CPL preparation
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 296
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From: Scary Eire
CPL preparation
am going to do my CPL over the next two months and was wondering if anyone could give me some pointers of how i can prepare for the course?
i still have a block of hours to build b4hand, so Ican practice a few things in advance.
i am more than likely going to EFT to do the CPL, so any words of advice would be greatly appreciated
i still have a block of hours to build b4hand, so Ican practice a few things in advance.
i am more than likely going to EFT to do the CPL, so any words of advice would be greatly appreciated
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 683
Likes: 34
From: Over here but sometimes over there.
If you have hours left to build, then don`t waste them. Everytime you go flying do something constructive. Be strict with nav..eg...Try and fly +/- 50 ft and +/- 10 deg. Take an Instructor up for an hour and see if there are any holes you can fill in. Better to iron something out at £12 to £15/hr than when you get on your CPL and pay £75/hr for the Instructor.
Guest
Posts: n/a
Practice diversions with minimal planning:
Basically fly somewhere, and then decide to divert to somewhere else on a whim. Just make sure you NOTAM the whole area you will be flying in!! When you plan the diversion in flight, just freehand the line, transpose to the nearest VOR rose to get the track using your pencil and mentally workout the heading and track.
Its great fun!!
Basically fly somewhere, and then decide to divert to somewhere else on a whim. Just make sure you NOTAM the whole area you will be flying in!! When you plan the diversion in flight, just freehand the line, transpose to the nearest VOR rose to get the track using your pencil and mentally workout the heading and track.
Its great fun!!
Guest
Posts: n/a
pipergirl
I am in the same boat. Check out my thread on Military Aircrew reference learning checklists. I had a feeling that the RAF learn them verbatem, but was not sure.
If it makes you feel any better my height goes up and down like a yo-yo on navexs, I am still chasing the heading. Hopefully these will all be corrected before I get there.
Oh yes, my diversions need alot of work. I have been flying at up to 25 degrees off my rough track.
I just hope the CPL course does refine flying.
I am in the same boat. Check out my thread on Military Aircrew reference learning checklists. I had a feeling that the RAF learn them verbatem, but was not sure.
If it makes you feel any better my height goes up and down like a yo-yo on navexs, I am still chasing the heading. Hopefully these will all be corrected before I get there.
Oh yes, my diversions need alot of work. I have been flying at up to 25 degrees off my rough track.
I just hope the CPL course does refine flying.
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 298
Likes: 3
From: Dublin,Ireland
Hi Pipergirl
Get to know your whizwheel by heart.
Do your utmost to fly accurately.
Get your emergency procedures verbatim.
Get as many backseat flights as you can, starting now.
Get in a few IR practise flights and get as much practise with VOR,ADF, DME,etc beforehand.
Get sharp on the RT work.
Every flight you take has to give you a lesson. Don't just swan around. Practise timed turns, steep turns, ADF and VOR tracking and every landing has to be as good as possible.
Get the CPL flight test syllabus and try each individual item until you are certain of them.
regards
TDD
Get to know your whizwheel by heart.
Do your utmost to fly accurately.
Get your emergency procedures verbatim.
Get as many backseat flights as you can, starting now.
Get in a few IR practise flights and get as much practise with VOR,ADF, DME,etc beforehand.
Get sharp on the RT work.
Every flight you take has to give you a lesson. Don't just swan around. Practise timed turns, steep turns, ADF and VOR tracking and every landing has to be as good as possible.
Get the CPL flight test syllabus and try each individual item until you are certain of them.
regards
TDD
Moderator
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 2,586
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From: Orlando, Florida
PG - if you haven't already done so, go fly the cheapest piper Arrow you can find so that when you start to fly EFT's more expensive one, you wont waste time learning how to fly one.
Learn how to do steep turns with all the instrument panel covered up - and look at the downgoing wing as you roll out (ask your instructor).
Do some gliding turns - starting with a straight glide, then turning at 30° and then 45° angle of bank. (Ask your instructor)
Do lots of PFL's - always landing into wind.
Do millions of circuits - always landing in a sensible touch down area for that length of runway - always with the nose wheel on the centerline.
Ask some friends of yours to write down the name of a feature (town, lake, crossroads, railway bridge, airfield - anything) that is 50 miles away from your departure point. Get them to seal it in an envelope. Go to your base airfield - open the envelope and then give yourself 30 minutes to plan the route, get the w/x, get the notams - everything - then go fly the route staying within the 50' already mentioned - but within 5° of your nominated heading - and within 5 knots of your nominated indicated airspeed.
If you drift off track - forget about it - figure out the quickest way from where you are now to your nominated destination.
Have the same friend write down a diversion and seal it in another envelope - which you can open in flight at a predetermined point. It will either say "Divert when ready to XXX" or "Continue to destination and then divert, from overhead, to XXX"
Take another pilot with you - ask them to nag you if you go 20' off your altitude, 2° of your heading, 2kts off your airspeed, make a crappy radio call not in accordance with CAP413, close the throttle at any time they wish, fail radio nav aids or aircraft systems at random. Ask them to be as hard with you as they possibly can be.
Read CAA Standards Document 3 - it has all the answers.
Re-read your air law, remember the factorisation for runway lengths, remember your UK airspace classifications, remember that you cannot actually DO a 50 mile cross country on a simulated public transport flight. Keep asking questions on here.
When do you start the actual training?
Learn how to do steep turns with all the instrument panel covered up - and look at the downgoing wing as you roll out (ask your instructor).
Do some gliding turns - starting with a straight glide, then turning at 30° and then 45° angle of bank. (Ask your instructor)
Do lots of PFL's - always landing into wind.
Do millions of circuits - always landing in a sensible touch down area for that length of runway - always with the nose wheel on the centerline.
