HT Question

[los5041]

I'm starting up HT's and myself and some others who are also starting are wondering why Instructors make the HT's sound so much harder then Primary training and all the students I've talked to say it is much easier. Other then the obvious of we know how to study and prepare unlike before we started primary, is it really that much harder, or is it just the scare tactics that instructors always start with? I was also wondering if there is any real diffrence b/t the HT's, other then HT-8 being a few weeks behind in getting on-wings.
Thanks

 

[HH-60H]

You have never tried to keep a TH-57 inside of a 1000 sqft box have you?

 

[los5041]

So are you saying the monkey skills are what the instructors and students are talking about? And to answer your question, no I have never hovered in a box, if I had I probably wouldn't have posted the question.

 

[Purdue]

They do make it sound a lot tougher... and students I know who trained with the Navy say you study a LOT more in th HT's. Everyone I talk to who trained with all the shit up at Vance thinks this is a lot easier.

But it's up to individual interpretation as well. After you get your hands working for you... and understand "Faster, Slower" is your right hand and "Higher, Lower" is your left hand... it's not that bad.

No. The HT's are fun, and not as hard as someone has led you to believe.

 

[ChuckMK23]

...and you are getting better and more organized as a SNA. You know how to inhale and digest material, etc. HT's are very very self directed as a stud. You get mentored by your Flight Leader and On Wing, but other than that you are responsible for yourself. We expect you to be a grown up, an officer. We'll teach you the machine and how to fly it.

Flying as far as stick skills is difficult at first - but it's still all "power plus attitude = performance" in the end. A lot of it is learing to stay organized, and flying a crew flown aircraft. Lots of procedures and process. But at this point you have proven you can fly an aircraft and have a inkling of headwork - if you didn't you would not be hear.

Study, work hard, have fun. Really in HT's is where your career begins and your rep/cred gets started. Don't whine, be a team player, work with your IP's and make an effort. Do that and in about 25 weeks or so you'll be wearing wings.

 

[ArkhamAsylum]

My impression upon check-in was that the instructors were trying to squash the attitude that helos were easier than other pipelines. Another theory is since the maneuvers are, in general, easier to remember, we make up for it by an in-depth systems and aero knowledge, and there are no such things as non-memory items when it comes to EPs. On the green side, we're a lot more likely to get shot at than our jet/prop brethren.

 

[HeloBubba]

On the green side, we're a lot more likely to get shot at than our jet/prop brethren.

And with much more effect too.

 

[Gatordev]

...and you are getting better and more organized as a SNA. You know how to inhale and digest material, etc. HT's are very very self directed as a stud. You get mentored by your Flight Leader and On Wing, but other than that you are responsible for yourself.

Well put. I was going to add that you also are held to a higher standard, academically, as well. It's not just "what are the 10 radar environment calls?" and you get 8 of them and then go fly, it's a no-kidding qual you're earning, so you HAVE to know it all (just a simple example).

Then I read this:

My impression upon check-in was that the instructors were trying to squash the attitude that helos were easier than other pipelines.

...and I'm betting there's some truth to it, as well.

 

[ben]

I agree with everything else that has been posted so far. My personal experience was that I studied a LOT more, but also found the material to be generally easier to handle. Having exposure to the way navy flight school works in primary made advanced easier "get". You're responsible for a lot of information, don't misunderstand me, but was easier for me to learn/retain.

 

[Flying Low]

Everyone hit on the big points already. Go find someone who has an I4402 or I4404 brief coming up. Let them tell you how easy it is. An airspace brief runs an easy 2 hours. That's not even getting into 3710, a DD-175 or the rest of the discussion items.

 

[MasterBates]

I4402?

Is that the "new" RI-17?

 

[ArkhamAsylum]

I remember my I4404 quite well. The instructor paged through the OPNAV, quite literally page by page, and asked about something on almost every page. I asked my jet/prop buddies about their experiences with this, and they just laughed at me. I guess it's easier to get away with not knowing this stuff at 20,000 ft.

 

[MasterBates]

Yep.. My honest take of the Helo instrument training vs the Multi engine.. Helos much more difficult in both what they expect in knowledges and the flying.

To date, I have NEVER worked harder than in RIs at the HTs.

 

[e6bflyer]

Yep.. My honest take of the Helo instrument training vs the Multi engine.. Helos much more difficult in both what they expect in knowledges and the flying.

To date, I have NEVER worked harder than in RIs at the HTs.

Honestly, MB, I think this is more a product of the training environment than the requirements. My RI check in advanced and the FRS was not that ridiculous, but it was challenging and very close to what I do (did) every day. There are about 50 or so things that you need to know out of 3710, the rest can be looked up. I flew IFR about 90% of the time in the fleet, and did just fine. I think it is more of a "rite of passage", mostly brought on by Cobra and HSL guys.

 

[MasterBates]

You may be right there. What I flew in the fleet when I was an HSL guy was mostly BI with a TACAN approach at the end.

What killed me is all the LOC, ILS, RNAV, GPS, VOR, and NDB training we did, that for the helos at the time, was waste of time/effort/money.. Get to the RAG, disover that the 60B has a TACAN an nothing else. That seemed to be a fairly closely kept secret in the HTs.

For my RAG/fleet INST-X's I did all save two in the sim, and it was basically an EP sim that you shot a couple approaches.

Take off
TACAN Point-to-Point
TACAN Holding
TACAN approach
Missed approach
Vectors for PAR, see you next year.

My take was that some additional low level/form would have been more "confidence inspiring" than all the superflous RI stuff that fleet birds (at the time) did not have. That, and night CQ.