Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Running With The Big Dogs: A Jet Experience
“Flying Like The Pros” shows GA pilots big-cockpit methods and techniques
With a growing selection, FLTP currently offers three new courses: Cirrus SR22 with the Avidyne panel, using the Garmin 400/500 in IFR and Garmin G1000 IFR. On deck is a special IFR Procedures and Weather Tactics course. All are available as online courses or as DVDs.
Each course leverages all the techniques and insights culled from MossY's years of observation and flying with aviation's best. They also add to MossY's instructing techniques and his different view of training in today's technically advanced aviation world.
"I see so many pilots with type ratings who can't land visually or can't fly the airplane around by hand," laughs MossY. "I knew there was a deficiency out there." MossY applied his airline experiences to the deficiencies he saw, and set out to make GA pilots safer. "Do these international airline captains really fly differently?" asks MossY. "You bet they do. And I want to adapt those techniques to GA to make better, safer, more professional pilots."
Back in the Mustang cockpit, MossY's patience with me is comforting as I quietly repeat his, "Don't be in a rush to screw it up," mantra. After my first landing at Burbank (I'm sure he helped), I'm walking a mile high, and he knows it. "Tell me that wasn't amazing," he exclaims with his trademark enthusiasm. "We can take a regular, GA, biplane guy and make him a jet pilot!" MossY smiles and adds, "Ten days and we could get you type rated in this!" All I can say is, where do I sign up?
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| Sweepstakes Winner | |
According to MossY, the contest was created to show that the Flying Like The Pros techniques could help even a basic piston pilot transition to the big leagues of jets. "I was hoping the winner wouldn't be a multi-engine-rated pilot or a CFI," says MossY. "A single-engine piston pilot would be ideal to show we can take somebody like that and move them into jets without any problem." Halliburton had earned his private certificate at 20 years old, flew for a few years actively, and then dropped out of aviation—like many of us—to tend to home and family. He came back five years ago, looking to rekindle that early spark. "I flew 172s for a while," says Halliburton, "then I joined iFly (now out of business) and flew the Columbia 350." In fact, MossY had been his Columbia instructor years before. On the appointed day, Halliburton came to Burbank Airport along with his 16-year-old son, Trevor. Halliburton had clearly done his ground-school homework, and MossY led him through familiarization with the Mustang, and then it was time to fly. MossY took Halliburton through the gamut of maneuvers, including stalls, engine failures, steep turns and, of course, landings. Halliburton performed beautifully, and absorbed the FLTP techniques and methods as MossY patiently applied his unique and unhurried instructing style. MossY even gave Trevor some left-seat time, driving home the point that flying a jet is not the stuff of legend. "It was absolutely awesome!" smiled Halliburton unbuckling from the Mustang. For his part, MossY beamed from the experience. "I just love introducing pilots like Kevin to the Mustang," he said. "I wish I could do this all the time!" |
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