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Old 26th May 2004, 10:46
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francois marais
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Cape Town
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Valid question Dual Driver! Judging by your name, you must be an instructor, so I will assume that you are in the training environment, and often deals with examination papers.

The former curriculum manager at the old DCA and later on at the CAA, set up the syllabus in a very autocratic way. HIS way. This man thought he was very clever by basing the entire question database on the AP3456. In doing so, he created so much confusion, as nowhere is there a reference basis available to the answers, other than in the AP3456, which of course as you know, is a restricted document, and the property of the British Air Force, and not freely available to Joe Public.

Furthermore, the AP3456 is based on using the Gazelle Helicopter as a training machine, which has a clockwise rotating main rotor. The questions created in the SACAA examination, has thus caused an awfull lot of confusion, as certain questions asked, are based on a clockwise rotating main rotor, whilst most students in SA anyway, train on helicopters with counter clockwise main rotors. So this creates confusion. (refer to Gazelle Graphs modified to look like B206 graphs, direction of roll during dissymetry of lift, retreating blade stall, 90º gyroscopic effect etc. and loads more.)

What is really mind boggling is the fact that currently there is NO curriculum manager at the CAA, therefore these issues are not being addressed in the appropriate fashion, with the result that all helicopter students are obliged to do their "Flight Planning" based on a King Air 200. Now I ask you, what does an "ab initio" helicopter student know about a King Air 200?

Until such time that a curriculum manager is appointed at the SACAA to revise the current one, and put it right, you will have to teach your students about fixed wing airplanes whilst you're doing their cross countries, and your poor students wil have to suffer the possible failure of their initial exams, simply due to the inefficient and autocratic manner in which the CAA had allowed the curriculum to be implemented. It's truly a disgrace!

Viva SACAA, Viva!!
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