transfer
of skills
TOPIC: How to Apply What You Learn at APS to Your Aircraft
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by:
Karl "Schlimmer" Schlimm
APS Emergency Maneuver Training
CFI, ATP - Multi IFR, IAC,
ICAS
FAA - Aviation Safety Counselor
Former USAF F-16
Fighter Pilot &
Instructor |
Transfer
of skills
How
to Apply What You Learn at APS to Your Aircraft
One of the most frequently
asked questions from pilots considering APS’s
Emergency Maneuver Training Course is, “How can
training in a high-performance aerobatic aircraft
like the Extra 300L benefit me when I fly my aircraft?”
The pilot’s concerns are valid. They are perhaps
aware the Extra 300L (or similar aircraft) has a phenomenal
roll rate and G capability, that it has a stick versus
a yoke, and there are undoubtedly other noteworthy
differences. How, then, can training in the Extra
300L possibly benefit the pilot of a Cessna or other
general aviation aircraft? What about pilots of corporate
or airline aircraft? Before we get to the advantages
of an Emergency Maneuver Training Program in an aerobatic
aircraft, I’ll mention the limitations.
LIMITATIONS:
Tail Dragger:
The Extra 300L is a tail dragger. Aside from take-off
and landing, being a tail dragger makes no difference
since it behaves like any other aircraft once airborne.
Seating Position:
In the Extra 300L, you sit on the centerline of the
aircraft. This presents different visual cues depending
on whether you are banked to the left or to the right.
Field of View: Because
of the bubble canopy, the Extra 300L affords an excellent
field of view. The pilot’s ability to look outside
(and look for the horizon to maintain orientation)
is not restricted by a cabin roof, structural supports,
and other restrictions associated with most aircraft.
It is therefore easier to look around and find the
horizon. In other aircraft, additional field-of-view
restrictions are caused be the fact that the pilot
sits on the left side (and sometimes the right) of
the cabin. If, for example, you are in a nose low
135-degree banked unusual attitude to the left, it
would be somewhat more difficult to find the horizon
to determine the shortest direction to roll upright
if you were actually seated on the left side of a
typical aircraft. This is because the horizon would
be visible off the right side of the aircraft, and
you would have to look across the cabin and any occupant
on the right side to see it. Depending on the dive
angle, you may not see the horizon in the front windshield.
(If referencing the instruments in IMC, this would
not be a problem). This problem does not exist in
the Extra 300L because of the lack of field-of-view
limitations in flight.
Stick vs. Yoke:
Most aircraft have a yoke. Although the principles
of operation are the same, the stick of
the Extra 300L will feel somewhat different than a
yoke. Pilots, in general, find it easy to transition
to a stick.
Position of the Controls:
In the Extra 300L, the throttle is on the left
side, and the stick is held with the right hand. Therefore,
the pilot must get used to manipulating the throttle
with the left hand, and the elevator and ailerons
with the right hand. The transition is straight forward,
and any confusion is usually ironed out after the
first couple of stall recoveries on the first flight.
Handling Characteristics:
The Extra 300L is a very maneuverable aircraft.
That said, it is fairly easy to fly, and has no trick’s
up its sleeves. The maximum roll rate is high. When recovering
from an over-banked attitude in the Extra 300L, it
is advisable to avoid large aileron deflections which
can produce very high and unrealistic roll rates,
which cannot be duplicated in other aircraft. Therefore,
we use smooth and moderate stick deflections. Needless
to say, full aileron deflection may be necessary in
the aircraft that you typically fly. Many customers
have concerns about the high-G capability of the Extra
300L. I’ll lay that concern to rest immediately
by saying that all of our instructors teach dive recoveries
to the limit load factor of the aircraft that the
customer typically flies. If you fly a Cessna 172,
we will teach you recoveries under 3.8 G’s. If
you fly a Cessna Citation, we’ll teach you to
keep the G’s to 2.5. The pitch sensitivity of
the Extra 300L is not significantly different than
other aircraft. On the other hand, it does
not have a “heavy” elevator. Usually, any
over control of the Extra 300L (or any other aircraft
with a stick) can be solved by holding the stick with
your fingertips (much like you would fly a yoke anyway).
