A well-known yet undocumented issue facing aviators is associated with the overuse of the zygomaticus major and minor muscles. I recently encountered this issue and the purpose of my article this week is to describe the occurrences that lead to this “problem”.
Now, I am not a medical expert but a recent consultation with Doctor Google resulted in my understanding that the zygomaticus major and minor muscles are located on each side of our mouth and are the primary muscles used to smile, and boy oh boy did I have a reason to smile this week, I went for a fly in the P-Mentor, what a fantastic little machine!
Our intrepid Head of Operation, Jarod had a cancellation, the aeroplane (TMG) was available and I was champing at the bit. The weather was reasonable although gusty (18 knots gusting to 32) and an x-wind up to 12 Knots, the cloud base and visibility were all good for a quick flight to the training area and a couple of circuits however expecting it to be lumpy.
Now to put this into perspective, I am not current, I last flew in December 2011 (apart from a quick “scenic” up the coast last year in the Electro) so whilst might joy resulting from this flight may be a little elevated, my proficiency is very much deteriorated, I was expecting it to be difficult to fly such a light aircraft in the prevailing conditions.
After watching Jarod complete the daily inspection including burping the engine, a procedure required to measure oil level and a quick refuel of 40 litres we “boarded” the aircraft (more on this later). Firing up the systems I couldn’t help being impressed by the avionics, were we sitting in a very small aircraft of a very large airliner, the “TV” screens looked so much alike. All checks completed we commenced our way to the holding point, during the taxi Jarod surreptitiously introduced me to the Bluetooth connectivity and my headset boomed to “those magnificent men in their flying machines”, I threatened to sing-he turned it off. Three things that were pretty well immediately brought to my attention:
- The time taken to get airborne- TMG just leapt into the air.
- The stability of the aeroplane- I have considerable time in Jabirus and thought that the P-Mentors stability qualities would be similar, I was wrong, this machine is incredibly stable for its weight and really resisted all the disturbance that nature was trying to force upon us, to put it mildly- amazing.
- The feel of the controls- balanced and firm, a “proper” aeroplane.
We then turned left and headed for the training area. In my past articles on the P-Mentor I have discussed the avionics, to be honest, I wasn’t really interested in them for this flight more so, how did this aeroplane fly and I was really impressed. The stability and control response made it incredibly fun. Roll rate is not huge however it is not aerobatic, in saying this, it is also a “nervous flyer”, seeing if I could still do it, I attempted to roll to 60 degrees angle of bank and at some point, TMG said “nup- don’t like this” and rolled us back. Apparently it also protects you if you are about to stall. Fortunately, whilst these are great safety protections they can also be over-ridden for training purposes. After a bit of mucking around in the training area we tracked via Oakford for return to Jandakot, Jarod showed me how magenta boxes appear on the Primary Flight Display that you fly through if you are on track. Now I must admit, as a person of the era who did not know that the magenta colour existed until the ridiculously priced printer inks appeared in our society, this was a little bit beyond me so I nodded my head and made it look like I understood what he was talking about.
Upon arrival at YPJT, 2 circuits- a normal approach and landing and a flapless. What can I say, what a fun machine requiring all the good habits but not over-demanding. Easy to set up and intuitive controls. I did find it a bit challenging with the airspeed, and altimeter ribbons so Jarod changed the display to the old “round dials”, I was back in my element and just enjoyed the flying.
Post-flight, after boring everyone with my tales, a bit of contemplation. To be honest, I couldn’t remember flying the P-Mentor, I thought it. From the steep turns to the circuits, I can’t remember applying control inputs, it seemed as though I just thought about what I wanted the aeroplane to do then it did it. This may be due to the “stick” rather than the “control wheel” however I really do think this is a pilot’s aeroplane, and it has a lot going for it. It’s fun to fly, its avionics are beyond impressive with features that if used properly will have a very positive impact on safety and do present training opportunities for pilots in this brave new world. Thumbs up!
Now the negatives- I did have trouble getting in, people were watching and thank goodness I wasn’t wearing a kilt. I was very aware of a limitation of the aeroplane, do not stand on the seat, It has already been broken. Now, I don’t believe my ungraceful boarding technique was a true issue of the aeroplane more so me. The impact of 20+ years of arthritis in my spine and hips combined with being born in 1962 and too many Sunday roasts and too many cans of Guinness. However, please be careful where you step and what you hold on to as well as being very vigilant as you load passengers.
After boarding, I was concerned about disembarking. My previous comments re thinking the aeroplane tend to insinuate I was as with one, connected to the machine, this was my concern- was I now going to be stuck in it for eternity? Fortunately getting out wasn’t as difficult as getting in however refer above regarding caution for stepping and holding. It must be said, however, that one very cruel engineer did suggest that they could get the engine hoist to get me out if required.
I really do hope that you enjoy flying this little aeroplane with a big heart as much as I did. Sincere thanks to Jarod, a truly magnificent man in a flying machine.
Until next week. Smooth landings,
John Snare
Safety Manager
