Dear Garrett..

Chapter 14

FIRST DAY ON MY NEW JOB

FREEMAN

Though it was not explained to me, I had the impression that Watsonville Aviation Service was owned by three partners, Darrell Freeman, Pat Carroll and Stephen Wells Canty (Steve). The business also held another entity called Monterey Bay Flight Academy. Depending on what I was doing, I was either working for Watsonville Aviation Service or Monterey Bay Flight Academy on any given day.

Darrell Freeman had the extensive aviation expertise necessary to run the business, both flight and maintenance experience. Pat had the money to capitalize the business and extensive general business experience. Steve had both flight and business experience and some money to help make the business work. Freeman was on the job continuously. Pat and Steve showed up occasionally. Freeman worked there because it was his profession. Pat and Steve showed up because they liked being at the airport and around airplanes.

This business structure meant that Freeman would be the primary one looking after me, the new hire. Freeman appeared to look at me with intense skepticism whenever I appeared in his line of sight. In time, I learned we would refer to him as Freeman, leaving off the Darrell. We affectionately called him Freeman, except to his face when we’d call him Darrell. Freeman pretty much looked pissed off to me most of the time. He looked like an inordinately tough guy for as exceptionally smart as he was. He was not only smart but extremely wise too. He was age 29 when I went to work for Watsonville Aviation. His wisdom far exceeded his mere 29 years.

So I had this really smart guy seemingly scrutinizing my every move. His scrutiny did not seem to be in any way malignant. I just knew I had this really smart and watchful guy keeping an attentive and seemingly curious eye on me.

I began the flying part of my new job immediately. One of my duties was to fly what we called DEMO flights. We were the Piper Aircraft Dealership at the Watsonville Airport. We offered these DEMO flights to hopefully acquire prospective new pilot students and aircraft owners. I flew the DEMO flights frequently though they rarely netted a new client. The DEMO flights did succeed in making the passengers I flew at least happy by giving them some positive memories to cherish. The DEMO flights also succeeded in earning me more needed flight hours to acquire my more advanced pilot certifications.

It didn’t take me long to give Freeman an occasion to question my suitability as an employee worth having around at Watsonville Aviation. I had earned my Private Pilot Certificate

flight time. My flight time did not include a lot of experience to make me anything more than a minimally qualified pilot.

On my first day on my new job, I climbed into to left seat of the Piper Cherokee 140, N6471W and loaded my passengers for my first ever DEMO flight. I closed and latched the aircraft door and ran the engine start checklist. At the prescribed point in the checklist, it came time to engage the engine start switch. I yelled the customary “CLEAR PROP” out the pilot vent window alerting anyone near the aircraft that I was preparing to start the engine and propeller turning.

Not uncommon to some Piper Cherokee aircraft, the starter barely turned the engine over enough to start. It turned over a little bit, then groaned to a stop. I made a second and third attempt to start the engine. Two more starter groans with each groan diminishing in intensity like a car battery on its last leg. The Piper had a weak battery or starter or both. The engine wouldn’t start.

Off to my right, I noticed Freeman standing in the hangar observing the activity as my passengers and I sat quietly in our seats wondering, “Now what?” I was a real greenhorn. It was my first experience with an aircraft engine that wouldn’t start. I was thinking, “Great — my first DEMO flight and the engine won’t start!”

Freeman began walking out of the hangar toward the aircraft. He bore a somber expression on his face. I later thought, “I’ll bet he already half expected the aircraft engine not to start. It had probably been awhile since the Piper had flown making it hard to start due to a lack of recent electrical charging on the battery? It’s probably part of the reason they hired me — wanting the aircraft fleet to fly more frequently!”

Freeman approached the aircraft very professionally. You could tell he knew how to handle himself around an airplane. His approach was cautious and wide. He knew to walk well around the outside of the propeller arc whether the propeller was “turning” or not. Freeman stepped up close to the fuselage behind the propeller. Through the pilot vent window he spoke a number of instructions which I assumed I was to follow. He said, “BRAKES ON.” I checked the parking brake handle and replied, “BRAKES ON.” Freeman then said, “MIXTURE LEAN.” I retarded the red mixture control knob and said, “MIXTURE LEAN.” Freeman said, “THROTTLE OPEN 1/4 INCH.” I adjusted the throttle and said, “THROTTLE OPEN 1/4 INCH.”

Then Freeman said, “SWITCH OFF.” I turned the Master Switch off and said, “SWITCH OFF.” Freeman then carefully stepped around the propeller and stopped a few feet in front of the nose of the aircraft. Looking at the propeller and me, he stepped further forward stopping just in front of the propeller. Grabbing a hold of the propeller, Freeman pulled hard on the inside of the propeller blades to make sure the parking brake was well set and holding.

All the while, Freeman never said what he was going to do about this situation – – the situation of the engine not starting. He just walked out of the hangar and stepped up to the aircraft and began issuing directives. Though I had never been involved in a hand propping procedure on an airplane, it became apparent to me that handing propping the Piper propeller to get the engine started was probably what Freeman had in mind.

After pulling on the propeller to verify that the brakes were holding, Freeman stepped back just far enough to place himself in the proper position to safely swing the propeller through a revolution without being struck by the propeller rotation. This first hand propping was supposed to be only a “dry run” intended to prime the engine only – – not to start it. If the engine were to start during this initial priming procedure, it would be seriously startling to both the person propping the propeller as well as the pilot.

Freeman looked at me again. He knew he had an inexperienced pilot at the cockpit controls. I could tell he was being extra careful. He would be extra careful regardless of who was at the cockpit controls. Just hand propping an airplane alone requires extreme vigilance let alone doing it with a young inexperienced pilot at the flight controls! Freeman knew he couldn’t trust me yet and I didn’t prove his sense of discernment unfounded. Taking in a deep breath, Freeman swung the prop through. When he did, one of the worst things that could have happened. Though the engine wasn’t suppose to start on this first “primer only” propping – – but it started!

Freeman stepped back a few steps when the engine that wasn’t suppose to start started. After stepping back, Freeman just stood there looking at me. His gaze communicated both belief and disbelief. I was shocked when the engine started too. I knew I would have to face Freeman when I returned from the DEMO flight. The mistake I made, by turning off the wrong switch, was a grave error. The mistake could have caused a serious injury or worse to the person (Freeman) propping the propeller.

The engine started because when Freeman said, “SWITCH OFF” I turned off the wrong switch. Instead of turning the MAGNETO SWITCH off — I turned the MASTER SWITCH off. Amazingly, my initial pilot training was not thorough enough for me to have learned the difference between the function of the two switches. The MAGNETO SWITCH electrically causes the engine to run. The MASTER SWITCH electrically powers the rest of the aircraft — but not the engine.

My first DEMO flight was successful — except for the part about the engine starting unexpectedly.  After seeing my passengers off following the DEMO flight, I made my way out of the Quonset Hut office area and headed into the hangar to face the music with Freeman. Freeman glanced up to see that I was coming his way while continuing to work on an aircraft repair. I could tell he was expecting to see me following the potentially very serious mistake I had made during the hand propping procedure. I walked up and stopped in front of Freeman. “I realize I turned off the wrong switch,” I said. Freeman only replied, “I was expecting that.”

Freeman’s response cut me to the bone. Not a good first day on the job. Freeman didn’t seem all that excited to hire me to begin with. Now I had given him a good reason to want me even less?