Hour Building - The Dummies Guide
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Hour Building - The Dummies Guide
Hi all,
I'm at the beginning of my hour building phase, but I find there's some difference in the opinions of those I've talked to regarding exactly what one should be aiming to achieve during this phase.
Of course there's the likes of the qualifying x-country flight to cross off the list, but what makes hour building 'structured'? How often should one fly with an instructor and what is the aim of doing so? Should one be practicing CPL skills (knowing full well that it is the next step) etc. etc..
Basically, what would you encourage people in this part of their training to achieve?
I'm at the beginning of my hour building phase, but I find there's some difference in the opinions of those I've talked to regarding exactly what one should be aiming to achieve during this phase.
Of course there's the likes of the qualifying x-country flight to cross off the list, but what makes hour building 'structured'? How often should one fly with an instructor and what is the aim of doing so? Should one be practicing CPL skills (knowing full well that it is the next step) etc. etc..
Basically, what would you encourage people in this part of their training to achieve?
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Dave,
Heres a bit which I previously sent to another ppruner. I'm not an instructor, but it's what I did and I found it very helpful.
I would suggest keeping a few hours back to just before your CPL start date to use as a refresher.
ATPL groundschool takes 6 to 12 months and you will be surprised just how much your skills fade. Likewise when the books get hard, it's nice to have a couple of hours airbourne to refresh why you're doing it all.
One area I would suggest covering is use of ATC, correct R/T procedures and controlled airspace. One compatriot of mine really struggled with the CPL having done all his hours in the USA. Minimal controlled airspace, relaxed controllers and differing terminology caused massive problems.
Read up on CAP 413 and fly into/out of or through as much controlled airspace as possible. On your Nav routes, make them challenging, aiming to cross a Matz or Control Zone on each flight. Do all and I mean all your Nav using clock, compass and map, nothing else because on your CPL test you will be expected to do so accurately with an accurate ETA.
The current favourite nav technique is standard closing angle. Read up on it and practice, however be aware of other techniques.
Plan challenging nav routes.
With general handling and circuits aim for heights and speeds to be cock on. As you have already done follow the standards of the CPL flight test as best as you can.
Most candidates fail on the Nav section.
I practiced for diversions by using a "spot nav" technique.
Draw half a dozen circles round some prominant features in an area, label then 1 to 6 or A to F. Takeoff and fly to the nearest point. Once there choose one of your other points randomly as a makeshift diversion. Use a line feature to fly directly away from your current position for 1 min 30 to 2 mins before turning round and heading straight back to the same start point. Use this time to plot a line on your chart from your start position to your randomly chosen makeshift diversion. Use mental DR to establish a wind corrected heading and groundspeed, and from this an ETA at your destination. Then fly your calculated heading and time it as per any other leg. Use a halfway fix to check your progress. Once at your destination, randomly select another diversions and the whole process starts again.....
Most schools promote a 6 minute work cycle for the Nav, and use HAT or WHAT checks before and after each turn. Heading, Altitude, Time or Weather, Heading, Altitude, Time.
Get used to working out and updating ETA's and keeping a PLOG.
The idea of Fuel checks giving a response of "sufficient" horrifies many professional flyers. You should know how much fuel you have, how much you expect to have and a minimum fuel to continue (not always the same). Arguably difficult in a 152 or PA28 due to their poor gauges, but practice accurate fuel planning and checks best as you can as a lot of CPL schools now use DA40 and DA42's which have very accurate fuel gauges reading 0.1 of a gallon.
Every now and again practice tracking VOR or NDB's on a specific QDM. Occasionally practice fixing your position using beacons. A CPL school will teach it's prefered technique based on the equipment fitted to the aircraft you will be using, but just get used to accurately interpreting the dials.
And finally, the biggest issue for a CPL is captaincy and decision making. I would encourage you to fly on the safe side of marginal weather, but make sure you expose yourself to rainy cloudy windy days, because sure as eggs is eggs you can guarantee test day will be marginal weather.
On my CPL training we got airbourne in a 25 kt crosswind, right on our limit, nav'ing in winds of 35 to 40 kts aloft.
Regards,
Obs
Heres a bit which I previously sent to another ppruner. I'm not an instructor, but it's what I did and I found it very helpful.
I would suggest keeping a few hours back to just before your CPL start date to use as a refresher.
ATPL groundschool takes 6 to 12 months and you will be surprised just how much your skills fade. Likewise when the books get hard, it's nice to have a couple of hours airbourne to refresh why you're doing it all.
One area I would suggest covering is use of ATC, correct R/T procedures and controlled airspace. One compatriot of mine really struggled with the CPL having done all his hours in the USA. Minimal controlled airspace, relaxed controllers and differing terminology caused massive problems.
Read up on CAP 413 and fly into/out of or through as much controlled airspace as possible. On your Nav routes, make them challenging, aiming to cross a Matz or Control Zone on each flight. Do all and I mean all your Nav using clock, compass and map, nothing else because on your CPL test you will be expected to do so accurately with an accurate ETA.
