LOW TIME vs. HIGH TIME

Something to consider. I strongly suggest a little hand flying from time to time; however, in a very busy TCA I like to have the autopilot on so both pilots can concentrate on traffic, radio calls and other things that hand flying can distract from. At CAL, the FP calls for whatever he/she wants and the NFP dials it in or changes heading, speed and FMC commands. Save the lengthy hand flying times to less busy areas - the NFP will appreciate it and your operation will be safer.
 
SIUAv8r said:
Interesting.

We're not even allowed to touch the controls if we're flying with a high mins capt. at my company.
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I think the rule here is that a new CA has to do the first 10 landings off of OE, after that it's business as usual. I'd get bored not making in landings with a guy for a whole trip. I did fly with a brand new CA not too long ago, and I was the FO for her 7-10th landings. She did at least let me fly to the FAF before taking over. :)

The FD on the CRJ sucks. Period. It normally lags well behind what you would be doing hand flying, and we get separation issues in DTW all the time form guys waiting to turn when the FD tells them to instead of just turning. If I'm hand flying a visual approach, the FD is LONG gone.
 
"in a very busy TCA I like to have the autopilot on so both pilots can concentrate on traffic, radio calls and other things that hand flying can distract from."

One of the best Capts I ever flew with called for the autopilot out of 500' on me coming out of LAX one time. I thought that was weird as most guys hand fly up to 10K, at least. A few minutes later I figured out why he did it and why it makes a lot of sense to have the autopilot on in certain high workload situations.
 
Foxcow said:
Do you work for LOF? If so, the CA only has to make the landings.
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CHQ. I may have misquoted our GOM. If I remeber correctly, I believe it says they have to do all T/O's and Landings, but not necessarily the rest of the flight. I'd have to look, and my book is not accessible at the moment.
 
SIUAv8r said:
CHQ. I may have misquoted our GOM. If I remeber correctly, I believe it says they have to do all T/O's and Landings, but not necessarily the rest of the flight. I'd have to look, and my book is not accessible at the moment.
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Ok that answers that because I work for LOF.
 
It is also possible that the lower time pilots prepared harder for the interview than the guy who had already been flying 121 as an FO. Perhaps the XJet guy considered himself high time and experienced. Maybe he did not think he would need any additional prep and in the process overlooked the whole glass to steam thing.
 
Foxcow said:
hehe airline code for Trans States. Lake of the Four Lodges is what it stands for. Thats why our callsign is Waterski.
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Yeah, I was kinda joking and kinda not...never knew y'alls abbreviation, airline code, whatever. Thanks for the info. I did know the Waterski thing had something to do with Lakes:D;)
 
I can't believe that some places make their high mins CA take the landings. I don't really see the logic in it other then they are worried that a high mins captain wouldn't be willing to take a plane to save a landing or that they want them to get all the practice they can in the first 100 hours.
 
Its pretty lame for the FO if you fly with the same CA if he is high mins for 4 days. Fortunately for me, most of the high mins guys that I have flown with still go every other leg or at the outstations
 
I have yet to fly with a high mins captain, so I'm not really sure how they would handle it. It would make for a long 4 day not doing any of the flying.
 
I've gotta tell ya, flying an EMB-145 and flying a B1900D have NOTHING in common. I've got a part 135 checkout in the Beech 99, which is a short Beech 1900D without pressurization, and I'm training in the EMB-145 right now. Just because you've got time in a bigger airplane DOES NOT make you a better pilot. The instruments in this aircraft (the 145) can and WILL destroy your scan QUICKLY from what I can tell. You're simply looking at, and for, different things. The 145 is MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH heavier on the controls, so if you're used to flying a 145 and then you jump into a 1900 I can see SERIOUSLY over controlling the thing.

So don't just think that he was a crappy pilot. The guy might have simply been used to the 145 and had no experience with a 1900. Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE King Air's (dosen't matter the size), they're truely pilots airplanes, built wonderfully and the Beech 99 has easily been the funnest airplane I've flown yet, but the EMB-145 is NOTHING like the King Air series and you need to be two COMPLETELY different things to fly each one.

With all that being said, I can see how my stick skills are going to go down the crapper FAST at this new job. My days of hand flying all the time are over, and when it comes down to it the autopilot does a better job than I do. I feel that I'm becoming less of a pilot and more of a systems manager, where a 1900D pilot is certinaly a pilot.

Soon I think I'm going to have some other interesting things to add about how transitioning from a turboprop and having to fly down in the crap makes you a much better pilot than some wet behind the ears CFI, but I'll make my own thread about that once I'm online for a few months...
 
jtrain609 said:
With all that being said, I can see how my stick skills are going to go down the crapper FAST at this new job. My days of hand flying all the time are over, and when it comes down to it the autopilot does a better job than I do. I feel that I'm becoming less of a pilot and more of a systems manager, where a 1900D pilot is certinaly a pilot.

Soon I think I'm going to have some other interesting things to add about how transitioning from a turboprop and having to fly down in the crap makes you a much better pilot than some wet behind the ears CFI, but I'll make my own thread about that once I'm online for a few months...
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Yours days of hand flying don't have to be over if you don't want it to. You can handfly all you want just do it precisely and smoothly :D. I usually handfly up through 10-15k or higher if there are buildups/storms to dodge and down through 10. You will get plenty of practice when that autopilot is deferred. I can't stand it when some guys I fly with turn on the autopilot at 500' because they are the ones that don't want to fly the leg(s) with broken AP.
 
jtrain609 said:
The 145 is MUCH MUCH MUCH MUCH heavier on the controls, so if you're used to flying a 145 and then you jump into a 1900 I can see SERIOUSLY over controlling the thing.
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Hehe.. Imagine going from the 145 to the J32.. ;)
 
Trust me, John. When you get a plane with the AP deferred, your skills will come back.....or you'll be all over the sky, one or the other. :)

Had a plane from MEM-TYS (MX base) with the AP deferred. It's okay until the FA moves the drink cart and you have to re-trim.
 
First, I think there's more to the story with the XJT guy. Sounds like he may have had trouble wherever he went...XJT, Colgan, anywhere.

Second, when it comes to flying skills it's pretty simple. We are all good at what we are used to. Every new airplane is difficult to fly the first few times you are in the seat whether it be a C152 or a B747. It's all relative according to what you are used to. A guy who flies glass is going to look like a student pilot with a standard six pack the first few times he gets back into it. Sure he may have some experience from previous experience but what if it's been a few years? Give that guy a few sessions and I'll bet he'll be up to speed pretty quickly much like the Baron pilot after a few hours in an RJ sim. I remember the first few times I was trying to fly glass at XJT. I didn't know where to look and how to recognize changing trends in airspeed, alt, etc. and how to react to them on the controls. At first I wasn't sure I was going to like it. After a while I grew to enjoy it. Know if I were to get into a C172 tomorrow it would probably be pure comedy. Is sure wouldn't get in one alone. It's all relative.

I've found the hardest thing about learning to fly a new airplane is learning how to trim it. I'm not talking about trimming to just hold alt. I'm talking about REALLY trimming it so that it FEELS like the manufacturers meant it to. You don't have enough experience to recognize what the heck the thing is supposed to feel like when it's trimmed properly. How light does it feel, how heavy? You won't know for at least a few hours.
 
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