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Aviation Certifications Aviation
Employment
History Independent CFI, CFII,
MEI, ATP-ME Delmarva
Aviation – Georgetown, DE |
Frank
E.
Dorrin Jr, CFI, CFII, MEI, ATP-ME fdorrin@gmail.com Experience I am a certified flight instructor/instruments, in single and multi-engine aircraft. Qualified as a Cirrus instructor in 2009. Currently flying close to 300 hrs/yr, which isn't bad for teaching part-time while working full time job as the Director of an IT organization. My aviation experience is described at left. Thanks to the endless support of my wife, Beverly, I am now flying my own Piper Twin Comanche (N833DF). I purchased this aircraft in September of 2009; the same month I sold my Piper Warrior II (N8260Y). I miss the Cherokee, but I needed to grow and that needed to be in a twin engine aircraft. More on that elsewhere on this site. Since flying with Delmarva Aviation in 2007, most of my teaching in the past few years has been in Cessna 172s, the Elite Simulator, and the Cirrus SR20. All of this equipment is very capable for teaching people to fly instruments or VFR professionally, and I've done quite a bit of that. I think my students are pleased with the service I provide, and many are out there flying confidently. SR20 Teach in the SR20 has been a rush. Experience is cumulative, and my time in the Grumman Yankee/Traveler and Diamond Katana prepared me for its landing characteristics. The Avidyne Entegra is a capable system, and the airplane is super tight. If I wanted a single engine airplane, I'd love flying this one, or the SR22 for that matter. Instruments are a breeze in this thing and it gets you there fast. Elite Simulator Flying the Elite simulator, which is now back in its own room in my Smyrna home, has been awesome from a different point of view. I had the privilege of working with Charles, an experienced King Air pilot and flight instructor. Charles and I worked each other out in single and multi-engine airplanes on many weeknights; figuring out the simulator and staying current at the same time. This work progressed into the development of an effective multi-engine training course that could be used to prepare pilot for multi-engine training, or for bolstering instrument proficiency. It also taught me quite a bit about flying a King Air, which is something I'd very much like to do for real. Charles and I had no illusions. We knew this course might never get used, but the process of developing it was rewarding and educational for both of us. As it turns out, I was able to implement this course work in a recent training opportunity. In December 2009, I refined the syllabus to closely match a specific accelerated training scenario that one young pilot required. This pilot was planning to takean accelerated multi-engine/multi-engine instrument training course over 3 days, culminating in his checkride. The flying was to be done in a Seminole with the ATP company down in Texas. I prepared a few weeks in advance by flying the routines I'd be teaching, ironing out an flaws in the simulation, and trying out various aircraft for the practice. I discovered that the Elite database didn't have the particular ILS approach he'd be using during his training. I researched the procedures for setting one up manually, obtained the pertinent data from the A/FD, and then used the software to add it to the database myself. Amazing that the data is out there to allow this; more amazing that the software was set up to let me do it. I fine tuned the glideslope to optimize the experience then had to set up the aircraft model I'd use. The Elite has a Baron 58 modeled that I thought would work best, so I used Elite features to change the avionics to match the Seminoles. Since the Baron is significantly more powerful than a Seminole, I added a power restriction in the software and worked out the performance numbers to simulate a Seminole. Mike B flies them, so I asked him to come down and fine tune the aircraft modeling with me. He came up with the idea of placing an overlay over the manifold pressure gauges to ensure my student got the procedures (numbers) right in his practice. We flew the circuit together many times, working out my training syllabus and the timing that would most closely model what his checkride would be like. After about 20 hours of preparation work, my student showed up for about 5 days of intense simulator training. At the start of our first session, I explained the differences in the airplane and avionics being simulated, as well as the limitations of the simulator. There is no tactile feel, so your scan must compensate and thus become stronger. This is a procedures trainer - and you will be a better instrument pilot with this practice. We did engine out on initial roll, engine outs on takeoff, single engine holds and approaches, and all the specific approaches he'd need to know. We used the same call-outs prescribed by the ATP school, which. Mike B was also familiar with. Needless to say - he passed. My approach is valid and the simulator training is valid. No doubt in my mind; or in his. Check out his testimonial here.. The Cessna 172s The 172s is a fine machine, and incredibly capable of safe instrument flight. In fact, its ability to fly fully automated coupled approaches is notable. I am not a fan of avionics used in this machine, however, finding it more difficult to teach and fly than the Avidyne/Garmin or Garmin/kx-155 combinations. I recommend buying a used airplane and setting it up with Garmin 430 WAAS/KX-155 and STEC-30 equipment. Thats just me though. - -
OTHER HISTORY - -
Cessna's, Grumman's, Diamonds, Pipers, Citabria's and anything else the owners would let me fly. My multi-engine time includes the Grumman Cougar, Beech Travelair, Piper Seneca I, and now the beautiful Piper Twin Comanche. Tail-dragger time is mostly in a brand new Citabria, but I have some interesting hours in a Pitts S2B and T6 Texan for aerobatics and spin training. I also soloed a glider out in Tahoe, and played in a Robinson helicopter for about an hour. Teaching people to fly is a personal challenge that I very much enjoy. Each person I fly with contributes something to my personal flying and teaching skills. The Pitts S2B training was insane. How to survive recovering from an inverted flat spin in a high performance bi-plane while flying inside a small aerobatic box. By insane I mean that I accepted a very high risk to get some solid training. That training is why I can sit next to you and let you exceed the capabilities of the airplane - but live to tell the tale. That is why my muscles don't twitch to let you know you know a spin is imminent, but instead let you explore the full flight envelop. I recommend that training, but I also recommend you think about how much risk you really want to take in real terms. My Pitts instructor was Bill Wilson, and he was wonderful. The odds played out against him two years after my wife drew a line in the sand, however, and he became one of my instructors that was killed doing the thing he loves. His flying lives on in my hands. Aspirations I intend to continue part-time instruction for the foreseeable future. I consider the simulator mandatory in instrument training because it makes you a better pilot. I only charge $20/hour for the device, so cost is very reasonable. My time is currently $40/hr. I optimize training for pilots to keep costs down, so talk to me if you have a specific mission in mind and I'll work with you on price. My full time career is going well, but I have made additional contacts for part time commercial instruction and training in the area. I'll have to be very lucky to find one that fits my availability, but if you don't try, you'll never succeed. Now that I have my own twin to build multi-engine time in, and I have my ATP-ME rating, I think I'm in a very good position to move to the next level in my flying. If you own a King Air and need a pilot for nights and weekends, please call ;-). On the Horizon Delmarva Aviation is closing in February. I have two students that will wrap up in February. New students have been showing up for years, so I expect I'll have a new instrument student added in there soon. Until that happens, I'll be improving and flying my Twin Comanche, and looking for more Angel Flights to keep it real. My main work may offer more opportunities to travel by air as well, so the future is looking very bright. |
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