The current favourite nav technique is standard closing angle. Read up on it and practice, however be aware of other techniques.
Plan challenging nav routes.
With general handling and circuits aim for heights and speeds to be cock on. As you have already done follow the standards of the CPL flight test as best as you can.
Most candidates fail on the Nav section.
I practiced for diversions by using a "spot nav" technique.
Draw half a dozen circles round some prominant features in an area, label then 1 to 6 or A to F. Takeoff and fly to the nearest point. Once there choose one of your other points randomly as a makeshift diversion. Use a line feature to fly directly away from your current position for 1 min 30 to 2 mins before turning round and heading straight back to the same start point. Use this time to plot a line on your chart from your start position to your randomly chosen makeshift diversion. Use mental DR to establish a wind corrected heading and groundspeed, and from this an ETA at your destination. Then fly your calculated heading and time it as per any other leg. Use a halfway fix to check your progress. Once at your destination, randomly select another diversions and the whole process starts again.....
Most schools promote a 6 minute work cycle for the Nav, and use HAT or WHAT checks before and after each turn. Heading, Altitude, Time or Weather, Heading, Altitude, Time.
Get used to working out and updating ETA's and keeping a PLOG.
The idea of Fuel checks giving a response of "sufficient" horrifies many professional flyers. You should know how much fuel you have, how much you expect to have and a minimum fuel to continue (not always the same). Arguably difficult in a 152 or PA28 due to their poor gauges, but practice accurate fuel planning and checks best as you can as a lot of CPL schools now use DA40 and DA42's which have very accurate fuel gauges reading 0.1 of a gallon.
Every now and again practice tracking VOR or NDB's on a specific QDM. Occasionally practice fixing your position using beacons. A CPL school will teach it's prefered technique based on the equipment fitted to the aircraft you will be using, but just get used to accurately interpreting the dials.
And finally, the biggest issue for a CPL is captaincy and decision making. I would encourage you to fly on the safe side of marginal weather, but make sure you expose yourself to rainy cloudy windy days, because sure as eggs is eggs you can guarantee test day will be marginal weather.
On my CPL training we got airbourne in a 25 kt crosswind, right on our limit, nav'ing in winds of 35 to 40 kts aloft.
Regards,
Obs
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Hours Building
A few words of advice on the hours building (feel free to ignore them if you wish), at this stage during my own training I decided which flying school I was going to go to for my CPL training. I spoke to the CPL instructor and got a list of the test routes that the examiners use for the skills test in the area and I made sure that I was familiar with those routes. When I started the CPL course I was familiar with the local area and was able to relax and concentrate on flying accurately. Also avoid GPS like the plague, it’s all too easy to get a little personal GPS and become a slave to it.
During my CPL training I was paired up with a guy who did his hours building cheap in the US and was a slave to his GPS so when he got to the CPL course he was not familiar with the local are and was out of practice with VFR nav. He really struggled and whatever money he saved by doing his hours building in the states he lost in needing extra lessons.
Just my £0.02 worth but enjoy the time, set some challenging routes and be paranoid about altitude keeping, heading, FREDA checks and airmanship.
Sincere best wishes for the remainder of your training and the future.
During my CPL training I was paired up with a guy who did his hours building cheap in the US and was a slave to his GPS so when he got to the CPL course he was not familiar with the local are and was out of practice with VFR nav. He really struggled and whatever money he saved by doing his hours building in the states he lost in needing extra lessons.
Just my £0.02 worth but enjoy the time, set some challenging routes and be paranoid about altitude keeping, heading, FREDA checks and airmanship.
Sincere best wishes for the remainder of your training and the future.
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Hour building is not time wasting.
In summary be aware of going for the cheapest price most people end up paying for it in overages at the CPL.
- Read Standards Document 3 - then read it again - and then again.
- Get a copy of the school where you intend to fly and ask for a copy of their
procedures. - Whatever money you think you will save by going somwhere cheap will easily be caught up if you do not know the local area where you intend to train/test so honestly you are probably best hour building where you intend to do your CPL - it will save considerable money in the long run. Imagine 2-3 hours extra at CPL that's over 500 Pounds straight away.
- Do a different landing every time. There are 4 landings in the JAA CPL. The landings should be 25% each one.
- Ensure you can fly a stable approach, on speed, on glidepath, most post hour building students can't even fly a stable approach on glidepath on speed.
- Practise dead recokning nav. NO GPS, no flying to big airports, small features and airfields etc.
- Read Standards Document 3 again.
- Practise the stalls all 3.
- Do a practise forced landing every flight in accordance with your schools procedures.
- Pay for an instructional flight about half way through the course and get some pointers it will save you money at the CPL level.
- Don't do a long trip from say Calafornia to the East coast of the USA or vice versa - this serves no real purpose other than pleasure flying - and won't help improve your skills like hour building is intended for.
In summary be aware of going for the cheapest price most people end up paying for it in overages at the CPL.
Last edited by BigGrecian; 20th Oct 2010 at 21:22.
