Scott Miles & the 410 Club

                                                                       

Steve Cirino, Mentor-Eclipse Aviation
Rocky Mountain Sport Jets
440-488-6693

 

 

Off we go to Four One Oh.

 Last week I had the pleasure of Mentoring aircraft number 42 and its professional pilot Scott Miles from the beautiful state of Mississippi.  Because of Scotts experience level he was only required to fly 10-15 hours to fulfill his mentoring obligations.  We both decided that after a couple of short flights in the area we would attempt a long range flight to Akron Canton, Ohio with a fuel stop in Kansas City, Mo.  After departure we decided to over fly Wichita, KS to validate Scotts RVSM.  After settling in to a comfortable enroute climb we decided to attempt a direct climb to forty one thousand feet.


After consulting our performance  charts we both agreed  climb was possible at our weight and temperature.  We were pleasantly surprised after a little less that thirty minutes we arrived at flight level four one oh.  The airplane really amazed us both.


Our true airspeed was a respectable 290 initially but quickly accelerated to 320.  The coolest part of the whole event was our fuel flow was a meager 160/side.  The airplane was docile and comfortable at this altitude.  The environmental system never flinched keeping the cabin at a comfortable 72 degrees and 8000 feet.  When it came time to descend into mkc we did it with power off and I think we actually were making fuel.


We landed uneventfully at Kansas City and took our place among the various corporate gas guzzlers on the flight line.  I think this amazing little jet has arrived at just the right time.  With the cost per gallon of fuel about to match the price of a major league baseball ticket we can all breathe a little easier.

 

All Regards/Steve Cirino/ Eclipse Mentor/ Rocky Mountain Sport jets.