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friction, or turn the friction knob clockwise a little more before you reset the desired power as you continue rolling. And please realize that takeoff power should be set well before 60 KIAS. I’m not implying that you do this quick release of the PLs near rotation!
How about when flying as a crew of two? The earlier King Air models have the landing gear handle on the co-pilot’s side so there is never a need for the left-seater to release the PLs right after liftoff. Even when the handle is on the pilot’s side, some crews have the co-pilot reach across to activate it. The only thing I, personally, have against this procedure is that the reaching across looks rather weird and unprofessional. To guarantee no PLM if the pilot will raise his own gear, merely ensure that the co-pilot’s hand is positioned such that the PLs cannot migrate aft. I strongly advocate that this be standard operating practice (SOP).
It is so simple for the right-seater to rest his hand on the power quadrant with the tips of his first and middle fingers touching the base of the right and left PLs. As the left-seater adds power, the right-seater’s hand slides forward to maintain light contact with the PLs. In the event of an abort, the co-pilot’s hand can be instantly withdrawn. After liftoff, after the gear is raised and the pilot’s hand returns to the PLs, then the co-pilot can move his left hand as desired.
As stated before in this article, no conclusion has yet been reached by the NTSB on the cause of the Addison crash. The cockpit voice recorder, sadly, shows that proper crew-coordination procedures were non-existent. No checklist was ever verbally requested. No briefing was ever given before takeoff. What happened, in my view, jibes perfectly with a Power Lever Migration scenario that was not noticed and not corrected.
In addition, airplane control was not maintained. The airplane was allowed to yaw badly to the left and the airspeed was allowed to get too slow, leading to the loss of control. My condolences to the families and friends of those killed. KA
King Air expert Tom Clements has been flying and instructing in King Airs for over 46 years and is the author of “The King Air Book” and “The King Air Book II.” He is a Gold Seal CFI and has over 23,000 total hours with more than 15,000 in King Airs. For information on ordering his books, contact Tom direct at twcaz@msn.com. Tom is actively mentoring the instructors at King Air Academy in Phoenix.
If you have a question you’d like Tom to answer, please send it to Editor Kim Blonigen at editor@blonigen.net.
OCTOBER 2020
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 29