elariosa95
SNA (Advanced - Multi-Engine)
In order to help out future multi-engine studs, I’ve decided to document my experience in the T-54A multiengine trainer (in the style of @Mouselovr). If there are any questions about anything in this post, please feel free to ask.
The Plane
The plane itself is fantastic. Despite Beechcraft’s/Textron’s best attempts to ruin my day, the Super King Air is actually a great platform. It actually pressurizes well (allowing flight into the FLs), it’s got A/C (necessary for south TX), and it’s got huge tanks (out and in’s to KCWF for gumbo make training much more fun). The plane itself is not designed to be flown with military training in mind (it’s just a civilian Super King Air with some military upgrades), so it has its quirks, but I’m confident it’ll do its job to train future military aviators well.
Ground School
I started ground school around October 2025 or so. The classroom portion lasted about 3.5 weeks and included topics like systems, instrument flying rules/regulations, multi-engine aerodynamics, flight planning using ForeFlight, etc. There was an EP’s/limits quiz about 2 weeks or so in, so be sure to study those whenever you have a chance; ideally, you’d have these memorized before ground school. Overall, ground school was pretty chill and actually a fun experience.
Because the platform and syllabus are so new, both are constantly getting updates (as I’ll mention in the next section). The NATOPS recently underwent a major change a few months ago, so it’s important to stay up to date on new information and FIT-D’s that apply,
Familiarization (FAM) Stage
With the syllabus being as new as it is, one of the biggest differences between the T-54 and the T-44 is the notable exclusion of a contacts stage of training.
For the T-54, our FAM sims consisted of learning how to start up and taxi the plane on deck before moving into full instrument training profiles with some emergencies. In total, there are just under 20 FAM sims that take you from the crawling stage (flows and checklists, some ground emergencies, taxiing and takeoff) to the walking stage (basic instrument maneuvers and pattern work, automation, some airborne emergencies) and all the way to the running stage (full instrument profiles with multiple approaches at airfields in close proximity to each other, a couple ditches in the water with different power configurations, and a little bit of single engine flying).
Thank to the sheer number of FAM sims, the sim experience positively transferred into the plane itself. There were some growing pains like getting used to the actual sight picture of the plane on deck (the sight picture in the sim is a little wonky as of writing this) and the airspace saturation in the local area, but I was pleasantly surprised at how similar the sims were to the actual plane.
Emergency Procedure (EP) Stage
Once you’ve done a couple day FAM flights and a night FAM flight, you’ll move on to the EP stage. Two of the major tenants of multi-engine flying is learning how to use CRM and asymmetric thrust.
In the sims, you’ll be introduced to situations that usually require the emergency shutdown of one engine (typically the left one since it’s the critical one) and depend on your ability to continue flying the plane while directing your pilot monitoring (PM) to do whatever it is you need help with, whether it be running checklists, declaring emergencies, or some other task.
EP flights are more of the same, but there is a good chance you’ll be hit with an EP that you haven’t seen yet just to see how you react. Most of these flights will be done at night to get your night time for the syllabus.
The EP mid-stage check is essentially a tougher version of an EP flight but done within the sim so they can recreate actual IMC. It’s a good introduction into the kind of scenarios and decision making that you’ll see in capstone stage.
Capstone (CAP) Stage
The capstone stage, as the name implies, is where everything you’ve learned in flight school, from NIFE to now, is now put to the test.
The 4100 block of the capstone stage is a cross country flight to somewhere of your or your IP’s choosing. This is meant to be a fun experience, so training is really at your discretion if you want it; you’ll need to do some stuff just to get graded on it, but it’s relatively benign. Getting exposure to the kind of flight planning and flying needed to ferry a plane across multiple states is really cool and is great experience for later down the line. On the way home, we actually had to pick up a T-44 crew dealing with a generator problem also on their way back to Corpus, requiring us to do some real fuel and mission planning mid-flight, so that was cool.
The capstone sims are where the sim instructors go wild. All the sim instructors are great aviators with tons of experience across multiple services and platforms, so they know their stuff. Some of these scenarios are based on real things that have happened or could happen in the plane, so anything goes in a capstone sim. My advice: keep rolling with the punches and don’t be afraid to ask your crew for advice. If/when you make a decision, stick with it and have a good reason to unless otherwise stated. The world is your oyster in a capstone sim.
The 4200 block of capstone is an evaluation of your decision-making abilities as a PIC and as a pilot in general. Discussion items tend to revolve around CRM and you’re required to brief a CRM case study on an actual event. The flights aren’t as intense as the sims, but they’ll cover some situations not explicitly stated in NATOPS and you’ll have to stay flexible to deal with them.
The instrument check ride, while listed as a capstone flight, is more of an evaluation of your actual instrument flying skills, rather than an evaluation of your PIC abilities. My advice: plan a profile with a decent spread of approaches you know you can do and cover the requirements in the NATOPS Instrument Flight Manual (NIFM) and you’ll be just fine.
The brolo is just a good time overall. On the day my buddy and I went up, the ceilings and winds were just barely within the solo limits and we made it off deck with enough time to grab some food up in College Station and come home before my crew day expired. When all was said and done, the CDO met us on the flight line as we were parking and handed us our name tags with the gold wings on them. There’s no other feeling quite like it.
Final Remarks
In typical south Texas/Gulf Coast fashion, weather is usually ok to awful. Some days, it’ll be clear and a million, but super gusty; other days, it’ll be low IFR until the sun comes out; most days, it’ll just be straight up hot and humid (you’ll be thankful the A/C in the 54 actually works). Since we’re training to be instrument rated pilots, you’ll usually takeoff anyway (in accordance with CNAF, of course).