Additionally, placing your forearm on you lap will force
you to hold the stick a few inches down from the top,
further preventing over-control. If you are surprised
by a rapid G onset in the Extra 300 L when recovering
abruptly from a dive, I can assure you that G-onset
rate will be high in any aircraft at high airspeeds!
(That’s why we teach smooth and progressive pulls
on the stick).
ADVANTAGES:
There are
some limitations with utilizing an aircraft such as
the Extra 300L for Emergency Maneuver Training. But
what are the advantages?
We don’t have
a choice! The use of a structurally sound aerobatic
aircraft is essential to conduct Emergency Maneuver
Training to the level of thoroughness that we teach
at APS. While any aircraft can safely recover from
just about any unusual attitude in the hands of a
well trained pilot (that’s what the training
is all about!), it is neither legal nor advisable
to purposefully fly a non-aerobatic aircraft in attitudes
that would be considered aerobatic maneuvering. The
margin for error is slim. We must therefore use a
structurally sound aerobatic aircraft.
Safe Environment:
The Extra 300L in the hands of an experienced instructor
provides an extremely safe environment to conduct
Emergency Maneuver Training. The high structural strength
of the Extra 300L combined with its very forgiving
nature and the fact that there are no prohibited maneuvers
makes it a very safe EMT platform. This allows the
student a much larger margin for making mistakes and
learning from them.
Skills Are Transferable:
While saying that all airplanes fly the same is
a gross over-simplification, it is true on a very
fundamental level. All aircraft roll, pitch and yaw
about the center-of-gravity, and most are controlled
using ailerons or spoilers (or similar devices), elevator
(or stabilator), and rudder. All respond similarly
to power inputs as well. Aircraft handling characteristics
do vary widely, but an airplane is essentially an
airplane! At APS, we teach skills that are applicable
across an extremely wide spectrum of fixed-wing aircraft.
For instance, if using the ‘Power, Push, Roll”
technique for an over-banked unusual attitude, the
act of manipulating the throttle to adjust power works
whether you must use your left or right hand. Pushing
on the elevator control to move the elevator to a
more favorable position applies whether you happen
to be pushing a stick or a yoke. And rolling is intuitively
obvious again, whether you must turn the yoke, or
shove the stick to the side. Regardless of the subtle
differences in how you get the controls to move, the
procedures do not change in the fundamental sense.
Still, it is beneficial, when attending an Emergency
Maneuver Training Course, such as the one we have
at APS, to give some thought to the differences between
the Extra 300L and your aircraft. If there is specific
guidance in the Pilot’s Operating Handbook for
the airplane that you typically fly that would suggest
a modification of procedure (the use of in-spin aileron
during a spin recovery for example), then you should
do so accordingly, and we will teach you to do that.
Other Transferable
Skills: Many of the advantages of completing an
Emergency Maneuver Training Course are non-aircraft
specific. In other words, they are directly transferable
to any aircraft that you might fly.
Knowledge: A
good EMT course will vastly expand your awareness
of how an airplane really flies. It offers a different
perspective on the basic aerodynamics you may have
already learned. Knowledge of the performance envelope
of an aircraft, dynamics of turning flight, and
of the aerodynamics of stalls and spins, etc., is
essential regardless of the airplane you fly.
Situational Awareness:
A solid EMT program expands your awareness of what
is going on around you. Skills aside, just having
the opportunity to see a spin or inverted nose low
unusual attitude will reduce the chances that you
might panic should you find yourself in such an
attitude or flight regime in your aircraft. Even
performing a loop will allow you to note that pitch
angle and angle-of-attack are not the same.
Orientation:
An EMT course will teach you to maintain orientation.
In other words, it will allow you to quickly ascertain
you spatial relationship with the horizon. Always
knowing whether you are nose high or nose low, right
side up or upside down, is very important in making
a timely and correct recovery from any attitude.
