What is the most difficult part of moving from one aircraft type to another?

Question

By this I mean for a military pilot,entering the cockpit, say, moving from an F-4 to an F-15, or from an F-15 to F-16, is it Avionics?, or the other possible "snakes" that can bite you, and adjusting to what they are from type to type? I would ask of commerical pilots the same, a 737 to a 767, 777 or to an A330, what is the most difficult issue when you look at the "new" office? is there a mental checklist you go through, or is it just experience?

Answer 1

Give me the box it came in. I'll fly that too. HAHAHA. Just kidding. I have type ratings in a number of jets and I now fly and must stay current on two different types. A Gulfstream III and an executive Boeing 727. From a flying standpoint, after you've spent as much time in large jet aircraft as I have, moving from one to the other is not very tough at all. The yoke on the Boeing works just like the yoke on the Gulfstream. Push it forward, the houses get bigger. Pull it aft, the houses get smaller. We can hop into a simulator of a jet that we've never flown before and about all you have to do is show us how to start the darn thing and we can do the rest. At least as long as everything works.

That's a long way of getting to the point of your question, what's the most difficult part about moving from one cockpit to another. It's the systems man. We spend more time in ground school learning the new systems than we do in the simulator. And when we finally do get into the sim, we spend very little time sight seeing. Rare is the sim session where we had all engines working, no fires and reading much of anything other than the emergency checklist. How the airplane was put together and why everything works the way it does is crucial knowledge to a crew when equipment and systems start to head south at forty one thousand feet. We will spend days on subjects such as hydraulics, electrical, pressurization, pneumatics, flight controls, the list goes on. Systems ground school lasts about a month or more for an initial type rating. Even for our simiannual recurent training we spend half days in the class room and the other half in the simulator practicing emergency procedures pertinent to the systems that we just covered in ground school.

So for me, that's always been the most difficult but if I can figure it all out anybody can. One thing though is common to all aircraft and that is the first immediate action to take in any emergency. After all that schooling that I just talked about, when an emergency is unfolding, it's vital that the crew carefully asses the problem. Sometimes doing the wrong thing is worse than doing nothing at all. Many a wrong switch has been thrown and wrong lever pulled or pushed that only made the situation worse. So regardless of what you've heard about pilot's needing to take reflex action, that is rarely if ever the case. Our thinking cap and those of our crew mates are the best resourses that we have so instead of just flipping switches when the red lights come on and the bells start ringing, the first thing that we do each and every time no matter what cockpit we're sitting in at the time, is wind the clock.

Answer 2

The most difficult part of moving from different aircraft to another is the manufacturer. I use to fly a Embraer 145 for Delta Express, then I went and started flying for United Airlines. At first, United made me fly the Boeing 727, which is old technology, but has go to be one the best flying planes. After a year with them the switched me over to the Boeing 767, which is a completely different aircraft. The 767 has many new features, especially with the electronics. It was hard to switch from old to new, but within a month of training I had it down to a science.

Answer 3

Aircraft that are similar, like most of the small Cessna's, Pipers, especially the trainers are not to big an issue. To move from one heavy aircraft to another even if made by the same people is not that easy. Pilots doing airline work will only fly one series at a time in most cases. Doesn't mean that they can't move, just not on a daily basis. The most interesting situation I ever got myself into was flying helicopters, several different makes, models, and then going out and flying airplanes several different makes, models. Really had to keep your head on right side up and be sure you were in tune with just what aircraft you were operating!

Answer 4

usually getting used to the idiosyncrasies of each different aircraft. for example, when F4 phantom pilots first transitioned to F16 fighting falcons, they had problems remembering not to use the rudder pedals in the falcon. some also had a bit of a time going from an airplane that turned like a truck to one that turned like a formula one car.

Answer 5

Some good Avatior's can go from one cockpit to another with out much problem My neice flys F-15 fighter bomers. and switched easily from f-16 single engined planes. Cessna prop driven pilots have a lot more time at under 200 mph to figure things out...Experence rules and that is why they send you up with an experenced pilot to learn. Each air craft gets into your brain.

Answer 6

Catching the quantity three cord.Compensating for the wind, the pitch and roll of the service and the ahead motion of the send, and any gusts of wind at landing and coordinating the plane controls and thrust of the engine and remembering to visit takeoff energy at landing are not anything. Regards, Dan

Answer 7

Usually getting into and out of my seat is challenging, especially in the smaller jets. There's often not a lot of room up front and there's a four point harness to deal with, etc. Easy to bump your head, etc. I know you meant something else by your question but my answer is still responsive to the question as it is phrased and I'm having a little fun with it.

Answer 8

Ive been thought three different military conversions one base changing aircraft. even know flight principles are the same you cannot just move from aircraft to aircraft you have to retrain for each individual a/c and be qualified on it then you have to maintain air frame time to stay qualified. you cant just pick and choose what to fly that day.

Answer 9

Thats why they have them fancy expensive trainers for them kinds of pilots. Money well spent you think?