Tristar
Pattern Altitude
(For friends on facebook, ignore double post)
I was asked a few months ago if I had thought about getting my ATP. I knew the rule was changing so I had planned on getting the written done. My company really wanted all who was capable of getting it to go ahead and at least get the written done but I figured that would be it. Most of us don't get the rest of it done until you're sent to Flight Safety so it shocked me when they offered the flight training. Of course I said yes. The flight is essentially a PIC ride. As an SIC, even though we change seats during our revenue flights, we don't handle everything without the other pilots help. So over the last couple flights, I had been asking the other pilots to let me practice doing everything which really helped. Yes, it's only running checklists, radios, and GPS but it can still be more than expected at times. I was given 2 training flights in the King Air 90 and a little over 3 hours hobbs time with mostly single engine approach work. I was given the green light earlier this week and scheduled checkride for Thursday. I don't care how many times you take a checkride, the butterflies don't go away.
The examiner did a great job of setting me at ease that morning. I passed the oral fine. We took off and did our practice area stuff; stalls, steep turns, and unusual attitudes. Next was approach after approach. RNAV approach autopilot coupled. Crazy airplane was having trouble making the 90 degree turns so I took it off autopilot and got back on course flying it through the T inbound then recoupled it. It behaved itself then. I hand flew an ILS to a missed into a hold. With a GTN 750, it's easy. Then an ILS single engine hand flown into a single engine missed. Last was just another ILS to a full stop. We also did a single engine failure soon after takeoff. Those are my achilles heals with heading. The examiner was great and said that the one I did was passable but he'd like to do another and give me a tip. Apparently I'm staring too much at Vyse instead of watching heading and don't be afraid to look out the window and follow your runway if you have it. Next one, "Perfect! You didn't move an inch!"
So in the debrief, he said I had a great checkride and there were just minor things to go over such as slowing down a bit upon entering approaches and the heading thing on the single engine after departure. He said my steep turns were better than he could do and stalls were to 50 ft. If I had moved power a touch quicker, they would have been 0. Great job taking over when autopilot wasn't cooperating, single engine ILS was textbook, checklist usage was great, and the other approaches looked fine. Over all, I did a great job.
So now I am in possession of a temporary ATP certificate!
I was asked a few months ago if I had thought about getting my ATP. I knew the rule was changing so I had planned on getting the written done. My company really wanted all who was capable of getting it to go ahead and at least get the written done but I figured that would be it. Most of us don't get the rest of it done until you're sent to Flight Safety so it shocked me when they offered the flight training. Of course I said yes. The flight is essentially a PIC ride. As an SIC, even though we change seats during our revenue flights, we don't handle everything without the other pilots help. So over the last couple flights, I had been asking the other pilots to let me practice doing everything which really helped. Yes, it's only running checklists, radios, and GPS but it can still be more than expected at times. I was given 2 training flights in the King Air 90 and a little over 3 hours hobbs time with mostly single engine approach work. I was given the green light earlier this week and scheduled checkride for Thursday. I don't care how many times you take a checkride, the butterflies don't go away.
The examiner did a great job of setting me at ease that morning. I passed the oral fine. We took off and did our practice area stuff; stalls, steep turns, and unusual attitudes. Next was approach after approach. RNAV approach autopilot coupled. Crazy airplane was having trouble making the 90 degree turns so I took it off autopilot and got back on course flying it through the T inbound then recoupled it. It behaved itself then. I hand flew an ILS to a missed into a hold. With a GTN 750, it's easy. Then an ILS single engine hand flown into a single engine missed. Last was just another ILS to a full stop. We also did a single engine failure soon after takeoff. Those are my achilles heals with heading. The examiner was great and said that the one I did was passable but he'd like to do another and give me a tip. Apparently I'm staring too much at Vyse instead of watching heading and don't be afraid to look out the window and follow your runway if you have it. Next one, "Perfect! You didn't move an inch!"
So in the debrief, he said I had a great checkride and there were just minor things to go over such as slowing down a bit upon entering approaches and the heading thing on the single engine after departure. He said my steep turns were better than he could do and stalls were to 50 ft. If I had moved power a touch quicker, they would have been 0. Great job taking over when autopilot wasn't cooperating, single engine ILS was textbook, checklist usage was great, and the other approaches looked fine. Over all, I did a great job.
So now I am in possession of a temporary ATP certificate!
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