DCT
Thanks for that and I’m sure there is a lot of truth in it. By the time I was a Jetstream QFI (97-2000) formation and LL were well embedded in the syllabus so that narrows that down a bit. LL was taught as a handling skill and LLnav very much a two person thing, which given the C130 was our biggest ‘customer’ by far makes sense.
I don’t have a sense of how much form had been taught prior to arrival on 45, but I guess we used it as a stepping stone on the small to medium to big. I don’t know how it is now but back then most of our ‘customers’ had AAR requirements so it seemed reasonable to do some at least.
Your comment on the syllabus certainly rings true and these two elements very much enhanced the enjoyment as a QFI of what was by then a really varied and enjoyable job. Is that a good reason for doing it? It seemed easy to rationalise it at the time!
Now looking backwards from my 20th year in commercial aviation it is clear that METS then was very much ‘one man band’ stuff with the exception being LLnav! But then it was back in 85 when I did my MEXO course. Plus ca change....
As an observer it will be interesting to see how the syllabus ends up.