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NATOPS check vs. "Safe for Solo"...

Wingnut172N

Tumbleweed
pilot
Could it possibly be a legal help for the SNA in the case of a mishap? Seems it would be pretty easy to explain why you crashed an airplane you aren't qualified to fly.
 

Treetop Flyer

Well-Known Member
pilot
I was describing how the Hornet is much more straightforward and forgiving NATOPS-wise. If we can't agree on that then I'm not sure we'll agree on anything.

I'm not disagreeing with you about that. In the spirit of this thread, I think it's interesting that there are two separate approaches to a similar situation. Harrier students are deemed "safe for solo" and fly the vast majority of their flights that way after fams. It goes back to the question of what does that really mean, compared to someone who is "NATOPS qual'd". Neither student is capable of fully employing the aircraft after fams, and both have much to learn.
 

MIDNJAC

is clara ship
pilot
Haha. I remember my solo cross-country in the T-45. Went with 4 other solos to do an out-and-in with practice approaches the day before Thanksgiving. Which I hear is a pretty busy day for air travel. ATC loved us.

Yeah they loved the shit out of me as I firewalled the throttle and started overtaking everyone en route to Jackson. So much for the "yeah lets go as fast as we can" agreement down in flight E.
 

Harrier Dude

Living the dream
The fam stage is longer for Harriers, which makes sense. Why hornet students do a NATOPS check immediately after and harrier students don't doesn't have anything to do with FOD or the number of engines though.

No, it has to do with the model manager decades ago deciding that the NATOPS check needed to include a tactical portion. Since FAM students haven't learned the tactical portion yet, obviously they can't do that.

Every model manager since has tried to change it only to be told that they can't (by the skipper) because that's not the way we've always done it.

It is just beaurocratic inertia. Don't let the way other communities do it or the actual NATOPS verbiage confuse the situation.
 
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