Becoming Your Own Test Pilot

Very few airplanes get precisely “book” performance. Some do better, some don’t quite meet the specs. Meanwhile, common piloting techniques differ from those recommended by the pilot’s operating handbook (POH) or airplane flight manual (AFM). It’s up to you to determine what is “normal” for your airplane, and the way you fly it. To learn what even a type-certificated airplane will truly do and when, you need to test-fly the airplane. For a time, I was the lead instructor for Beechcraft Bonanza training for an international flight safety organization working at the Beech factory airport. Part of the training we provided included flight in the customer’s airplane. One of the items on the flight training syllabus was to show different flying techniques, and compare actual performance received to that predicted by the POH.

Key Takeaways:

• Airplane performance rarely matches the "book" figures from the Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) due to individual aircraft variations, modifications, and common piloting techniques that differ from recommended procedures.
• These discrepancies can significantly impact key performance metrics, with personal flight tests showing common techniques can increase takeoff distances by 45-50% compared to POH data.
• To accurately understand and predict an airplane's actual performance, especially after modifications (like engine swaps or vortex generators) or when using personalized flying styles, pilots must conduct and document their own controlled flight tests.

Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->

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