Anyone have a picture of the T-44A cockpit?

[Elder]

I have the NATOPS, but looking for something a little better quaility, in color, and representative of the T-44A.

Anyone have any ideas? Anyone in Corpus that could swing over and snap a few few pictures?

Brad

 

[zab1001]

I've got one, I'll scan it this wknd and post it...it's REALLY exciting...or not...

 

[Elder]

Thanks.

 

[Elder]

By the way, the bigger the resolution the better, if you don't mind.

If it's too big to post here or something, can send it via http://www.yousendit.com - it's free and anonymous.. and can send up to 1GB. When you upload it, it stores it on their server for several days. If you use it, you can just "send" it to yourself and then post the link they give you for the file here.. or whatever.

Thanks again.

Brad

 

[webmaster]

Elder, good luck in advanced. Seems like you already got the gouge on getting prepared for the checklists and everything. My fam partner and I spent a lot of time either in empty sims, or out on the flight line in a bird not being used (but damn hot in the latter), getting the whole checklist down.

Where are you planning on heading for your first duty station?

John

 

[Elder]

Yeah, let me ask you about the checklist. I thought I read somewhere that a checklist (maybe the functional(s)) have to be memorized? Did I read it wrong? Those things seem very very long.

Or did you and your fam partner just "get down" (i.e. know where everything is at, no what to do, proper responses etc) the checklists because they are rather extensive..

Any other advice you can give other than study study study? Anything to look out for?

I've probably had the NATOPS open more for the T-44 already than I ever did for the T-34.

I do also have the Microsim T-44A as well as a couple of C-90 models for flight sim. I just didn't know if there were any variations to the civilian models. Do all of them now have GPS? The NATOPS shows diagrams for with and without GPS. Wish I had the FTI, but guess I can get a copy when I get there.

Course Rules - Have to learn them, right? And are they different for the Advanced planes vice the T-34 for Corpus or are they the same?

As far as duty stations, I think my list in order were something like

Sacramento
Barbers Point
Elizabeth City NC
Mobile AL (Falcons)
Cape Cod (Falcons)
Clearwater
Miami (Falcons)
Corpus Christi
Port Angeles (HH-65's)
Astoria (HH-60's)

I put the helos down for the hell of it.. few years ago, several Coasties went through Advanced in Corpus, and when they were done, they got orders to helo units... there were no available fixed wing billets. The Coast Guard sent them to a civilian helo school. A fourth guy wasn't so lucky.. he too got orders to a helo unit, but no $$$ to pay for a civilian school.. so the Coast Guard told his new CO to teach him how to fly helos.

 

[zab1001]

The plane isn't hard to fly, and its a blast once you get the feel for it (took me a little longer than some guys...). Advice...

Sit with your fam partner and get the checklist responses down COLD. It will make things much easier. If it still runs the same, and I'd imagine it does...the Navaid check part was what got a lot of guys, seems silly, but whatever...

Be able to draw the fuel and electrical systems. The engines are pretty much the same as the T-34, so you should already have the lame brief version of how to draw the fuel governor and all that. It takes about an hour to memorize, and the P-3s guys will give you all kinds of points in the brief. Do you HAVE TO? Well, no, but why not stack the deck in your favor?

Most IP's will call you by your first name. Obviously, they are still Sir until they insist otherwise while pouring tequila down your throat.

Figure out a system for briefing approaches (it runs a little differently with crew concept involved). Whatever works for you, but get it down pat. And toss the kneeboard...it just gets in the way in the 44.

Talk to some guys finishing up and get a list of OLFs, and familiarize yourself with their general locations, do the same for the San Antonio and Brownsville areas.

The hardest part about FAMs is getting down the "rudder dance" with an engine out. "Rudder Up, Power Up, Clean Up"...whatever works for you...

FORMS, as usual, are a blast. as are the VNAVs and ONAVs.

