Getting Through Contacts
Ok... to get this thread back on track... Here's my take on getting through Contacts:
Procedures/Operating Limits:
First off, know them cold. EP's, EP's, basic transitions and contact maneuvers should be memorized to the point where you can spout them off while doing something pretty stressful.
EP's
Know and be able to discuss. You'll get a dew boldface exams: One as part of the NATOPS exam at the end of ground school as well as more throughout the 6 contact flights. You'll also be graded on how well you react to the simulated EP's the IPs and sim instructors will throw at you. The boldface EP tests must be passed with a 100%, but its not hard. It only takes an hour or so a day for a couple of days to learn the boldface EPs, and a few more days to get them down cold.
Also be able to discuss EP's... For example, you need to know that if you get a fire light in flight what EP to do (its a boldface one). But you also need to know what to look for to confirm the fire, and have an idea of things you need to do after you finish taking care of the fire... i.e. what if you had to shut the enging down? What kind of landing are you going to do? Do you have a plan for it you can't make a field? Know that there will be times when you'll have to string EPs together in order to take care of an emergency. Know also that all of them may not be boldface, so know where to look iin the PCL for the different items.
Operating Limits
Know them and be able to discuss them, and be able to recognize what they mean for the aircraft and what your guages will look like when something is out of whack. Note that all the normal ops limitations are not on the EP sheet. Look through NATOPS and be familiar with things like cabin pressure and hydraulic pressure normal operating ranges, as well as what the different CWS panel lights mean. Not just "the EX HYD LO light mean low emergency hydraulic pressure low", but also what it means as far as continued flight, landing, any emergency that may arise from the condition, etc.
Basic Transitions/Contact Maneuvers
Same as EPs, you need to know tham cold and understress as well as be able to talk the IP through the maneuver in the air. As SNFO's, we're not being graded on how well we can fly the maneuver, but by how well we know the procedure and can talk the IP through it in the air.
Even though its not required to fly the procedures, I strongly reccommend flyinig them as much as you can both in the sims and in the airplane. Its infintely harder to recall the procedure when you're trying to fly the maneuvers and maintain altitude attitude and airspeed. Putting yourself through this will help reinforce the procedure. You'll fid that after flying a procedure 2 or 3 times, it'll be easier to recall.
Checklists
You don;t have to memorize the checklists. You need to be able to be fast and correct with them though. The best way to do that is to grab some sim time and go through the switchology of the checklists. (This is good advice for SNA's and SNFO's). The preflight walkaround is the only check that you shouldn't need the PCL for.
You'll find that as you fly more, shorter checks, like the pre-aerobatics check, ops check and others you do a million and a half times will be memorized, but that only because of repetitive action. Even though I can do the ops check from memory, I still pull out the PCL, just to be sure.
Briefing Room
Only thing I can say here is that the brief sets the tone for the rest of the flight. Know your stuff for the brief. Everything that will be covered in each brief for each flight (in addition to EP's and Ops limits) can be found in section 3 of the course guide. Also know the answers to the POD questions of the day.
Flying the T-6
Like I said before, us SNFOs are not being graded on quality of the airwork, but on how well we can go through the procedures in the air while everything else is going on.. radios, monitoring guages, scanning for traffic, MOA area management, etc.
You gotta be able to multi-task like a pro. Its hard at firs, but it gets easier. I've reccommended chair flying while listening to
LiveATC, and I will again. Just one more thing to help build SA and multi-tasking skills.
While in the aircraft, don't be afraid to question what's going on and make your own judgement calls. You may be wrong an a call, but it shows the instructor that you're paying attention to what's going on. If you are wrong, the instructor (either in the plane or in the debrief) will let you know and explain what exactly was happening. If you're right, then you'll know and possibly avert something bad happening.
Ask questions. If you're not sure of something, in the air or on the ground, ask a question. Do not fly with an unanswered question... no matter how insignificant you think it is.
Syllabus Flights:
Know all you your stuff. The discussion items in the MNTS (course guide), EPs, and the questions of the day on the squadron POD. You'll be expected to talk about all of it. You should also be able to still talk about discuss items from previous flights.
Night Flight:
You're in the back seat for this one. Its a introduction to the night flying environment. You'll work the radios and run the checklists. Thats about it.
Check Ride:
Nothing special about it. You're responsible for any contact syllabus item... EPs, Maneuvers, discuss items, systems. If it was in the MNTS as a contact syllabus item, its fair game.
Contacts are meant to be fun, and they are if you know your stuff. The only flight that I didn't come back from saying "Damn, that was fun!" was the flight when I brain farted the brief. Every other flight was extremely fun and rewarding.
If flying is something you really want to do, the 90 minutes in the air will more than make up for the countless hours spent studying, making it to flight school and getting ready to fly. I'm sure some of the older guys can vouch for that as well.
My class is done with contacts, and will be starting instrument ground school on Thursday.
Cheers,
Bubba
