This afternoon, I went flying to practice some exercises similar to the ones in the multi-engine flight test. I was relieved that I could probably pass the test again. Still it required a good deal of effort, and brought back some bad memories.

Here are some of my humble findings about GXRP, a fine Piper Aztec specimen, in point form:

• Take-off pitch trim is actually satisfactory when cranked into the marked region on the overhead trim indicator. Vernacular suggests a lesser amount: “five or six” turns of nose-up, but this is a bit too little.
• Stalls give plenty of warning, with the whole airframe shaking.
• A stall break, especially if in a dirty configuration, is just unpleasant. It’s beyond the weird feeling of unresponsive controls. Wing drops occur, and are chilling because of the proximity to incipient spins, which are bad news for twins. Full recovery from a deep stall, including acceleration, cleanup, and climb, can take a long time – 15-30 sec.
• The single-engine ceiling of the airplane under lightly loaded conditions (4400lb today) is pretty much at book value: around 8000 ft.
• A single-engine approach to landing is a non-event. Flaps stay up; gear comes down at the usual time. A higher than usual but still only 60% power on the working engine is plenty to keep the descent profile and speed normal.
• Circuits at various speeds and deliberate screwups (too high, too fast, too little drag, too late) can generally be made to work out in a successful safe landing. Yes, generally it’s better to go around and try again, but it is a nice confidence-booster to get the bird down even in far-from-ideal starting conditions.
• A normal VFR circuit is easily done at the top of the white arc (around 120 mph) with baby flaps and gear down. Maintain speed and configuration until short final. When landing is assured, drop remaining flaps, set idle power, and slow down to around blue line (V_yse = 100 mph) in anticipation of the flare. This schedule works even if one engine dies during the circuit.

• Canyon turns don’t seem to be greatly helped by full flaps. An ordinary 60-degree steep turn at high power yanks even the clean airplane around in seconds.