Check Ride (1.3 hrs) 

• Take off RW 34 Arlington
• Engine failure on ground roll (Pulled Right Mixture)
• Left turn out to the south maintained 2500ft until passed bravo shelf then up to 3500ft
• Slow flight (clearing turns to slow)… transition to power off stall and recovery
• Steep turns (clearing turns to slow to Va)
• VMC Demo (no clearing turns after steep turns) He held the controls to prevent me from adding more aileron or rudder. (started to roll left… recover)
• Climb to 4500ft… Engine out (left mixture) Procedure, troubleshoot, secure, air start.
• Emergency descent to 2500ft
• Threw me in right on top of ILS 35L at Ft Worth Spinks! Had barely any time to set up, and I had to cover radio calls…
  • Activated approach in gps immediately (by the time got my hood on the localizer was coming alive), got tower in, briefed, approach checklist, stated call outs…. All while established on the LOC (no other choice)
  • Failed left engine 3 miles from FAF
  • Completed the approach using all call outs and checklists
  • I had it pegged perfectly (granted the weather was perfect)
• Landed from the Ils single engine
  • Touch and go left traffic to a normal landing
• Departed toward Arlington, slowed down for the pattern and entered a left base for 34 short field landing at the 1000 ft markers.  Perfect touchdown.
• Turned right on Delta, he took the controls while I did the shut down checklist… That’s it.

 

Your Training 

• Completely Helped!  I would have been overwhelmed if we did not prepare the way we did.
  • I was not instrument proficient when I showed up[for sim training], and I feel much more confident with instrument flying. (don’t worry not that comfortable) I wish I came to you for initial instrument training.
  • My instructor at ATP wasn’t really sure what we could do.  I memorized/understood the oral portion before I showed up, and my maneuvers and approaches looked pretty good in the Frasca from the start.
  • We skipped the scheduled sim session the second morning and got right in the airplane.  The flight went well and my instructor said he that he would feel comfortable sending me to my check ride without much further training.
• Learning the call outs and important memory checklists was huge because it allowed me to focus more on aircraft performance and power settings.
• Becoming familiar with the approaches in the Elite, and working with the Garmin 430 [I have a WAAS 430 running on the Elite] was also a huge benefit.  I must admit, I did not memorize the frequencies.  It wasn’t necessary.  By flying the approaches numerous times I was able to perform well under a high stress / low time situation on the check ride.  I was impressed with how smooth the transition was into the Frasca simulator.  Learning the ins and outs of the G430 in the elite saved me a lot of time and stress down in Arlington.  The GPS aided me with situational awareness and helped me to set up my approaches more efficiently.
• Also, you simulated exactly what my instructor did in the simulator, and what the examiner did on the check ride.  (Emergencies situations, vectors, everything)

 

Frasca Simulator 

• The Frasca Sim was configured for the Seminole.  Aside from the manual flaps, it was equipped similar to the elite. (except the switches were in their proper position…mags, alternators, lights, starter etc)  The Frasca sim was equipped with only one G430.  COM 2 and NAV 2 didn’t exist.  The Frasca Sim had very heavy controls, and it tended to climb.  The main purpose of the frasca is to familiarize students with ATP procedures, and to allow them to practice the checklists and maneuvers before getting into the airplane.  It is easier to fly maneuvers in the plane than it is to accomplish them in either the Frasca or the elite.  It was important to know what came next on the checklist, and what to do next on the maneuvers. The Frasca helped me to accomplish this.  Fortunately, we accomplished the same objective in the Elite before I showed up.
• Overall, I would rather train in the Elite.  I feel it’s actually more realistic and better equipped than the Frasca, and it can tackle the same objectives with similar results.   In addition, the controls are lighter and do not make the pilot as tired physically.

 

Things to Consider

      From ATP

• ATP Acronym for factors determining VMC [critical engine]:

Standard day

Most power operating engine

Aft CG

Critical prop windmilling

Flaps 0 gear up

Up to 5 degrees bank operating engine

Most unfavorable weight 

Miss Sally made cookies for us is basically the same…

• ATP Used PPM after maneuvers in place of cruise checklist (power, pumps, mixtures)
• ATP was big on checklists.  They like to keep regular and emergency approach procedures similar so the pilot always knows what to do and has something to follow.
• We did a better job briefing the approaches in our training than ATP.  They did not even suggest that I set up the missed approach because they knew I would not have to do them on the check ride.

 

Elite Training

• I think we realized it is better to let pilots in the future become familiar with the Elite before you jump right into things.  A little VFR flying and some maneuvers to get a feel for the sim would help.  Warming up with an easy approach seemed to suffice for the days following… before the intense training began.
• I enjoyed the GED 33N flight.  It’s good every now and again to have a little fun while learning at the same time. (its always fun…just less intense)
• The electronic HIS and Attitude indicator were difficult for me to look at, and contributed to my struggle the first night. (If the Seminole had it, then it would be necessary of course) [I reconfigured after recognizing this, so the sim had standard avionics and not an EFIS]
• Flying an airplane with similar performance characteristics helped.  Flying the Baron (even at lower power settings) was beneficial because things happened a bit faster than they would actually occur in the Seminole.  The transition to the Seminole was easy afterward.  Flying the Baron was like playing basketball with the older kids at recess.  Going back to a slower plane was nice.

Syllabus? [While I actually did work from an accelerated syllabus (developed with Charles and Mike's help), I learned the lesson again that including time for the fundamentals described below is important. Note taken.]

• You may want to consider making one… Here is how it might start..

First few Hours

• Get used to the elite (maneuvers, landings etc)
• Basic instrument flying and a warm up approach or two
• Work on power settings for desired performance
• Introduce checklists, call outs
• GPS usage

Next Few Hours

• After take off and cruise checklists
• Multiple repetitions
• Gear down before landing checklists
• Call outs
• Introduce some emergencies

Next Few Hours

• Steps to accomplish maneuvers
• Fly approaches while integrating checklists and emergencies (at this point student is pretty familiar with them)
• Practice flying better approaches
• Repetition… practice

 

Homework…    Study aircraft systems, checklists, emergency procedures, aerodynamics etc. 

These are just some suggestions that I think would have helped my training in the elite go a little more smoothly, and may relate to other pilots around my experience level.  You’re the pro, and you will probably know what is best for your students.  Overall, I don’t have any complaints.  I’m sorry I have so few suggestions.  

In my opinion, your training was more in depth, and more professional than what I received at ATP…and I think ATP has a good program.