T-6 Texan

[Fly Navy]

Some are more trainable than others. :icon_tong

The whole stink when we got Command Eject in the Prowler was humorous. "I don't want some ECMO ejecting me" was a common lament from the more single seat oriented pilots (some who had been in Prowlers for years!) Of course, trying to point out the very lopsided number of times some qualified aircrew inadvertently ejected vice the times someone rode one in when they should have jettisoned said aircraft was pointless to them so we just made it an SOP that it would be in command eject if an NATOPS qualified aircrew was in the right seat.

That's just crazy. I'm damn glad the WSO has the ability to eject us. I can certainly see how sometimes a pilot could get so involved with saving the aircraft that they might not make the right decision in enough time, and the WSO could recognize it and pull the handle. Or, coming off the cat and needing to eject for some reason, I"d rather have two people racing for the handle than one!

Flew with some single seat A-4 types in VT-86. In particular, a former VN era Marine A-4 Aviator who flew in the VT-86 SAU as a Navy Reserve CDR. Learned more about crew coordination from him in three flights than a bunch more flights in the A-4 and T-2 with some multi-crew pilots so it’s much more attitude than where you came from.

Good points.

 

[Fly Navy]

I'm pretty sure all of our current rhino and 60S/R pilots all flew with analog gauges in primary. My question is how hard was the transistion to the glass cockpit?

It's a helmet fire and a half at first. Your scan is entirely different and the information output is so overwhelming at first. MFDs present you with a LOT of info on one screen. After a little bit though you get into it and after a while... you wonder how you flew on steam guages to begin with... then introduce the HUD... oh it's game over at that point.

 

[pdx]

That's just crazy. I'm damn glad the WSO has the ability to eject us. I can certainly see how sometimes a pilot could get so involved with saving the aircraft that they might not make the right decision in enough time, and the WSO could recognize it and pull the handle. Or, coming off the cat and needing to eject for some reason, I"d rather have two people racing for the handle than one!

If the WSO pulls the handle, does the pilot get some kind of warning that he is about to be ejected? It seems like it would be a bad situation if the pilot is still trying to fly when he is suddenly ejected.

 

[Pugs]

If the WSO pulls the handle, does the pilot get some kind of warning that he is about to be ejected? It seems like it would be a bad situation if the pilot is still trying to fly when he is suddenly ejected.

Yea, lotsa wind and noise as the canopy and rear seat leave. It's a good indication you're about to

 

[larbear]

Having flown the T-6A in primary, I don't think it has helped much, if at all in the transition to the T-45C. Like others have said, the T-6A has digital representations of analog needles, so it isn't even a glass cockpit. I'm having to make the same adjustments to the T-45C cockpit as the T-34 guys. Having said that, the T-6 was a dream to fly. Any time you can take an 1100HP 7-G machine solo to the area is a good time. Yes, the T-6 has had some technical problems, but I think it is still in its growing pain stage and solutions are (at least they were a few months ago) coming out on a regular basis.

 

[Fly Navy]

If the WSO pulls the handle, does the pilot get some kind of warning that he is about to be ejected? It seems like it would be a bad situation if the pilot is still trying to fly when he is suddenly ejected.

BANG! WOOOOOSH!!!!

 

[pdx]

Yea, lotsa wind and noise as the canopy and rear seat leave. It's a good indication you're about to

I guess it's rather hard to ignore that those indications.

 

[Fly Navy]

Having flown the T-6A in primary, I don't think it has helped much, if at all in the transition to the T-45C. Like others have said, the T-6A has digital representations of analog needles, so it isn't even a glass cockpit. I'm having to make the same adjustments to the T-45C cockpit as the T-34 guys. Having said that, the T-6 was a dream to fly. Any time you can take an 1100HP 7-G machine solo to the area is a good time. Yes, the T-6 has had some technical problems, but I think it is still in its growing pain stage and solutions are (at least they were a few months ago) coming out on a regular basis.

Yep, on the money. The T-6A is not a true glass cockpit in the sense of MFDs and system management. You still have a classic instrument scan in the T-6A type setup of digital gauges.

 

[TurnandBurn55]

It seems like it would be a bad situation if the pilot is still trying to fly when he is suddenly ejected.

Actually, usually it's a good situation, because you're about to go headfirst into the ground...

 

[Fly Navy]

Actually, usually it's a good situation, because you're about to go headfirst into the ground...

Priceless.

 

[TurnandBurn55]

I have a feeling it's a lot easier to train someone from a single-pilot mentality to work as a crew than it is to train someone who is completely crew oriented to fly as a single-pilot. There is merit to the process.

Ehhh... it's somewhat asinine to send someone to a 2-seat squadron when the first 95% of their training has been "you're a single-seater!" It's a learning curve... pilots who aren't used to CRM have a bad habit of not paying attention to something they're not doing themselves (i.e. listening to the radios, ugh). Task-shedding vice task-sharing...

Probably more of an FRS issue, but I've heard a few guys in the helo pipeline say they get indoctrinated in the old "crew concept" in advanced...

 

[pdx]

Probably more of an FRS issue, but I've heard a few guys in the helo pipeline say they get indoctrinated in the old "crew concept" in advanced...

We do. Even though your co-pilot is actually the PIC and also your instructor, everything is crew concept.

 

[Fly Navy]

Ehhh... it's somewhat asinine to send someone to a 2-seat squadron when the first 95% of their training has been "you're a single-seater!" It's a learning curve... pilots who aren't used to CRM have a bad habit of not paying attention to something they're not doing themselves (i.e. listening to the radios, ugh). Task-shedding vice task-sharing...

Probably more of an FRS issue, but I've heard a few guys in the helo pipeline say they get indoctrinated in the old "crew concept" in advanced...

That's probably a fault of the Rhino pipeline than the TraCom. It makes perfect sense to train a jet student in TraCom to be single pilot. However, and I know you know this, Rhino RAG used to select E vs F at the end of AWIs... I'm not sure why the don't do that anymore, but none of us thinks it makes ANY sense to train as an E pilot, then be told you're an F pilot RIGHT before the boat. How the hell am I supposed to figure out how to use you before the boat?

 

[TurnandBurn55]

The T-6B is supposed to have a HUD and true MFDs.. FWIW...

 

[TurnandBurn55]

How the hell am I supposed to figure out how to use you before the boat?

Don't say "use", you big silly goose!!