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Fouga Magister

Side view of Fouga cockpit

Fouga cockpit, pilot's view

    After my L-39 flight I spent the evening reading the Fouga operating manual and worrying about aerobatics. If a few aileron rolls were enough to make me queasy, what would loops, Immelmans, and barrel rolls do to me? I hated the idea that we might have to fly sedately to keep me from getting sick and scared.

    I got more and more worked up about this as the evening progressed. We had hardly pulled any g's during the L-39 flight, and a loop was a 4-g maneuver. I didn't sleep soundly.

    Sunday morning I headed out to the airport, excited to fly the Fouga, but feeling increasingly intimidated about the aerobatics. I would be flying with Larry today, and we met at the Jetwarbirds office for the pre-flight briefing. We talked about the aircraft systems,  engine start procedure, emergencies and . . . aerobatics. I told him about my reactions the day before, and he suggested we try a loop rather rolls. "Different people are bothered by different types of motion," he explained. "Some people don't react well to rolls, some people don't like loops. So let's try the loop and see if that feels better for you."

    That sounded reasonable, although I was still nervous about it. Duke had remarked the day before that it was also a matter of exposure. "Motion sickness is caused when what you are seeing doesn't agree with what you think is going to happen," he had explained. "As you get experience you know what the maneuvers look and feel like, and they won't affect you as much." That also sounded reasonable, but I accepted Larry's offer of some Dramamine all the same.

    So Larry explained how we would loop the Fouga, reviewed the anti-g straining maneuver, and we soon headed out to the ramp. The Fouga is an odd looking bird. The airplane sits very low to the ground and has a butterfly tale, making it look like the illegitimate love child of a go-cart and a Beech Bonanza. I smiled as I recalled the Car Talk guys on NPR summing up French engineering by saying, "The French copy no one, and no one copies the French."

    But today the Fouga was to be my mount, and I resisted the urge to compare it with other examples of questionable French engineering (anyone remember the "Le Car"?). Hopping into the front cockpit I immediately found it was much tighter inside than the L-39. This is the type of plane that you wear, rather than sit in. After getting settled in the parachute and seat straps I reached for the hand crank to adjust the rudder pedals, only to find that they were already set as far forward as they would go. I briefly wondered how Duke ever fit in this thing, as he is a head taller than I.

    The moment I was securely strapped in and couldn't move an inch, I realized I had to use the boy's room. Now that's just stupid. Nothing to do but wait it out and hope it didn't get painful.

    Larry stood next to me for the engine start that Duke had explained the day before. Unlike the L-39, the Fouga engine start is completely manual, and there are two engines. If mishandled, the process could result in a fuel fire. So Larry made sure I understood it before we began.  Although the Fouga can be started on its battery, it's recommended that you use an external power source, which we did. Here's the process:

1. Having first made sure the external power is engaged, turn on the battery switch.
2. Engage the starter button on the left side, which begins spooling up the left engine.
3. Press the igniter button on the left fuel lever WITHOUT MOVING THE LEVER ITSELF (that's what can cause the fuel fire).
4. Wait for the exhaust gas temperature to come up to 300 degrees, then move the fuel lever forward WITHOUT RELEASING
    THE BUTTON.
5. When the engine lights, release the igniter button and adjust the throttle.
6. Check gauges, then repeat the process for the right engine.

    Larry had mentioned that the Fouga was their loudest airplane, which was quite evident after the engine start. With the cockpit still open, it was a piercing whine that went right through my noise muffling headset. Larry climbed into the rear cockpit and quickly strapped in while I listened to the airport ATIS information. He then called the tower for a takeoff clearance while I taxied us out. The tower controller responded, "Fouga 316 Foxtrot Mike, cleared runway two-zero. And we thought it was going to be a quiet afternoon. . . ."

    The Fouga has toe brakes and a free castering nose wheel. Easier to taxi than the L-39, but the brakes are very sensitive. I kept jerking us close to a full stop several times before I got the hang of it. We were soon lining up for takeoff.

    After advancing the throttles we let the plane accelerate until the nose wheel came off the ground. Then Larry had me hold it in that position, with the mains still on the ground. It began to fly itself off at about 115 knots, and up we went. I liked how this plane felt immediately. The Fouga has hydraulically boosted ailerons which were very light and responsive. The stick forces in the pitch axis were heavier, but the airplane was also more sensitive in this area. This made for nicely balanced, very responsive controls overall.

    We climbed at 3000 fpm to 13500' for turns and stalls. Every minute I flew the plane I liked it even more. Larry then did a single engine demonstration by pulling the right engine back to idle. The engines are close to the center line of the aircraft, and on the one engine I could not detect any asymmetrical thrust. Much different than my multi-engine training in a Piper Apache, which required a big boot-full of rudder on one engine.

    Larry then called for a loop. I took a breath and told him I was nervous, but ready to do it. He said he would do the first one, but to follow him on the controls. He also reminded me to look to the left, and to tighten up before we pulled. Another big breath and then I said I was ready.

