Fri, Oct 01, 2004
The Columbia 350 And 400 Demand A Continuous Training
Regimen
Chesapeake Aviation Training, of Baltimore, Maryland, now
provides Lancair factory instruction for the Columbia 350 and
Columbia 400.
"It's Not Your Typical Four-seater"
"Many pilots are gadget freaks," says Mr. Scott Dennstaedt,
owner and chief flight instructor of Chesapeake Aviation
Training. "We're seeing lots of pilots gravitating toward the
glass cockpit. Lancair and Cirrus are providing such a
product at a reasonable cost." The Columbia 350 and 400 have
dual Garmin GNS 430 GPSs and S-Tec autopilot to complement the
Avidyne FlightMax Entrgra primary flight display and Avidyne
EX5000C multifunction
display.
In addition to being Lancair factory-certified instructor, Mr.
Dennstaedt is also a Cirrus Standardized Instructor. He has
hundreds of hours of experience behind the solid state avionics
found in these technically advanced aircraft. Mr. Dennstaedt
is an experienced FAA-certified instrument flight instructor (CFII)
and meteorologist in the Baltimore-Washington area. Besides
nationwide flight instructing, he is a contributing editor for IFR
Magazine and also teaches aviation weather.
Insurance Dictates Training Requirements
While there are some experienced pilots buying Lancairs, many
are low-time pilots without any experience in high performance
aircraft. "Purchasing a Columbia 350 or 400 is really a
significant step up for many new owners. It is very easy to
get behind these fast airplanes," Mr. Dennstaedt added.
Besides an instrument rating, insurance underwriters have been
demanding factory training or training from a factory-certified
Lancair instructor. The number of hours of dual required
depends on the owner's previous experience and current held pilot
ratings; five to twenty-five hours of dual instruction are common
requirements.
In addition to factory training, Chesapeake Aviation Training
offers other services to Lancair owners including nationwide
domestic ferry flights and accompaniment home after the purchase of
their new or used Lancair. "Pilots typically don't feel
completely comfortable flying home in an unfamiliar airplane," says
Mr. Dennstaedt. Chesapeake Aviation Training also
offers a 10-day accelerated instrument flight training program for
those pilots that do not currently have their instrument
rating.
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