(Jim Buckridge) wrote
Just got my rating last month. Next time I'm at the field I think
I'll be getting into a 1-26 for the first time.

I'm nervous about flying a new ship. Is it like driving someone
else's car for the first time?

Any stories (serious and/or anectodal) on transitioning to a one
seater appreciated :-)

The 1-26 is probably the most docile aircraft on earth. It's
certainly the most docile thing I've ever flown.

It's very light on the controls - trim is really optional. It flies
off the ground at an ungodly low speed. For your first flight, don't
be in any hurry to take off. Ease the stick back VERY gently, and as
soon as you become airborne, start easing it forward again. It takes
about 5 seconds to get used to it on tow. That's it. Once you've
figured out how much forward pressure it takes to stay in position on
tow, you've done the hardest part.

It glides about like a 2-33, which is to say not quite as well as a
pair of pliers. Stay close to home until you really know what she
will do. It won't be much. Once I nearly had to outland at an
airport 3 miles away because I didn't pay attention and got just a
little low. On the other hand, a 1-26 will thermal on a fart. Some
guy was burning leaves in his back yard, and that was enough lift for
me to climb high enough to make it home.

Take a tow to 3000, do a couple of stalls with spoilers. Feel her
out, see how slow you can go without stalling. Feels just about the
same on landing as well. Landing speed is so slow, and the fuselage
so rugged, you can pretty much do anything you want. Any landing you
do will be fine.

There's an old saw about how the amount of debate about a flight
maneuver is inversely proportional to the actual difficulty of the
maneuver, and that for the easiest maneuver debate approaches
infinity. It's much the same for planes.

The 1-26 is so easy to fly that there are lots of different opinions
about how it should be flown. I'm sure a CFIG will give you a cockpit
checkout on it, and will give you advice about how to fly it. Might
as well do whatever he tells you - there's really no way it's going to
be wrong. This ship will truly forgive just about anything. It's
purpose in life is to let a low time pilot get into a single seater.

Have fun.

Michael