Stepping up to a jet can be daunting. There are so many new aspects of flying, technology and regulations to learn, which must be precisely executed at fast speeds in busy environments. Since a jet is capable of missions never before possible, a transitioning pilot is learning new contexts while learning a new aircraft. It's a big commitment. The safest choice a pilot can make is selecting the right mentoring pilot.
The NBAA has defined a set of Very Light Jet Training Guidelines. Unfortunately, the most common accident scenario, namely runway overruns due to lack of a stabilized approach, is not mentioned at all amongst more than a dozen "areas of greatest risk." There are a few scant paragraphs about a mentor pilot, of which is most useful is:
"It is important that the pilot is exposed to a variety of environments during the mentoring period, including traffic, weather, airspace and terrain. It is possible that a mentor may be utilized on specific flights throughout a calendar year in order to have the candidate experience all climactic conditions."
Simulator based training is focused on aircraft systems and associated failures. There is little realism in terms of weather, busy airport traffic sequencing, as well as many other limitations.
It would be imprudent for a new jet pilot to encounter these unfamiliar and potentially lethal circumstances without an experienced coach in the right seat. If an accident occurs, it won't be because a new pilot didn't memorize some minutia, it will be because there wasn't a cool, smart person who could recognize the early stages of a problem and break the accident chain.
A new jet pilot will have easily spent 50 hours researching aircraft, options and reviews. Yet the most important safety factor of all will likely be given less time and effort than color choices.
What the Sim Schools Don't Cover Well
- Operations in inflight icing conditions
- Ground-deicing
- Operations in areas of convection, including optimal use of weather radar
- High altitude operations and flight planning
- Advanced GPS functions such as:
- User waypoints
- OBS mode
- Using synthetic vision
- CRM:
- How to integrate a second pilot safely and divide labor optimally
- Checklist discipline and strategies
- Call-outs
- High risk areas for SP jet operations
- Runway overruns, including what conditions are usually present, and how to mitigate risk
- Controlled flight into terrain, and TAWS activation procedures
- Visual approaches- one of the most difficult approaches to execute well in the real airplane!
Initial Mentor Role
For the transitioning pilot, the mentor has to initially assist in all phases of flight. This includes:
Pre-flight: how to look for leaks and suspicious signs that are not obvious.
Taxi: when it is safe to run checklists, when to use the parking brake.
Takeoff: where to look for an attitude reference when adjusting the crosswind correction, when to use anti-ice systems
En-route: how to use weather radar, descent planning
Approach: elements of a good approach briefing, stabilized approach, recognizing potential for runway overruns
Landing: coping with wind-shear, being patient with power adjustments "small inputs, small mistakes; big inputs, big mistakes"
Ongoing Mentor Role
Even after the initial weaning, a mentor pilot should be used for any new and challenging environments, such as:
International Operations: differences in procedures, phraseology
Busy environments: landing or departing at the busiest of airports or terminal areas.
Difficult approaches, such as Aspen.
Single Pilot or Crew
Even though these light jets are all rated for single pilot operation, does it mean they should be flown that way? Virtually all professional operations fly as a crew of two. Insurance companies recognize the improved safety of a crew by offering discounts or higher liability limits. The statistics and actuarial tables bear out the significantly improved safety of a crew.
Personally, irrespective of experience, I would always fly in a two person crew when:
- Flying for business. There is simply too much to think about when dealing with the aircraft, having several business meetings, and then flying home in one day. A crew member can also save significant time in terms of pre-flight, clearances, fuel orders, and buttoning up.
- Flying long legs. Fatigue is a huge factor in accidents. Any time I expect to fly more than say six hours in a day, I would have a co-pilot.
I would expect to fly single pilot when it is for recreational purposes, with no hard schedule, such as a fun trip with the family.
Mentor Pilot Prerequisites
A pilot stepping into a jet will likely have at minimum IFR and multi-engine ratings. This implies about 200 hours of dual instruction with a dozen different CFIs. So the new jet pilot knows that some instructors will follow mentoring best practices better than others.
At very minimum, the VLJ mentoring pilot will have far beyond the minimum CFII/MEI/ATP, notably:
- already typed in the VLJ or a very similar jet, such as Eclipse / Mustang / Phenom 100 / Citation 525
- real world flight experience in a variety of climate conditions, especially icing and convection
- experience in an airline or other structured environment, already as a mentor to other jet pilots, such as a check airman or Captain
- strong knowledge of the systems and automation in these VLJs, especially the G1000
- have travel flexibility for multi-day trips
From Good to Great
A great mentor pilot is distinguished by a more rare set of criteria.
Mastery, not just proficiency. Any experienced pilot knows the difference legal and proficient. An excellent mentor serves as an example of mastering all aspects of flight, not just proficiency.
Passion for instruction. An excellent mentor loves to teach so much that they spend minimally compensated time writing articles, sharing knowledge in online forums, and seeking a larger community.
Confident to stand ground. Let's face it - a jet pilot is a high achiever, typically independent and self-reliant. A mentor pilot has to be voice of reason and clarity at potentially the most hazardous time. That requires significant confidence.
Do These Guys Really Exist?
Do such mentor pilots exist ? Yes, here are examples of mentors I've worked with:
If you've had a positive experience with a mentor pilot, please write about it in the comment section below.
Conclusion
Picking the right mentor pilot is one of the most important choices a new jet pilot can make.
See Also
Mentoring and its Value
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