The guantlet of the program is the RI stage, when I was going through, there were 28 flights and then a check ride, I think. Maybe 28 was the check, anyway, its the usual USN "slam you with every EP in the book" on the pre-check, and then the check is pretty benign. A lot of emphasis is put on single-engine work, as well as navaid failures.

Speaking of EPs, memorize all of them. It just makes life easier. You know what is coming and have thought about each step and what it is actually doing to the aircraft. I still remember getting an above for knowing the "binding controls on deck" procedure by heart. It's good prep for the FRS (or whatever you guys call it) as well, since as an Aircraft Commander, you'll have to know all of 'em anyway.

Make sure you check out Aransas Pass on the island with the family, all kinds of fun stuff and good restaurants, good way to spend a 'warm' Corpus Saturday afternoon. PropStop inside the VT-31 Hangar has awesome heart-stoppin breakfast burritos.

 

[Elder]

This appears to be my syllabus.

Also stumbled on to this..

https://cnatra.navaltx.navy.mil/cnatra/ppub_t44_c12.htm

Are these the current FTI's? Particularly the P-553 file.. revised 12-01 with 2 changes.

The formation pub, P-557, appears to have been updated last month.

 

[webmaster]

Elder, here is from a previous response I made in the following thread to the same question.

http://www.airwarriors.com/forum/showthread.php?p=18173

Well, I am sufficiently far enough removed from my days in Advanced, that I will leave the details to others that are there, but certain things don't change.

- You get teamed up with a FAM partner, your flights are longer in the plane, and there are two of you to one instructor. While your friend is flying, you are sitting behind them in the pax seats. You work on the brief together, the IP may ask questions specifically at you, but you can work that system to your advantage.
- KNOW YOUR PREFLIGHT CHECKLISTS! Spend time in the sim, you can schedule it, or go out to one of the maint birds (that can be HOT!). And work on your switchology (where was that damn boost pump switch?!?) and your response items (the proper response it "CHECKED, SET") etc... Going through those checklists with your fam partner will save you ALOT of grief and time later on. You will get your groundschool study aid, and read through it, then sched some time, and go run through the checklists! A required item for your first CBT BTW... unless too much has changed...
- T44 GOUGE: When I went through there was an inch thick T44 gouge book floating around, I got mine at Kinkos I think, but ask the SNAs ahead of you, might save you some time.
- FAM CASES: Memorize and know the different cases, ie you lost an engine on climbout, at crosswind, on downwind, at the 180, and on final. Read through the books and get that material down, will save you grief in the plane.
- OLFs: Take a look a the outlying fields when you have time, look up the distances and where they are located, ie, you fly down to the valley (Valley of the DOWNS, haha), or head up to San Antonio, etc. There are fields that are TOO SHORT to land at!! Be aware of that, IPs will let you take it all the way in, and then take controls from you, so know which fields are good and not, make it apart of your approach brief if you havent already. Look at the approaches to some of the airfields you will be flying to (especially in the valley, ie Brownsville), you finish one approach and is straight onto another one with short vectors, be prepared.
- Take lots of water with you to the plane, especially in the summer time, it is hot in the T34, but the T44 and C12 are OVENS until you get the damn AC on. I also brought a small towel to wipe my face off, good old 113 degree Corpus weather!
- LEFT AND RIGHT RUNWAYS!!! Read back those clearances and don't land on the incorrect runway!
- Course rules, a joke compared to the complex ones at Whiting...
- SIM sucks, no visuals, or motion (T44 I am talking about), but still all the stuff you need to work on instrument wise and to get those EPs down.
- CRM!! Cockpit/Crew Resource Management, work together to solve problems, the IP will help you out to an extent.
- Purchase an AIM/FAR and a highlighter, a lot of your briefing material that you need to know is in that book. Mine was dog earred and highlighted/written in by the end of training. Alot of the IPs are getting out to go to the airlines (or were, haha, or maybe not so haha), and are studying this while getting ready to take their tests.
- IPs ARE SNEAKY! While they don't want to get a flight violation, in many cases while you are task saturated, through center or approach will let you get far afield of where you are supposed to be. A lot of those controllers KNOW what you are going through, and some are sadastic and will gleefully give you short vectors as you hop from one approach to the next (front course LOC to backcourse anyone?). Importance of knocking out your approach briefs quickly and logically, while handling in flight malfs... OH JOY!

