Originally Posted by Savage_UK
It sounds as though from what everyone is saying a few hours battling the bizarre little idiosyncracies of a 207 would probably put me in good stead for the more stable 206. And probably drill home the importance of doing a proper W&B calculation as well as a preflight emphasising DOORS!!
This is what I was taught when I checked out in the 207 (Alaska bush): When you're loading your passengers always do it the same way. Start at the rear door, checking the bags in the back and seat belts in the rear. Secure rear doors. Move to right hand pax door and check belts, secure door. Move to nose baggage (locker) and check it's secure. Move to nose and remove engine cover and
check area in front is clear of obstacles. Get in seat and go fly.
In the 207 it's very important to check the area immediately in front of the nose because when the thing is loaded, as has been mentioned above, forward visibility is *horrible*.
But regardless, it's very important to do the same thing every time you load up. Flying professionally is all about instilling strong habit patterns.
Originally Posted by 27/09
Re the undercarriage. Early 206's had spring steel leaf, later ones had spring steel tube with a fairing, which is the same as the 207 though the 207 had a wider track from memory.
Thanks for the clarification!