Ask some friends of yours to write down the name of a feature (town, lake, crossroads, railway bridge, airfield - anything) that is 50 miles away from your departure point. Get them to seal it in an envelope. Go to your base airfield - open the envelope and then give yourself 30 minutes to plan the route, get the w/x, get the notams - everything - then go fly the route staying within the 50' already mentioned - but within 5° of your nominated heading - and within 5 knots of your nominated indicated airspeed.
If you drift off track - forget about it - figure out the quickest way from where you are now to your nominated destination.
Have the same friend write down a diversion and seal it in another envelope - which you can open in flight at a predetermined point. It will either say "Divert when ready to XXX" or "Continue to destination and then divert, from overhead, to XXX"
Take another pilot with you - ask them to nag you if you go 20' off your altitude, 2° of your heading, 2kts off your airspeed, make a crappy radio call not in accordance with CAP413, close the throttle at any time they wish, fail radio nav aids or aircraft systems at random. Ask them to be as hard with you as they possibly can be.
Read CAA Standards Document 3 - it has all the answers.
Re-read your air law, remember the factorisation for runway lengths, remember your UK airspace classifications, remember that you cannot actually DO a 50 mile cross country on a simulated public transport flight. Keep asking questions on here.
When do you start the actual training?
Guest
Posts: n/a
On a personal note, I found practicing general handling not altogether that productive. The reason being that my own level of finesses was still at PPL level, and it wasn't until the CPL training (still ongoing BTW!) that I was really taught how to fly smoothly (properly). One of those I read I learn, I do I understand things...for me anyway.
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 911
Likes: 43
From: Bournemouth UK
Pipergirl
Agree with Keygrip and TwoDeadDogs. Well all apart from the whizz wheel bit. Never used it in my CPL. Suggest you find out what method EFT teach but I would suggest that the "clock face" max drift method and a table of GS and Distance versus time is a much simpler and quicker method. It works perfectly.
SW
Agree with Keygrip and TwoDeadDogs. Well all apart from the whizz wheel bit. Never used it in my CPL. Suggest you find out what method EFT teach but I would suggest that the "clock face" max drift method and a table of GS and Distance versus time is a much simpler and quicker method. It works perfectly.
SW
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 714
Likes: 0
From: North West, UK
Navigation and diversions.
ETA's and being able to revise EAT's
Find out what aircraft you will be doing your CPL test in and get a copy of the check list.
Memorise all the checks from pre line up to runway vacate.
Line up checks
After take off checks
Climb checks
Cruise checks.
Pre decent checks
Airfield approach checks
Before landing checks
Final approach checks (RBGW) etc
After landing checks
All other checks like start and power checks plus the emergency drills you can have the check list in front of you.
Some of the emergency's drills you will need to know what to do and react quick and then you should be able to go to check list for confirmation of correct action taken.
Sounds a lot to remember but trust me after a while they all become second nature.
It never ends as I'm having to start learning extra checks now I'm doing my IR training.
pipergirl check pm
ETA's and being able to revise EAT's
Find out what aircraft you will be doing your CPL test in and get a copy of the check list.
Memorise all the checks from pre line up to runway vacate.
Line up checks
After take off checks
Climb checks
Cruise checks.
Pre decent checks
Airfield approach checks
Before landing checks
Final approach checks (RBGW) etc
After landing checks
All other checks like start and power checks plus the emergency drills you can have the check list in front of you.
Some of the emergency's drills you will need to know what to do and react quick and then you should be able to go to check list for confirmation of correct action taken.
Sounds a lot to remember but trust me after a while they all become second nature.
It never ends as I'm having to start learning extra checks now I'm doing my IR training.
pipergirl check pm
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 296
Likes: 0
From: Scary Eire
wow what a lot to take in!!! lol
thanks evryone for the replies...i have a lot of planning to do as I want to be very prepared for the course. Time and money are not on my side..*sigh*
I'm hoping to head over about mid-July (that all depends on time off from work)
thanks again and if anyone has any further suggestions, please let me know
thanks evryone for the replies...i have a lot of planning to do as I want to be very prepared for the course. Time and money are not on my side..*sigh*
I'm hoping to head over about mid-July (that all depends on time off from work)
thanks again and if anyone has any further suggestions, please let me know
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 115
Likes: 0
From: UK
Checklists
Pipergirl,
Contact the company you will be doing the CPL with and get them to send you the all their operating checklists then learn them by heart.
Do the checklists when you cook
When you go for a run
When you go for a walk,
But not up in the pub
Have you thought about staying in the UK for your CPL?
I can recommend a good place!
All the best,
LF
Contact the company you will be doing the CPL with and get them to send you the all their operating checklists then learn them by heart.
Do the checklists when you cook
When you go for a run
When you go for a walk,
But not up in the pub
Have you thought about staying in the UK for your CPL?
I can recommend a good place!
All the best,
LF
Why do it if it's not fun?
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 4,782
Likes: 12
From: Bournemouth
PiperGirl,
If you haven't done so already, have a read of my CPL Diary, which should give you a good idea of what to expect (but bear in mind that there is not as much instrument flying in the CPL now as there was when I did mine). That should give you a good idea what to expect when you get to EFT, as well as the excellent advice from everyone else (especially Keygrip's).
FFF
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<<edit: creep>>
If you haven't done so already, have a read of my CPL Diary, which should give you a good idea of what to expect (but bear in mind that there is not as much instrument flying in the CPL now as there was when I did mine). That should give you a good idea what to expect when you get to EFT, as well as the excellent advice from everyone else (especially Keygrip's).
FFF
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<<edit: creep>>
Last edited by Keygrip; 27th May 2005 at 23:36.
