Kickflip's FO gouge
Since the old summary of NFO flight school is a little outdated from the old syllabus, I thought I'd give a brief overview of primary / intermediate in VT 4 / 10 and a few tips along the way. Tips are pretty unorgonized, just things I noticed in the various stages.
Primary:
Contacts:
Contacts are a blast. You get six flights from the front cockpit where you will be at the controls the majority of the time. If you're not at the controls, ask for them, even if you suck at flying and your grades suffer, cause you won't have flights as simple as "let's go dick around in the MOA and then do some landings" ever again. You'll do spins, configuration changes, landings, turns, aerobatics, and some other fun stuff. You'll have a simulated EP on every flight, or at least you should.
See through the bullsh!t you have to do in the sims and ground school (i.e. the hollywood script for the checklist) and realize that this is supposed to be fun. During ground school spend a lot of time in the sim so your checklists are god-like and you won't have to worry about it in the plane.
Tips:
-Know EPs. If you are slow on your level speed change procedures, you might get below MIF. If you don't know your EPs you could fail the flight.
-Fly as often as possible.
-Know how to get through the ground ops checklists quickly and correctly. Especially if you are flying in July. This comes down to practicing in the sim.
Instruments:
Instrument ground school is a special kind of hell, but it is long so make use of it. There really is no excuse for you not to have your turnpoint procedures down cold by the end of instrument ground school. READ THE FTI, learn the procedures, and practice them in the 2b47 to yourself. There are 9 sims of various different craziness. One of them will be a NORDO scenario, one of them will be some kind of engine problem like a CHIP light, one will be ATIS giving mins below T/O mins, but most will just be practice with procedures. The flights are pretty much exactly like the sims except the radios are a lot busier. There are 15 instrument flights, two of which are checkrides.
Tips:
-Fuel calculations are the biggest time waster in instruments. The key is to get done with them way before you need to. Here is how you do it: As soon as you level off and get your fuel flow, calculate the fuel burn for the rest of the flight at the next 2-3 turnpoints. 6 minutes prior to your turnpoint, subtract 10% of your fuel flow from your current fuel for your fuel at the turnpoint. Then subtract the fuel burn you already calculated from your turnpoint fuel for your IAF fuel.
Example: After level off, fuel flow is 480 PPH. At TRADR, my jet log shows a remaining 57 minutes of flight before the IAF, so I'll burn 450 # from TRADR to the IAF. 6 minutes prior to TRADR, I have 1100# onboard, so my fuel at TRADR will be 1050 (1100 - 48), and my fuel at the initial approach fix will be 600 (1050 - 450). I write that down and still have 3 minutes before the 2 minute prior call, and all my fuel calcs for the MoT and wings level are done.
-Round all your in-flight fuel calculations to the nearest 50 LBS, just be sure that you actually have what you calculated when you get to the turnpoint.
-Principals of talking on the radios when you don't know what is going on: Read back all numbers, ROGER anything when ATC doesn't tell you to do something, WILCO anything when ATC tells you to do something that doesn't have a number in it. If there is doubt, go ahead and read back what you think ATC wants you to do, even if your pilot gets mad at you.
-If ATC gives you descend at pilot's discrestion, just read back "PD to ___(altitude)" That way you don't have to descend until you want to.
-ATC will be wordy because they want you to understand what to do. You don't have to be wordy because ATC knows what they told you. i.e.
ATC: "Katt 607, turn left heading 320, descend and maintain 1,200 until established on the localizer, cleared ILS runway 36, local altimeter 30.02, let tower know you'll be doing a touch-and-go. Be advised of bird increased bird activity in the last half hour."
you: "Katt 607, heading 320, 1,200 'till established, cleared ILS, 30.02"
-Aviate, Navigate, Communicate in instruments means do not miss any altitude calls, especially inside the IAF. In the sims if you miss a 200 ft prior call or MDA / DH call, they will probably fly the plane into the ground. Obviously, pilots can fly an approach without altitude warnings but the point is to teach you to back them up and build up your SA.
-Always know where you are on the chart and what airfields are around you.
-Double check everything. When you twist in the final approach course on the VOR-A at Mobile Regional and twist in 140 even though the actual course is 104, don't wait to intercept 140 before you realize you made a mistake.
-Put up with the pilots who will intentionally fly off-heading and off-altitude to see if you catch it. It's not hazing, it's command authorized training.
-Get a good cross country with an instructor you know you get along well with.
-Practice point to points until you can do them, cause they suck. Don't forget to crab for wind in the plane.
-Instrument ground school is 4 weeks long, if you know all your required Turnpoint Procedures and briefs cold by the end, your instrument flights will be a lot easier.
-Try not to use your wiz wheel for fuel calculations in the plane.
