Inline Twin Flying Qualities
We set the altitude bug on the big Avidyne display at 4,500 feet, dodging the remnants of a late afternoon storm, and went through the usual routine of steep turns, slow flight and general goofing around. Allen chopped power to the rear engine and there was a sag in performance that was felt more than observed. No rudder adjustment, no yaw or roll issues, just a minor pitch adjustment through the big stick-mounted trim button. The side-stick controllers are surprisingly light and responsive and very intuitive, even for someone coming off a yoke arrangement. Allan had to intervene to steepen our final approach a tad but other than that the landing was all ours and resulted in no damage to aircraft or ego.
We set the altitude bug on the big Avidyne display at 4,500 feet, dodging the remnants of a late afternoon storm, and went through the usual routine of steep turns, slow flight and general goofing around. Allen chopped power to the rear engine and there was a sag in performance that was felt more than observed. No rudder adjustment, no yaw or roll issues, just a minor pitch adjustment through the big stick-mounted trim button. The side-stick controllers are surprisingly light and responsive and very intuitive, even for someone coming off a yoke arrangement. Allan had to intervene to steepen our final approach a tad but other than that the landing was all ours and resulted in no damage to aircraft or ego. Startup and run-up are conventional, times two. With a few seconds of boost pump, the TIO-550s started and ran smoothly (and with considerable authority). The twin-boom design spreads the main gear wider than most aircraft and that translates to excellent ground-handling qualities. Despite an 8-knot crosswind, the A500 was a snap to keep on the centerline until rotation at 90 knots, and ditto for the touchdown and rollout. Shutdown is also conventional, except for waiting a minute or two at idle while the turbos cool.
