First flight of the P-8A Poseidon and all things related to transition

[MasterBates]

An MB is right. Guys that fly the P-3s, E-6Bs, C-130s, Air Force heavies, etc. are better prepared for airline type flying. However luckily for the pointy nose guys, the initial application screening is done by HR types who are basically number crunchers. Only when a resume gets past HR do pilots ehn get to try and put a "quality value" on the hours. And there are many former pointy nose pilots thinking they are better than everyone else reviewing resumes .

Yeah, you'd think I was basing that comment on conversations with more than a couple Airline Captains/Senior FOs I know....

 

[BACONATOR]

I had a mediocre flight time JO tour due to aircraft availability. I left with about 1200 TT and about 500 PIC. A VT tour is what you make of it. I got about 1100 hours there, others do MUCH better to the tune of 2000 hours or more. It is certainly doable to get SWA minimums in two tours. You can even get FedEx mins if you fly something multiengine in your second tour.
With the predicted upswing in airline hiring, I see a mass rush for the door coming in the next few years. Deployments are long, and life outside is certainly starting to look much better. Take a look at the number of predicted pilot retirements in each airline in the next 5 years. It is pretty telling.

You think 1200 is rough? Nowadays, it's a lot worse. I'll leave my first tour with probably just over 800TT, if that....

 

[squorch2]

I left my first tour with 770ish total. This is not a new, ahem, challenge.

 

[statesman]

^ yawn. We've been doing that shit for years. They took away a good-deal 737 in flight trainer and replaced it with an "equivalent" level D sim for us to do some of our bouncing and approach work in. The RAG also does a good deal of their training in it. It sucks. It is good for procedural training, but for flying... Not so much. The scariest thing you can do in this jet is land in a high crosswind. When all the practice you get is in a simulator it does the pilot an injustice.

Im pretty sure its a level E sim. Thats what we were told when we 'flew' it right before deployment.

 

[HAL Pilot]

Im pretty sure its a level E sim..

That would be a new future technology.....

Currently level D is the highest and it allows for zero flight time training.....i.e. all training done in sim. That is what airlines use. Typically at a major, the first time you actually fly the plane it is a revenue flight full of pax

 

[PropAddict]

Hmmm. . .apparently P-8 doesn't have the prohibition on using the little Telex headsets.

You know, the one the P-3 DOESN'T actually have, but every AT1 and ATC under the sun will tell is there. . .somewhere. . .

 

[helolumpy]

I left my first tour with 770ish total. This is not a new, ahem, challenge.

DON flight time is down 14 percent for FY-12. The Navy specifically is down 13 percent.
That's across the board decreases in flight time...

 

[statesman]

That would be a new future technology.....

Currently level D is the highest and it allows for zero flight time training.....i.e. all training done in sim. That is what airlines use. Typically at a major, the first time you actually fly the plane it is a revenue flight full of pax

Did not know that.

Either way the P-8 OFT is 10x better than the level D P-3 OFT. The terrain looks like it came off Google Earth, and it flies considerably more like an airplane.

 

[scoolbubba]

Hmmm. . .apparently P-8 doesn't have the prohibition on using the little Telex headsets.

You know, the one the P-3 DOESN'T actually have, but every AT1 and ATC under the sun will tell is there. . .somewhere. . .

But but but you're going to burn up the jack boxes! Impedance issues! Scratchy radios! And don't even think of trying to plug in some David Clark's. The fucking bernoullis will probably stop working if you flew with those instead of the pieces of shit headsets we have now.

 

[jollygreen07]

You think 1200 is rough? Nowadays, it's a lot worse. I'll leave my first tour with probably just over 800TT, if that....

When you fly 6hr sorties on a short day, 1200TT Isn't all that much in a three year tour.

 

[Gatordev]

That would be a new future technology.....

Currently level D is the highest and it allows for zero flight time training.....i.e. all training done in sim. That is what airlines use. Typically at a major, the first time you actually fly the plane it is a revenue flight full of pax

The trick (as I'm sure you know) is that the military sim has to actually be certified. Usually the military doesn't want (or need) to pay for it to get/maintain certification for the FAA. I believe it was webmaster that was telling me that the P-8 sim is potentially being used for more than just a military sim, so it may be certified, but the "lack" of Level D cert conundrum is an issue for many communities who want to use their sim for FAA related stuff (ie, ATPs).

 

[robav8r]

Usually the military doesn't want (or need) to pay for it to get/maintain certification for the FAA.

That's what we did with the P-3 Level D OFT. The decision was made to "meet" all the FAA requirements without actually pursuing FAA certification.

 

[Gatordev]

That's what we did with the P-3 Level D OFT. The decision was made to "meet" all the FAA requirements without actually pursuing FAA certification.

But could you actually use it for a FAA check ride? I ask because when I was researching this for the -60B sim, I ran across a bunch of anecdotes online from AF heavy guys that concluded they couldn't use their C-17/5/130 sims because they weren't actually certified, even though everyone knows they'll meet the requirements.

I figured if the AF won't pay for it, what hope does the majority of the Navy have?

 

[Harrier Dude]

I figured if the AF won't pay for it, what hope does the majority of the Navy have?

About ten times the chances that the Marines do. Then again, ten times nothing is still nothing.

 

[Gatordev]

Math is fun.