acceleration was adequate but not

outstanding, although to be fair it

was quite a warm day. The Maggie

used about a third of the runway

and climbed away at around

800ft/min and 70kts.

The handling is agreeably

smooth and light, the breakout

forces are low and the ratio of

stick force to speed seemed

satisfactory. It just felt ‘right’,

and this sensation is certainly

enhanced by the excellent visibility.

Although I hadn’t flown the Maggie

for eight years, it honestly felt like

it was just last week.

Formation flying with the camera

ship always reveals any control

inadequacies, and if the Maggie

does have any deficiencies I

wasn’t aware of them. However,

deliberately slipping and skidding

so that photographer Keith Wilson

got some different angles soon

revealed that although control may

not be an issue, in some corners

of the envelope stability certainly

can be.

Indeed, as I skidded the Magister

into position for a head-on shot I

sensed, rather than felt, an almost

imperceptible vibration through the

airframe. Suddenly, owner Peter

Holloway’s briefing popped into

my mind and I knew that if I applied

just one more kilo of pressure on

the rudder bar, the aircraft would

abruptly pitch down. Basically, if the

sideslip angle gets excessive, the

rudder can blank the tailplane and

elevators, causing a sudden pitch

down, coupled with a significant

decrease in elevator authority. Not

nice if you’re near the ground.

Taut handling

With the photo session complete I

continued my evaluation, starting

with some 360-degree turns

and varying amounts of bank in

both directions. Even this simple

manoeuvre confirmed my initial

impression

of the type’s

taut handling and

well co-ordinated

controls. Both the

ailerons and elevators are

powerful and felt very light and

smooth, and the controls are also

nicely and correctly harmonised,

with the ailerons being the lightest

and the rudder the heaviest.

A couple of stalls produced no

real surprises. Flaps up, the Maggie

finally quit flying at about 42kts,

and although it dropped a wing at

the stall this was easily corrected.

Having slowed to 60kts I lowered

the flaps. These extend almost

instantly, inducing a pitch-down

and generating lots of drag. The

flaps-extended stall occurs at

about 37kts.

While still at a safe height I

decided to investigate my options

in the event of a go-around. The

flaps extend to 60 degrees, and

the Maggie is quite reluctant to

climb when they’re down. However,

because they move so quickly

Conducting power checks at Old Warden.

The instrument panel in the front cockpit.