How far behind....

desertdog71

desertdog71

Girthy Member
OK, lets say I make it through ground school and sims. I get to IOE, how far behind am I gonna be the first time?

I guess what I am looking for is some stories from you guys about the first time you flew a T-prop or Jet aircraft.
 
desertdog71 said:
OK, lets say I make it through ground school and sims. I get to IOE, how far behind am I gonna be the first time?

I guess what I am looking for is some stories from you guys about the first time you flew a T-prop or Jet aircraft.
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Id guess 12" -18" behind the yoke. Should be the same everytime.... :D


Just look out for the CA with the sasquatch back hair.... :cwm27:
 
Your going to be hanging onto the tail for the first 25-75 hours or so. Just have a good attitude, cooperate and you will be fine and pass.
 
Seggy said:
Your going to be hanging onto the tail for the first 25-75 hours or so. Just have a good attitude, cooperate and you will be fine and pass.
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AMEN! I just finished IOE this month, and the first trip I felt like I had NO clue what was going on. By the end of the trip it was a LITTLE better. By the end of the second (very short) IOE trip, I began to think, "okay, I can do this!".

I'm sure it's going to take a year or so before I really feel "comfortable," but already I can feel things starting to come together. Best thing you can do is be up front with your CA and tell them up front that you want to learn. Most are more than happy to teach--heck... look how many of us came up through flight instruction.

Even if you feel WAY behind on your first trip (and you will!), just hang in there... it'll come together before you know it!
 
I remember my first time at the controls on the RJ. I couldn't believe how fast things were going. My first landing was rough to say the least. Going from landing at 80-90 knots to landing at 140 knots was a real eye opener. I was amazed at how quick the runway came to the airplane. It takes time but you'll make it through. I'm just starting to become relatively comfortable flying the plane. I still learn something new every flight.
 
So, does it ever get to the point where its just another 172? As I have stepped up in aircraft, at first they required a lot of my concentration but after a while they all became easier and fairly natural to fly. I am not saying that I would get complacent but there always seems to come a time when the actual handling of the controls requires much less brain power. Say for example when you start flying a faster plane you are unfamiliar with, it may take about 50% of your brain just to control it the way you want. After a while it takes maybe 10% and really opens things up for you as far as workload goes.
 
desertdog71 said:
So, does it ever get to the point where its just another 172?
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Absolutely. Bill is so totally comfortable in the 88 (he'd better be, after 8 years!).

He was my first pax in the warrior when I got my PPL, and he was so ahead of that little plane it was hilarious. He kept saying "wow, this is slow", and "is that all the flaps you have out?" and "gosh, this is slow!". I finally told him to shut up. :D
 
MQAAord said:
Absolutely. Bill is so totally comfortable in the 88 (he'd better be, after 8 years!).

He was my first pax in the warrior when I got my PPL, and he was so ahead of that little plane it was hilarious. He kept saying "wow, this is slow", and "is that all the flaps you have out?" and "gosh, this is slow!". I finally told him to shut up. :D
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So was he shifting in his seat and generally nervous? It had to be killing him. :)
 
desertdog71 said:
So, does it ever get to the point where its just another 172? As I have stepped up in aircraft, at first they required a lot of my concentration but after a while they all became easier and fairly natural to fly. I am not saying that I would get complacent but there always seems to come a time when the actual handling of the controls requires much less brain power. Say for example when you start flying a faster plane you are unfamiliar with, it may take about 50% of your brain just to control it the way you want. After a while it takes maybe 10% and really opens things up for you as far as workload goes.
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Just think about the transition you made when you went from a C172 to a Multi-Engine Prop. I flew a Seminole and Duchess and thought it was the fastest thing in the world. After several hours you get comfortable. When I got to the regionals I had about 1100TT and 100 multi. Which sadly is considered high time now. I'm sure many can contest to this but doing a visual approach in an RJ/TurboProp is an eye opener to first time pilots after transitioning from a Seminole. After a few you just get it. Just like when you were trying to land as a student pilot. You just get it after a while.
 
You'll catch up to the plane in a few hundred hours. Right now, with only 200+ hours in a C172 and over 1500 in the RJ, I feel MUCH more comfortable flying the jet then I do getting in a Cessna and flying that.
 
It is mostly just a matter of settling down and letting your brain do what you have been taught. You will feel a little behind for the first while but remember when you learned to ride a bike? Drive a car?

Take time during your flying to laugh and relax a little and you will be fine. When you start to feel a little overwhelmed, take a few deep breaths and try to relax. You will be an experienced big time jet pilot before you know it, and will even be offering similar advice to others in the not too distant future.
 
My first flight in the RJ was DTW-LAN, it's about 20 minutes flying time. I think I was lucky to have a couple of fingers on a rear static wick.....
 
You won't be hanging on the tail. You'll still be brushing your teeth when the Captain is trying to talk you through your first landing. :D
 
desertdog71 said:
So, does it ever get to the point where its just another 172? .
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Personally I don't think it ever got to the point were it felt as "easy" as a 172 or any other light single. If you flew a 172 long enough you might be able to land it when you are half asleep. I find the Brasilia to be less forgiving and it requires far more active attention at all times than any piston single I ever flew. I suspect most transport planes are this way. That said it does get much, much easier and more natural with time. You'll just always be using more brain cells working 121 stuff.

Most pilots I have talked with feel this way about transport category aircraft. My experience was similar as well. By the end of IOE you should start to feel some raw confidence in your abilities. By the time you hit 100 hours or so things should really start to click and by 200 to 300 hours you will feel very "at home" in the plane.

By 500 hours you'll be telling the Captain how to do his/her job. :)
 
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