    Larry said, "OK, tighten up. And . . . pull." I looked to the left and followed on the stick as the g's began to build up, and we headed upstairs in a hurry. For a brief moment I was scared as I saw the horizon begin to fall away, but in the next instant it turned to pure excitement. As we came over the top I saw the desert floor rise up over my head and decided right at that moment that I absolutely loved this. No discomfort or fear whatsoever. I felt like I was in an IMAX film.

    We pulled through the bottom and back into level flight and Larry asked what I thought. "Nothing but fun," I said. "That was fantastic! No problem!" I was overcome with how great the maneuver felt, and with relief that it wasn't at all the ordeal I had feared. I had also completely forgotten about needing to use the bathroom.

    We set up for a second loop, this time with me on the controls and Larry talking me through it. It was even better. I relished the pull up and onset of the g's. I looked up as we came over the top and again marveled at the desert coming around to meet us. After the pullout Larry checked with me again to see if I was feeling all right. I felt better than great, and he said to try a loop by myself.

    I dove the plane down to pick up speed, leveled off briefly, and then pulled the stick back into my stomach. The 4-g's felt like nothing at all as I looked to the left. The g's decreased as we went over the top, I looked up and corrected a slight bank, then tensed my muscles again as I began to pull through the bottom. I think I became addicted right about then. I felt absolutely euphoric.

    We then checked our position and turned to stay in our practice area. I was amazed that the g's hadn't bothered me, and asked Larry if I could try a few high-g turns to see how I reacted. He said to go ahead, and I rolled into a 60-degree left bank. Pulling the stick back into my stomach I saw the g-meter on the panel go to just under 5, and it hadn't bothered me at all. I tried another turn, but couldn't hold altitude well enough to bring the g's past 5. Larry reminded me that the plane was limited to 6-g's anyway, so we broke off after the second turn.

    Larry had me climb, slow the plane with the air brakes, and configure for landing. We did a simulated approach with a hard deck of 12000'. The Fouga handled nicely at slow speed and I didn't find this difficult. But I was still buzzing from my first loops, and asked if we could do more aerobatics.

    While we climbed up I asked if we could do a Cuban-8, which is a variation on a loop. Larry said OK, but that he would take control as we came over the top. I set us up for a loop entry and then pulled up. Larry called for control and rolled us upright just after we came over the top. Quickly giving me control again he had me pull up for another loop, and as we came over the top he told me when to roll us upright. "What do you think?" he asked.

    "Outstanding!" I was thinking that it looked just like when I did that on my computer simulator, which is unusual. But doing it for real was something else entirely.

    Larry then said he wanted to show me one more maneuver: an Immelman. The plane goes into a loop but levels out inverted as it comes over the top, then rolls upright to continue flying in the opposite direction from which it started. I was certainly all for trying it, and Larry talked me through. I pulled up a bit more aggressively and felt just a touch of grayout approaching, but it disappeared quickly as we went over the top. Larry had me relax the back pressure on the stick and hold the nose just below the horizon, then roll upright. This was just too cool.

    When Larry said it was time to turn back to the airport I asked if we could stay up a bit longer. Money was no object at this point! He laughed and said that we only had an hour's worth of fuel (not including reserves, of course), so we had to go back. However, we did have time for a few quick landings. We descended with the air brakes out and entered the traffic pattern.

    I loved flying this airplane. LOVED it. I had a brief moment as we flew the pattern where I saw my gloved hands working the throttles and stick, and couldn't believe I was doing this. "An airplane is airplane," one of my past instructors used to say. That's as may be, but I was having the time of my life in this particular airplane. I silently took back all the things I had thought about French engineering. The Fouga rocks!

    The Fouga's approach speed is about 110 knots, which is fairly slow for a jet. Despite that, I overshot the turn to final on the first two landings. I carefully turned back to the approach course, and Larry coached me through two touch-and-goes. I had no trouble landing and flying the pattern, and felt like I was even slightly ahead of the airplane. On the third pattern I made a good turn to final and a full stop landing. I taxied us back to the ramp and we shut down -- a mercifully easier process than starting the engines.

    After we popped the canopies and climbed out I thanked Larry profusely for a great experience. I told him with no exaggeration, "That was the most enjoyable hour I've ever spent in an airplane."

    I was floating for the rest of the day. Over dinner I reflected on the experience, and was amazed. The Fouga seemed to "fit" me. When I first strapped in it had felt slightly claustrophobic. But once in the air, with that great view, the airplane became a second skin. I regretted that I probably wouldn't have time to fly it again during this visit.

    But most of all I was stunned at my reaction to the aerobatics. It's funny how some of the things we fear turn out to be non-issues in reality. I had myself really worked up about the aerobatics, and it turned out to be nothing but fun. The Dramamine may have helped, but that couldn't account for the pure enjoyment I experienced. For this I was grateful to Larry and Duke, and said so. "I've been through about three thousand loops," Larry said. "I've gotten pretty good at predicting how people are going to react and getting them through it."

    As most student pilots know, the right instructor is often the key to a good experience in an airplane.

    Today I had the Perfect Flight. The MiG and T-33 await.