There is probably more, but can't think of it at the moment. Best advice as always is getting the gouge from fellow students ahead of you. All in all, a good time, and you probably will NEVER be that good of an instrument pilot again, until you go back there as an IP (if you do). The best is finally getting those wings at your winging party! Have fun.

As for Corpus, there are a variety of places to live, and I honestly (unlike Pcola) don't have any recommendations for you. I did not like Corpus at all (it did have highspeed internet though). Good thing is to go up to Kelly or Randolph in San Antonio for the weekend, you can get the BOQ rooms up there for cheap for the weekend, and enjoy the riverwalk.

I'll dig around, maybe I can find some of my T44 gouge...

Differences between the two? Main one already mentioned about the type rating. Then again, you get to go fly a P3, so go figure.... AF IPs are in both squadrons, so you won't get away from them in VT31. AF IPs just LOVE to quote equations on you, and have you compute the VDP or how far the radials are apart on your approach, ie what are you going to lead with, etc... I went through 31 and enjoyed flying the 44, I have heard the same about the C12, whichever floats your boat I guess...

 

[NeoCortex]

Hummm.... There's one parked on the south ramp, but isn't it the same as the normal King Air?

 

[webmaster]

Here's a thought, go to www.airliners.net and find a picture of a C-90 King Air, that's all the T-44 is, BTW, don't sweat it, they're cake to fly.

Mike, most the civilian King Airs I have seen have not had the same cockpit as the Navy. Either you see a gorgeous fully tricked out King Air, with the leather interior, and all the extras, but jack **** for avionics... hmmm, wonder who made that decision? Either that or the glass cockpits. The Navy ones have the full on multiple navaids (TACANs, VORs, ADFs, ILS/LOC) that most civilians don't spend the money on. In addition, you had the RNAV, which was a blast to use once you figured it out.

What zab was mentioning to Elder, is that everything is tied in through one interface on the RNAV panel, for dialing freqs.... and it really sucks getting the hang of it, and possibly dumping what you were trying to put in. They used to have a computer program that you got, and could practice on your home computer going through the inputs.

 

[kmac]

Wasn't the Navy (and specifically VT-31) looking at getting glass cockpits for the 44's? I wonder if the rnav panel would be replaced with something a bit more user friendly.

One more question for the guys there... does the autopilot still work? I remember reading magazines on the way out to Vegas thanks to that and the GPS.

 

[bch]

Make sure you check out Aransas Pass on the island with the family, all kinds of fun stuff and good restaurants, good way to spend a 'warm' Corpus Saturday afternoon. PropStop inside the VT-31 Hangar has awesome heart-stoppin breakfast burritos.

Prop Stop was the SH$T, but it is now ran by a militant biatch instead of the nex. It went down hill in a hurry. I would not be surpirsed if she appleid to be a sim instructor, was denied, but the base thought that she was just too much of a biatch to not hire in some form. So they let her ruin the prop stop. Prices went up, quality got worse and you have to listen to her.

 

[E5B]

Here's a thought, go to www.airliners.net and find a picture of a C-90 King Air, that's all the T-44 is, BTW, don't sweat it, they're cake to fly.

It's not about how easy a training aircraft is to fly, it's about how well YOU execute procedures (whether it be fam, BI, RI or Form) and handle EP's.

Yeah, that new crew at the propstop would act like a personal threat was made against them when you made an order. That little grease pit trailer at the NEX was 10X better than the new propstop.

 

[zab1001]

Elder, the pic is coming, I promise.

So they got rid of all the filipino ladies??? WHo runs it now? Is it that weird old lady, very butch, with the wispy mustache?

I'll agree on the training part of the T-44 syllabus. The plane isn't hard to fly, but a no-heading NDB with simulated engine out isn't the easiest thing I've ever done.