Taming a Turbo-prop
Some endorsements are expensive, have a mean exam, and require much study. The Gas Turbine Endorsement (GTE) isn’t like that. Pilots say the GTE is perhaps the most enjoyable and fun of all. The fun comes from the aircraft GTEs are completed in: turbines. In Australia, the most popular aircraft is the Cessna Caravan or C208 series. They have a reputation of being a gentle step-up from any piston-powered Cessna.
With multiple upcoming test flights of turbine aircraft in the US, I sought a GTE. My instructor and testing officer was Toby Dorn, chief pilot for Blue Sky Airways at Cessnock.
Blue Sky is CASA-approved to conduct training and flight reviews. They offer initial and refresher training. The C208 is not designated as requiring a type rating, but it’s stipulated that initial training and a flight review on type must be completed by an approved training organisation. Part 141 approved, Blue Sky has a syllabus that involves briefings on gas turbine engines in general, turbo-props, and the PT6A-114A fitted to most Caravans.
Hitting the books
I completed a safety orientation and put the time into the Space Shuttle-sized C208 POH before heading out to Cessnock. There was also a l4-page engineering paper that included weight and balance plus take-off and landing calculations. There were multiple emergency procedures, which Dorn
