phrogpilot73
Well-Known Member
Not at the ever-so-efficiency that is Ft Meade...:icon_rageGive them a call - you SHOULD be able to set up an appointment.
Not at the ever-so-efficiency that is Ft Meade...:icon_rageGive them a call - you SHOULD be able to set up an appointment.
In my dumb helo guy mind, I envision helo hovering akin to hanging on to an I-beam Col Ripley style, and Harrier hovering like tip-toeing along the top of the same I-beam.
I think that a helo guy transitioning to a Harrier would be relatively easy for the hovering part (and if you disagree, I invite you to try and hover a TH-57B or CH-46E with AFCS off) -
....but that flying fast would be the harder part for us to grasp. I seem to remember a discussion about Harrier mishap rates that involved a huge spike after their first couple of years because they started transitioning helo guys, and they weren't crashing in a hover - but were suffering from CFIT because they weren't used to flying 4 bills. Of course, I could be mistaken in that last little nugget.
Not at the ever-so-efficiency that is Ft Meade...:icon_rage
Give them a call - you SHOULD be able to set up an appointment.
What I meant was "legally speaking"....noone will ever get a Harrier rating on the civilian side with that amount of time.....there are guys that get experimental jet type ratings with 1000 hours/500 PIC that the highest performance AC they have flown prior to that was a Beech Bonanza. Throw them into a Czech jet and it is entertaining....throw them into a MIG15/17, it is more dangerous than entertaining but still provides a good laugh. 8-15 hours is typical for the amount of training a civilian gets prior to going to the FAA examiner.You're not even solo-ing in the RAG with 8 hrs in the Harrier... and the AV-8B is a whole 'nother animal from a Sea Harrier/AV-8A. A civilian buying and trying to fly a Harrier would likely make a nice smoking hole in the ground. There's a reason our time to train is the longest in Marine aviation and we leave the RAG with a lower CRP than Hornet Cat I's.
I would say that a prior-military TACAIR pilot could likely easily transition to most other conventional airframes (eg. Jaguar) in a short amount of time and still be proficient enough to be safe... but not a Harrier.
As a matter of fact, they do. Didn't think about that one (I did think about NAF though, since that's where I got my flight physical done). I've got both their numbers (if anyone's looking for ID Card centers, check this link. It allows you to search by city, state, zip, etc... and will identify if it's a CAC place or not)I am not sure that you would be able to swing it at a Navy Reserve center but NAF Washington (the Navy/Reserve side of Andrews) takes appointments during the week. I don't have a number on but I could get it if you are interested. Another idea, does the support base for Annapolis do them?
Here you go, make your appointment online:As a matter of fact, they do. Didn't think about that one (I did think about NAF though, since that's where I got my flight physical done). I've got both their numbers (if anyone's looking for ID Card centers, check this link. It allows you to search by city, state, zip, etc... and will identify if it's a CAC place or not)
I have buddies that fly C-35s with helo guys. They say the same thing. The jet guys are way out in front of the aircraft and the helo bubbas concentrate on the airspace/procedure right in front of them.
This isn't meant to be chopper bashing. It's just a matter of retraining your brain to think farther out. Not necesarily faster. It's not a matter of smart/dumb, just a time/distance problem. Ten miles from now is 5-10 minutes at helo speed. You have time to make a decision or perform a procedure later. The same distance is 1-2.5 minutes away at jet speeds. There is less time to make a decision.
Anyway, it's been done sucessfully before. The current MAG-14 CO is a helo transition guy.
The problems with most helo transition guys is dealing with life at 4X the speed. Not just CFIT, although that's the most immediate and readily intentifiable threat, but up and away as well. Even in instrument flight. The helo guys sometimes still look "just inside the rotor arc" when they need to be looking several miles/minutes downrange.
I have buddies that fly C-35s with helo guys. They say the same thing. The jet guys are way out in front of the aircraft and the helo bubbas concentrate on the airspace/procedure right in front of them.
This isn't meant to be chopper bashing. It's just a matter of retraining your brain to think farther out. Not necesarily faster. It's not a matter of smart/dumb, just a time/distance problem. Ten miles from now is 5-10 minutes at helo speed. You have time to make a decision or perform a procedure later. The same distance is 1-2.5 minutes away at jet speeds. There is less time to make a decision.
I used to say that when I was an NFOAnd it only gets harder with the SA sponge sitting up front.
I used to say that when I was an NFO
Having flown through an area with a convective sigmet and severe thunderstorm warning this weekend, it definitely would have made me a bit more comfortable.
Slight threadjack, but are you sure you want to be admitting this on a public forum?
a Harrier hovers at NLT 50', while most helos are more like 5'.
That make me think of a somewhat random question. Do Harriers benefit from ground effect in the hover?
Helo's get some benefit when the rotor is within within one rotor diameter of the ground, but do you guys also? My guess is no because the exhaust is only on the order of inches wide.
Funny how much SA you can have when you can sit on your hands and watch the world go by. :icon_tong