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Once you’ve taxied to the active runway, we’ll do a slightly

more complicated pre-takeoff check than we did in the Cessna.

Remember our CIGARS mnemonic? Now we have a similar, but

new, one: CIGAR-TIP.

, as before, is Controls. Check for freedom and correct

movement.

, as before, is for Instruments: engine instruments reading

properly, with manifold pressure, RPM, TIT, and fuel flow show-

ing in the top digital display; altimeter set; HSI showing the cor-

rect heading; and artificial horizon erect and steady.

, as before, is for Gas - correct amount onboard, fuel

gauges verified, fuel selector on the fuller tank, and, for the

moment, emergency pump OFF. (We’ll use it as a backup for take-

off and landing, but let’s leave it off during the runup as a check

that the mechanical one is working properly.)

now stands for Avionics - considering that this is a com-

plex airplane that will probably often fly in an instrument envi-

ronment, let’s make sure our nav and comm radios are properly

set before takeoff. For this flight, since we’ll be practicing ILS

approaches, tune to the ILS at the airport you’re using. In addition,

the autopilot won’t engage until it’s run through its self-test cycle

once, so hit its test switch now.

stands for Runup, but this time it’s more of a general

reminder to do one; we’re actually going to do it in a bit more

detail a couple of letters further in our mnemonic.

stands for Trim. This time there are two to check - both

pitch (at the takeoff mark) and rudder (at its takeoff mark, or a bit

right of neutral). If you have electric pitch trim enabled on your

yoke or joystick, this is a good time to check that, too.

stands for Ignition. Set the brakes, and advance the throttle

to 2000 RPM. Check the magnetos one at a time. Maximum

allowable drop is 175 RPM, with maximum differential 50 RPM

between the two. Make sure both are turned back on.

stands for Propeller. With the engine still at 2000 RPM,

pull the blue prop control back until it drops to about 1500 RPM,

then return it full forward. On a cold day, you might want to

repeat this (called “exercising the prop”) a couple of times to get

warm oil into its hub.

Note that if you cycle the boots with less than

inch of ice,

you might just “puff up” the ice to the point where the boots cycle

uselessly underneath it. More than

inch, and the ice might be

too tough to crack off, so you need to keep an eye on it. At night,

the switch marked ICE LIGHT turns on a light on the left side of

the fuselage to light up the left wing leading edge for you. If you

ever notice an inexplicable loss of performance, and you’re flying

in a cloud at any temperature from freezing down to about –20

deg. C, check to see if some of the cloud is sticking to your air-

plane! (At lower temperatures, any moisture in the air is usually

already frozen before you get there.)

LET’S FLY!

We’re going to make a single, fairly lengthy, checkout flight

in the Mirage - about the same kind of thing you’d get if you were

an experienced pilot being exposed to the airplane for the first time.

Assuming you have little or no retractable-gear or constant-speed

prop experience, we’ll devote a little extra attention to that; and

we’ll finish up with a couple of ILS approaches at San Francisco

International (SFO), one flown by the autopilot and one by you.

STARTUP

The engine starts a bit differently from that of the Cessna.

Check that the fuel selector is in the L or R tank position. When

you turn on the master (battery) switch, you will activate the fuel

booster pump in the selected tank. There’s no separate switch for

these pumps; they’re turned on automatically by the fuel selector.

Crack the throttle about half an inch. Check that the mixture

is pulled all the way aft (idle cutoff); now turn on the emergency

fuel pump. Push the mixture in for about three seconds if the

engine is cold, one second if it’s warm; now pull it back to ICO

(Idle Cutoff) and turn off the emergency pump.

What you’ve just done is primed the engine, allowing a

small amount of fuel to collect in the intake manifold. Now set the

parking brake, check that both magnetos are turned on, and press

the starter. As the engine cranks, the STARTER ENGERGIZED

annunciator will come on. As the engine starts, check that the

light goes out and that the oil pressure starts rising. The gyro

instruments will dance around as they come up to speed. Check

that both ammeters indicate a charge and that no abnormal

annunciators are illuminated. Turn on the avionics master.

Flight Instruction