No 'Solo' Training

[SHortshaft]

Our ‘local’ air force chooses not to send its helicopter pilots on any solo flights’. The solo content of the ‘traditional’ syllabus is ‘ghosted’ (they have an instructor on board who is not supposed to say anything unless they are about to crash). Part of the argument is that they will never have to fly solo, they will always as part of a two pilot crew, so why bother.

With the few exceptions where people of significance (the odd HRH, etc.) are involved I can not follow the argument as I feel that the confidence the solo experience brings is priceless. It does seem such a shame that there will be generations of helicopter pilots that will miss out on this delight.

Are there any other organizations around the world where pilots are trained to fly without actually flying any solo time? How do other Rotorheads feel about this kind of training syllabus?

[paco]

It happens in many flight schools in Canada at the moment. I seem to remember an article in one of the safety magazines.
phil

[malabo]

Hmm, well it happened at a few flight schools in Canada according to another aviation thread, and when TC found out they promptly withdrew the license of the students. Students then sued the school(s), because they had paid for training but the claimed solo time was all disqualified and had to be redone. The schools at fault could not finish the training because they had costed themselves based on a minimum insurance that did not consider a student flyng solo. I think they were using a JetRanger and trying to compete with pistons.

I've also known a few engineers/(sort-of-pilots) that taught themselves to fly without any dual time at all. One was in Tennessee, one in the Yukon, another I met in Africa and insisted on flying my 212 whenever he was in the front seat.

On the concept no solo flight in training, I doubt it makes any significant difference to have solo time or not for crew situations. Some old-school pilots like to think that a new pilot cannot possibly upgrade to offshore captain unless he's done a thousand hours of cattle mustering in a Robbie to get "solo" time. Don't think so.

Same argument as needing a TRI to be taught how to fly a specific helicopter. In real life you can probably get away with being self-taught, like the Kmax guys.

Malabo

[paco]

In Canada, any commercial pilot can do the training for a type rating, so they are halfway there! I'm not sure you should be completely self-taught, though, even though they did that with Spitfires during the war - I am able to pass on quite a few tips to my students which they would otherwise have to learn the painful way, and you would probably agree if you found out how many people are flying the 206 (for example) based on pure myth & legend!

Phil

[Revolutionary]

I believe the US Army operates on the same 'buddy' system. The problem is, they will have to fly solo, the minute they get out of the military and move into a commercial job. Most can make that transition quite easily but I've seen a few who have had difficulties managing a flight all by themselves. That, and they usually just pull on the collective until the aircraft goes, believing that torque is a city in France, not any kind of limiting factor or anything.