Ideally every pilot in training would...

rocketflyer84

rocketflyer84

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RocketFlyer84
Was discussing with a fellow pilot all the things that happened during or shortly after training where we said "that wasn't designed to happen, but great that it did. Too bad that can't be an official part of training." A lot of it falls into things that one should have experience with handling but you don't get to experience it till it happens and maybe have just heard of it happening. Essentially the things one starts to learn with their "license to learn."

Some things we came up with:

- "Sumping the tank and finding water or other contamination"

- "Identifying and clearing a rough mag"

- "Actual comms issue in flight with ATC where the radios go wonky"

- "Flooded start"

- "Carb fire on start"

- "Actual aborted takeoff"

- "Actual IMC in turbulent conditions (for IFR students)"

- "Finding something during pre-flight that grounds the aircraft (eg oil leak)"

- "True task saturation in flight where one becomes briefly disoriented (especially for IFR students... And ideally this happens in actual IMC too)"

- "Encountering traffic that requires an immediate diversion to stay clear (with or without ATC's help)"

- "time in an intense ATC environment where there are so many people talking it's hard to get a word in"

- "encountering worse than expected cloud conditions mid-flight (for VFR pilots)"

- "having to calm an uncomfortable passenger"

- "an actual weather diversion from an unforcast change in conditions (pop up snow squall on VFR day is a good example)"

- "automation in the airplane (eg autopilot) going wonky and requiring manual override to stop it from getting you into a bad spot"

- "discover when identifying a NAV aid that it isn't sending out the right identifier and isn't OK for use"

What else can people think of?
 
I'm 12/16 on that list.

I'd add learning how to preheat
A real go around situation
Flying near max gross, with backseat PAX if applicable.

I'm sure others will add more...
 
Learning the difference between mags and plugs.
 
How to operate a card reader pump when the display screen has been burnt out by the sun on a Sunday when you are the only one there for miles around and about out of gas.

(I just got lucky.)
 
EdFred said:
Learning the difference between mags and plugs.
Click to expand...

:yikes: yes. Really meant foueled plugs :-) Although I find many people still call it a "rough mag" in reference to the mag test during runup even though they know it's the plugs and not the mag itself that has the issue.
 
I actually had a rough mag (wasn't too bad) we ran the engine hotter for a minute and leaned the mixture enough where it wasn't a problem. A day later it was grounded for a few hours for some maintenance.
 
Be required to own an old beater car AND do all the maintenance himself.
 
This is the difference between experience and training. You can't train the stuff on that list. Take #6...an actual aborted take off. How would you do that? Pay your buddy to pull out onto the runway with the Fuel Truck?

So we simulate in training to prepare for the real thing. There are experiences in training and a good CFI should try to maximize those...like buying fuel from self serve on Sunday.

Just an observation.
 
Ideally they should buy an airplane and hand me their credit card for fuel and snacks and let me fly it. They should also keep the airplane nice and clean and properly maintained between my flights and never fly it themselves because then it will get dirty.

You did say "ideally".

Oh and throw in one of those RedBull racing airplanes for fun.
 
I'm an advocate for instructors and schools to do 5-10 hrs of classroom and flight training to cover topics that will help or keep you alive, but were its more than the bare min to pass the PTS.

Diving offers this in forms of Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver.
 
Take off with carb heat.
Fly at max gross on a hot day.
Landing on an actual soft field.
Landing on an actual short field.
Landing on a narrow runway with a xwind.
Simulated electrical failure in flight.
Land at night with a landing light failure.
Fly at 12,500
Night flight over water on an overcast day
 
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Maintain altitude while 2 fat people roll around the back of a Cherokee Six doing the wild thing.
 
Above what everyone else said, change plugs and a tube and tire.

Smart move is to always carry a tube with ya and a couple tools.
 
James331 said:
Above what everyone else said, change plugs and a tube and tire.

Smart move is to always carry a tube with ya and a couple tools.
Click to expand...

Even if you don't have the wherewithal or desire to do the work, having the parts and few tools can still save your butt if you can find a person who can.
 
Have the door open on you during flight.

In this case the door did not completely open but it was not completely closed either. Before telling me my instructor asked "what is a pilot's first and most important job?" To which I replied: "fly the airplane." "Good" he said "because your door is open."

Fun stuff.
 
I was curious one day so had a small cup of water with me when I was doing preflight and after I sumped the second wing tank I put a little water in the fuel tester so I could see what it looked like.
 
RobertSubnet said:
Have the door open on you during flight.

In this case the door did not completely open but it was not completely closed either. Before telling me my instructor asked "what is a pilot's first and most important job?" To which I replied: "fly the airplane." "Good" he said "because your door is open."

Fun stuff.
Click to expand...

Door not 100% shut Lolz

Fly a plane with the doors off
Fly at a drop zone, better yet get your license.


Fastest solos I've ever had were skydivers, flying a ram air canopy is basically flying a wing.
 
Discovering that someone stuck a bunch of weightlifting weights in the cargo hold and left them there (presumably they had some really overweight folks sitting up front). Reinforced to always inspect the aircraft from a W&B perspective to make sure the preflight calculations reflect what's actually in the aircraft. A skinny single pilot was in for a rude discovery of an aircraft that won't trim nose down had that not been discovered.
 
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