Effect of aircraft selection on training results?!

[SLIPANDSKID]

Hi Everyone,

I would like to know your opinions.

Do you think it is suitable to train pilot cadets directly onto jets?? Or will you have better results training initially on light pistons and progressing to jets?

For example, until recently the Israelis trained 10hrs on pipers(screening) then went directly to Fougers - A4 - front line jet.

I know the RAFs present training syllabus, however, I believe there was a period when some pilots were trained directly onto Jet Provost(correct me if wrong).

Is the desicion to have light piston trainers purely financial, or due to high washout rates when directly trained on high performance aircraft?

All opinions or pointers in the direction of good articles will be gratefully received.

Many thanks

[CirrusF]

Modern single seater jets are too easy to fly - oodles of easily-controlled excess power and agility, huge electronically protected flight envelope, draggy airframe to give plenty of speed stability, no assymetric secondary control effects worth talking about etc etc. If all military pilots trained on jets ab-initio, there would be no way to cream off the guys and gals good enough to fly the tricky stuff like RW and heavy ME....

[CharlieJuliet]

I suspect that it is due to the inevitable high washout rate. In the days of straight on to JPs the washout was in the order of 25%. Grading by piston trainers probably produces a similar washout rate, but at a far lower cost.

[Green Flash]

I thought todays training route was Atari, MS Flight Sim, Reaper?:};)

[Oblique96]

I went straight through on the JP and there was certainly a relatively large chop rate, but now too long ago to confirm whether my course at Syerston reached or exceeded that level.

However, I do recall that a proportion of graduates from initial office training at South Cerney were sent to get time on the Chipmunk before going on to the JP. Either it was part of a random trial or, I guess, because of marginal results in the aptitude tests.

[wiggy]

Yep, I certainly remember the RAF trumpeting "all through jet training" in it's recruiting material when I was a lad :eek: , but that route was certainly completely closed by the time I was instructing on the JP in the mid-80's I suspect anecdotaly it was due to high "wash out" rates but I don't recall seeing any statistics.

If the studes had UAS (Bulldog) time or significant civilian time they did the "short" JP Basic course. Anyone who was had never flown was sent off to Syerston to be "graded" on the Chipmunk ( around 10-15 hours I think), if they passed they then did the "Long" Basic JP Course.