Multi Engine Aircraft - "I fly maybe twice a month—if I’m lucky, three times a month," said Kotwal, "I’m not quite sure I will have the same level of proficiency as a professional pilot would. Plus, many a time it’s a busy day or a busy week, not enough time to plan, so it’s nice to have the comfort that, should something go wrong, there is somebody sitting beside me who knows better."
Kotwal’s analysis was similar, "I think this whole notion of flying a single-engine versus a twin isn’t as big a deal as I thought going in. It turned out not to be as complicated or as challenging."
Multi Engine Aircraft
"Over time, you kind of build an expectation of whether or not people are just giving you a sales pitch or they are being truthful," Kotwal said. "Cost was not a big driver once I knew what the ballpark was. It was all the administration, logistical issues, which swayed me."
Beechcraft A History
"Once I had kind of zeroed in on what the costs would be, I was much more concerned about being a new pilot. I wanted to have comfort that there is a reputable person and institution that I could reach out to that would guide me through lots of logistical issues that come into play," Kotwal said. "It was not only my first twin-engine, it was my first plane."
While the added space is nice, Deubler’s bigger interest was the speed. The single-engine DA40 he owned before his Beechcraft® Baron® aircraft got him to one of his favorite places in about two hours, but he thought he could do better.
Since earning his multi-engine rating, Don Deubler has continued to improve his skills as a pilot. More than two years after taking delivery of his Beechcraft Baron G58 plane, he traded up to a Beechcraft King Air C90GTx, a turboprop with increased performance.
"I've got a cabin in the north woods, and instead of driving six and a half hours, I could be there in an hour and a half. That just gave me more time to fish for muskies."
Ensuring Insurability
"It was quite a gusty day, and I still passed. The examiner said I passed with flying colors, but I thought I was just OK. I try to hold my flying skills to a higher level than most."
Pilots often insist on redundancy when their flights take them over mountains or large bodies of water. Having an additional engine gives aviators the option to get to an airport or the most suitable landing place available. Some models include added engineering that keeps some or all systems—avionics, de-icing and even cabin comforts—running off the remaining single engine.
Just one look at the tail of Deubler’s Beechcraft Baron G58 aircraft shows how much fun he’s having in the air: a graphic inspired by the movie Eragon, a mythical story about a dragon flyer. Under it, a line from another movie, Flyboys—Je Vois Tout—French for “I see all.”
When Deubler began looking for a strong flight school, he was lucky to have a good one close to home. The staff included a master instructor, and the owner is an FAA examiner. Deubler said he was quite prepared when, after two years of intermittent training, his instructor surprised him with the check ride.
Operational Costs
Manufactured in the aviation hub of Wichita, Kan., and with maintenance and support locations worldwide, the Beechcraft brand of aircraft traces its roots to the pioneers of aviation. Throughout its history, this brand of products has been known for quality, reliability and value that established benchmarks for the industry.
That plan often includes benchmarks that will help lower costs, including annual insurance premiums and mentor pilot fees when it’s time to take delivery of the aircraft. Some of those requirements may include a certain level of single-engine complex time and earning an instrument ticket. Hiser said it’s also a good idea for pilots to add commercial tickets to their licenses.
Pilots who move up to a multi-engine aircraft often pay more in the beginning, but after a year or two the costs decrease. The reason: insurance. Greg Hiser, president of Air Capital Insurance in Wichita, Kansas, explained the initial cost increase, which depends on a pilot’s experience.
Before Deubler and Kotwal bought their twin-engine aircraft, they researched the operating costs and requirements. Kotwal’s research was more extensive because he’d never bought an aircraft before. He started talking to people, reading blogs and studying online manufacturer information.
More Speed More Space
That's how two pilots ended up each owning their twin-engine aircraft. Don Deubler, an Illinois business owner, and Shailesh Kotwal, a Toronto banker, both wanted airplanes that were big enough for their families and fast enough to get them where they wanted to be when they wanted to be there.
Wanting even more in-depth training, both Deubler and Kotwal flew with mentor pilots after their checkrides to hone their experience as new multi-engine flyers. Even after Kotwal logged about 100 hours with his mentor pilot, he still planned to log some more since the twin was his first aircraft.
Both Kotwal and Deubler are often in the air these days. Deubler even graduated to a multi-engine turboprop, a Beechcraft King Air® C90GTx aircraft. Looking back on their multi-engine training, both said it was relatively easy.
While added confidence is an important reason to move to a multi-engine aircraft, other features often propel pilots in search of change, chief among them: speed and space. While Kotwal enjoyed the feeling of flying, his rental didn’t have room for his wife, two kids and all their luggage.
Quick Easy Certification
Adding a multi-engine certification can be a relatively quick task—about a month for comprehensive training. It takes most pilots about ten to 15 flight hours to learn the skills necessary to pass a multi-engine check ride and oral exam, but many spend more time than that in class and in flight to learn skills that aren’t part of the test. They want to be prepared in case of any emergency.
Another factor transitioning pilots should consider is the new aircraft’s value. Hiser says premiums are largely based on the value of the aircraft so knowing which model a pilot wants to purchase is important for financial planning. The most important piece of advice Hiser offered: plan for at least 100 hours of flight time the first year in a twin-engine aircraft.
"Fly your aircraft for goodness sakes. A lot of them will buy the airplane, and then they don’t fly it a great deal. That doesn’t help," he said. "Buy the airplane. Fly it a fair amount so year number two, when we go to renew your policy, we can get your premiums down closer to where a comparable value for a single-engine airplane would be."
In most cases, underwriters will require new twin-engine piston pilots, even ones with experience with a complex single-engine aircraft, to log a minimum amount of time with mentor pilots—usually about 25 flight hours. Pilots who want to move directly from a non-complex, single-engine piston aircraft to a turboprop twin-engine airplane will likely need more than that.
"Being an active pilot myself, we look at where he’s been, what he’s flying now, what his experience level is, what he’s transitioning to. We will help him with a transitional plan that’s acceptable to an insurance company."
"It’s not required, but it shows another level of professionalism, and it’s an easy ticket to get,” said Hiser. “We want to do anything we can to make you look better in the eyes of an underwriter. If you’ve got a year or two to plan for that, all the better."
Deubler enjoyed the process of earning his multi-engine certification, including taking delivery of his Beechcraft Baron G58 aircraft. Though he could have passed the check ride months before he finally did, he wanted more comprehensive training, explaining, “I think time and hours make you a better pilot.”
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