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

kmac

Coffee Drinker
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
As stated above, it has to be simply the difference between being a winged aviator and a student. On the civilian side, isn't it the same thing? SFS happens when one doesn't have a pilot certificate, right?

When I got back to the T-34 I received my NATOPS check prior to the rest of the IUT syllabus. If ordered I could take that aircraft anywhere (such as on a hurevac). A student couldn't do that, obviously.
 

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
That's always true. If everything goes as planned, you aren't going OCF on any flight except the OCF demo...which oh, by the way is a separate IP qual anyway.

It's really hard to get a T-34 to go OCF. As IBB said, it's also really easy to get out of it. In the grand scale of things a stud needs to know (let alone what he's capable of dealing with), it's not worth the effort.

It's much easier for a stud to make inputs that make the plane look like OCF when doing maneuvers he would be doing only with an IP and the IP is the one who needs to recognize that it's not OCF. That's actually most of what the OCF portion of the NATOPS check is about.
 

Jim123

DD-214 in hand and I'm gonna party like it's 1998
pilot
Bunk would be a good one to chime in about advanced strike/tailhook specifics. Meantime, the thread has taken a good turn, like what happens a lot in these threads...
 

KBayDog

Well-Known Member
Meantime, the thread has taken a good turn, like what happens a lot in these threads...

Don't worry, KBay is waiting in the wings.

cd2bc46d_thread-derail-1953.jpg
 

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
Just for the record, I'm not arguing that SNA's should get one necessarily, I was just curious why if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we call it a potato.

I meant to mention this in my previous post, but at the end of the day, if your SFS is truly the same, or nearly so, as a NC, I don't get why you shouldn't be able to get it as a CAT II, winged "SNA." If for no other reason than it's apparently possible at the Primary level, as MB said. But maybe that makes too much sense.
 

MasterBates

Well-Known Member
TW-4 did it, probably so I was HURREVAC capable, in the Weiner. FWIW, they also did it in the 44 but for more of a dual piloted mins reason.

45 I just did SFS due to OCF reasons.

Sent from my PH44100 using Tapatalk 2
 

e6bflyer

Used to Care
pilot
My hinge perspective:
A SFS check is given to students by a huge cadre of instructors who are given this power by their CO. It is a fairly plain check that is designed to allow students to handle any "vanilla" scenario that may occur while flying a plane solo in a controlled CNATRA training environment (ie solo weather mins, manned OLFs, FDO available on the radio). Later on in advanced, obviously, these criteria are broadened a bit (ie solo cross countries, weps dets, etc) but are still given fairly stringent restrictions (YMMV according to pipeline, but they are ALWAYS given extra restrictions) and the solo is always scheduled and approved by the CO or his designated representative before occuring.
A NATOPS check, as mentioned above, is license to take the airplane flying and handle it in any condition not restricted by 3710 or TMS NATOPS by a winged aviator or civilian equivalent.
There are usually only 3 or 4 instructors in each VT squadron that are capable of giving a NATOPS check, all but the newest IPs are able to give a SFS (must be qualified in the phase they are signing off on, obviously).
There is no reason for a student to get a NATOPS check unless it will benefit the command in some way (ie albe to hurrevac an aircraft).
 

e6bflyer

Used to Care
pilot
I guess what I am saying above is that by signing a student off SFS, the CO is saying that he is willing to assume some risk (student inexperience) based on a set of restrictions used to offset those risks. That is also why it is done prior to each solo flight.
 

pourts

former Marine F/A-18 pilot & FAC, current MBA stud
pilot
(ie solo cross countries, weps dets, etc)

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.
 

pourts

former Marine F/A-18 pilot & FAC, current MBA stud
pilot
I always thought it was strange that hornet types seem to do their NATOPS qual very early in the hornet rag, whereas it's the last thing you do in the harrier rag.

I think that's pretty obvious don't you? We don't have to learn how to hover, we have 2 engines, we are more resilient to FOD, etc.
 

Treetop Flyer

Well-Known Member
pilot
I think that's pretty obvious don't you? We don't have to learn how to hover, we have 2 engines, we are more resilient to FOD, etc.


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.
 

pourts

former Marine F/A-18 pilot & FAC, current MBA stud
pilot
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.

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.

Being more straightforward seems a very valid reason to have an early, as well as an "out the door" NATOPS check. The early one because you can, and it provides flexibility in ferrying jets across the country and extra CYA for the skipper: "Well, he was NATOPS qualled, so we did the proper ORM box checking." And a graduation NATOPS check so that if nothing else, the nuggets you send to the fleet are good for a year, know their systems and don't completley F everything away... or that ORM check in the box thing again.
 
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