The Ability to
Make Decisions in a High Pressure Environment:
Normal flight regimes experienced during, say, a
cross-country flight in your aircraft, afford you
the luxury of extra time to make a decision. If
the weather is bad at the destination airport, you
normally have ample time to consider different courses
of action. However, recovering from unusual attitudes
does not allow ample time. A decision must be made
expeditiously. And even though your instructor will
ensure that maneuvers are performed at very safe
altitudes, you know the aircraft is structurally
capable, and the instructor experienced, you can’t
help but get a rush of adrenaline when nose low,
near inverted with a windshield full of ground,
and accelerating rapidly! The same sensations will
occur in your aircraft! It is important to learn
to think clearly, make quick decisions, and react
quickly in such a high pressure environment.
Kinesthetic Feel:
Developing a feel for what different G-forces
feel like, and for G-onset rate (how quickly those
forces build say, in a dive recovery) is critical
in ensuring that you keep your aircraft within its
structural limits. Also, developing a feel for when
an airplane is not coordinated (when practicing
skidded and slipping flight) is important, because
recognition of such a condition in your airplane
will allow you to get back to coordinated flight.
Overcoming Spatial
Disorientation: The first time you recover from
an accelerated spin, you will notice that although
your eyes see the horizon, and they tell you that
you are not spinning any longer, your inner ear
is telling you the opposite! Practicing unusual
attitude recoveries allows you to learn to trust
your eyes (“visual dominance”) and not
your vestibular cues (“vestibular suppression”).
This takes practice.
Tying it All Together:
To summarize, practicing unusual attitude recoveries
during an EMT course allows you to correlate control
inputs, visual cues (what the aircraft is doing
in relation to the horizon), vestibular sensations
(inner ear), kinesthetic sensations (“Seat-of-the
pants” feel), and aural cues (wind rush, engine
sounds). This environment cannot be duplicated in
a simulator.
We know there are some
limitations in conducting an Emergency Maneuver Training
program in a high-performance aircraft like the Extra
300L. There are control and handling differences between
the Extra 300L and the aircraft you currently fly,
which must be considered. But the advantages outweigh
the limitations, and the skills apply to just about
any airplane you could fly. In addition, there are
plenty of non-aircraft related advantages in completing
an Emergency Maneuver Training Program. Some of the
non-aerobatic exercises conducted in the Extra 300L
can be conducted in the aircraft that you typically
fly. (It is always advisable to go up with an instructor
if you are not comfortable performing these maneuvers
on your own). Such training is valuable to any pilot.
For corporate and airline pilots, simulator training
is essential. But Emergency Maneuver Training is an
essential compliment to such simulator training.
Hopefully, I answered
some of the questions you might have about the differences
between the Extra 300L and your aircraft, and of how
skills taught at APS are transferable to your aircraft.
Just being armed with knowledge of these differences
will make you better prepared to maximize the benefit
of EMT training.
APS's
Recommendations:
What is your best defense
in aircraft unusual attitude or upset conditions?
- First, attempt to
avoid conditions that can induce unusual attitudes
in the first place. Steer clear of thunderstorms
and wake turbulence. Avoid IMC or flight into low
visibility conditions if not properly certificated
and trained. Avoid distractions.
- Second, get the
proper training. According to an article in
AW&ST (May 8, 1995 issue): "Training should
include flights in aerobatic aircraft to practice
recovery techniques because no simulator can model
the disorientation of actually being upside down...
recurrent training every two years, with time in
an actual aircraft, would be a good start."
Regardless of the aircraft that you fly, proper
training will enable you to learn to react decisively
in a high-pressure environment, and to learn proper
recovery techniques to avoid a "panic"
response that could worsen the situation.
- Contact
an APS - Emergency Maneuver Training representative.
Certainly, we would like to take this opportunity
to recommend our program at APS which offers
three course layouts to choose from. Please
give us a call a 1-866-FLY-HARD and ask to speak
with a flight training specialist or submit this
online form for more
information today!
Get this training
somewhere. The life you save may be more than just
your own.
Join the APS Training
Newsletter
"The Aviation
Performance Solutions (APS) Emergency Maneuver Training
program is far more comprehensive than the majority of 'other'
courses offered out there. In my opinion, the equipment used
by APS and the experience level of its instructors are
especially well-suited to the corporate and airline training
market."
Rich
Stowell - NAFI Master CFI - Aerobatic
Author: Emergency
Maneuver Training:
Controlling Your Airplane During a
Crisis |
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