I've just finished six days of intensive training in the aircraft and ground school. As my first experience as PIC of something with turbines and as a fairly low time pilot it was quite an intense week. There were some moments when it was looking like we might need more days to complete the syllabus, but I managed to complete everything to the required standards and adjust to the new systems and procedures.
I'm really loving the plane and am quite in awe of the performance. It seems I managed to find a very well sorted aircraft that had been maintained to a very high standard. I'm going to be flying a while with mentor pilots and know I still have lots to learn but I couldn't be happier with how well things have gone and my purchase decision.
As far as differences, it was lots of little stuff that I found hardest to adapt to initially: needing to anticipate opposite way rudder on takeoff relative to my Baron and singles I've flown (you need left, not right rudder, due to the props spinning opposite way), needing to use right rudder on landing due to the reverse effect and all that drag from the huge props, having to manage that huge rudder on the ground with strong winds and the unusual pedal setup (pedal deflection only moves rudder, pedal tips initially turn nose wheel steering and then with more travel of the tips you get each side's brakes), getting the hang of steering on the ground using differential power/beta, all the new procedures for engine starts...
In terms of flying the plane, though, it was completely pleasant - so much power that it changes everything. Single engine work required unlearning a bunch of piston twin stuff because it just flies so well on one. There is no 30 seconds or however long it is where you pucker up worrying about losing one after takeoff, because it will just keep flying on one. They say if you can taxi it, you can fly it. Taxiing and managing landings after touch down were the two biggest challenges for me, but I managed to get the required coordination of different bits fixed and burned into my muscle memory as the week went on.
Air work was very pleasant, it is a sweet flying plane. It climbs like you can't believe, it's just wow, 3000 feet per minute is pretty astounding! Loving the speed and adjusting to what that means about things happening quickly. I'm realizing I really wish the plane had altitude preselect which is the only modern bit of avionics it doesn't have. Going high is nice as I learned this week with some weather we had in the southwest.
I'm doing a couple days of flying this week and considering using the plane to hop down to Cabo with the family for a quick vacation next week.
