Big aeroplane to little aeroplane
Just something I've had reason to think about just lately, and I'd be interested in anybody else's opinions?
Take a pilot who has been flying big jets for some years (which I suppose could in reality mean anything from a Citationjet to a B747 in this context). Let's assume that they're perfectly competent in that role.
Now they decide that they want to revisit their flying youth, regain an SEP (or local equivalent) rating and fly small aircraft for fun again. Why the heck not. So they have to go and spend some quality time in a little aeroplane with an instructor and then pass an appropriate skill test.
What have people found are the instructing issues? Here are a couple of mine, but I'm guessing that there are people here with a lot more experience than me in this, and I'd appreciate their thoughts...
- Difficulty identifying the roundout and flare heights
- Tendency to use checklists rather than memory items airborne, particularly in the circuit where they should have their head out of the window.
- Rustiness in the basic principles of VFR/VMC DR-nav.
- Just haven't flow a PFL in decades !
- Cockpit management can be a bit scrappy with the return to paper charts, PLOG on kneeboard, and so-on, plus typically a lot less elbow room.
On the other hand, I've mostly found that ability to understand the aeroplane, lookout, and basic handling skill haven't really required much effort on either the instructor's or student's part to get right. Also your modern airline pilot tends to have really excellent communications, decision making and general CRM skills - as you'd hope of course.
Thoughts anybody?
G