Automation can be your friend if you use it correctly. As the instructors like to say: Garbage in, garbage out.
Just like any stage of flight school, you still have to apply yourself in order to learn and get the best bang for your buck from the training. The sim and flight line instructors are great and they want you to get your wings, but they won’t give them to you for free.
If you ever feel down in the dumps, just remember that no one is perfect and that bad days happen to everyone. I actually unsat’d a flight in capstone (my first unsat in the whole pipeline), but I bounced back the next day and passed my check ride soon after.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to people if you need help. CRM isn’t exclusive to the cockpit.
Overall, remember why you’re here and have fun with it. In my opinion, advanced was a much better experience than primary, and the flying was great.
Fly Navy!
The Plane
The plane itself is fantastic. Despite Beechcraft’s/Textron’s best attempts to ruin my day, the Super King Air is actually a great platform. It actually pressurizes well (allowing flight into the FLs), it’s got A/C (necessary for south TX), and it’s got huge tanks (out and in’s to KCWF for gumbo make training much more fun). The plane itself is not designed to be flown with military training in mind (it’s just a civilian Super King Air with some military upgrades), so it has its quirks, but I’m confident it’ll do its job to train future military aviators well.
Ground School
I started ground school around October 2025 or so. The classroom portion lasted about 3.5 weeks and included topics like systems, instrument flying rules/regulations, multi-engine aerodynamics, flight planning using ForeFlight, etc. There was an EP’s/limits quiz about 2 weeks or so in, so be sure to study those whenever you have a chance; ideally, you’d have these memorized before ground school. Overall, ground school was pretty chill and actually a fun experience.
Because the platform and syllabus are so new, both are constantly getting updates (as I’ll mention in the next section). The NATOPS recently underwent a major change a few months ago, so it’s important to stay up to date on new information and FIT-D’s that apply,
Familiarization (FAM) Stage
With the syllabus being as new as it is, one of the biggest differences between the T-54 and the T-44 is the notable exclusion of a contacts stage of training.
For the T-54, our FAM sims consisted of learning how to start up and taxi the plane on deck before moving into full instrument training profiles with some emergencies. In total, there are just under 20 FAM sims that take you from the crawling stage (flows and checklists, some ground emergencies, taxiing and takeoff) to the walking stage (basic instrument maneuvers and pattern work, automation, some airborne emergencies) and all the way to the running stage (full instrument profiles with multiple approaches at airfields in close proximity to each other, a couple ditches in the water with different power configurations, and a little bit of single engine flying).
Thank to the sheer number of FAM sims, the sim experience positively transferred into the plane itself. There were some growing pains like getting used to the actual sight picture of the plane on deck (the sight picture in the sim is a little wonky as of writing this) and the airspace saturation in the local area, but I was pleasantly surprised at how similar the sims were to the actual plane.
Emergency Procedure (EP) Stage
Once you’ve done a couple day FAM flights and a night FAM flight, you’ll move on to the EP stage. Two of the major tenants of multi-engine flying is learning how to use CRM and asymmetric thrust.
In the sims, you’ll be introduced to situations that usually require the emergency shutdown of one engine (typically the left one since it’s the critical one) and depend on your ability to continue flying the plane while directing your pilot monitoring (PM) to do whatever it is you need help with, whether it be running checklists, declaring emergencies, or some other task.
EP flights are more of the same, but there is a good chance you’ll be hit with an EP that you haven’t seen yet just to see how you react. Most of these flights will be done at night to get your night time for the syllabus.
The EP mid-stage check is essentially a tougher version of an EP flight but done within the sim so they can recreate actual IMC. It’s a good introduction into the kind of scenarios and decision making that you’ll see in capstone stage.
Capstone (CAP) Stage
The capstone stage, as the name implies, is where everything you’ve learned in flight school, from NIFE to now, is now put to the test.
The 4100 block of the capstone stage is a cross country flight to somewhere of your or your IP’s choosing. This is meant to be a fun experience, so training is really at your discretion if you want it; you’ll need to do some stuff just to get graded on it, but it’s relatively benign. Getting exposure to the kind of flight planning and flying needed to ferry a plane across multiple states is really cool and is great experience for later down the line. On the way home, we actually had to pick up a T-44 crew dealing with a generator problem also on their way back to Corpus, requiring us to do some real fuel and mission planning mid-flight, so that was cool.
The capstone sims are where the sim instructors go wild. All the sim instructors are great aviators with tons of experience across multiple services and platforms, so they know their stuff. Some of these scenarios are based on real things that have happened or could happen in the plane, so anything goes in a capstone sim. My advice: keep rolling with the punches and don’t be afraid to ask your crew for advice. If/when you make a decision, stick with it and have a good reason to unless otherwise stated. The world is your oyster in a capstone sim.
The 4200 block of capstone is an evaluation of your decision-making abilities as a PIC and as a pilot in general. Discussion items tend to revolve around CRM and you’re required to brief a CRM case study on an actual event. The flights aren’t as intense as the sims, but they’ll cover some situations not explicitly stated in NATOPS and you’ll have to stay flexible to deal with them.
The instrument check ride, while listed as a capstone flight, is more of an evaluation of your actual instrument flying skills, rather than an evaluation of your PIC abilities. My advice: plan a profile with a decent spread of approaches you know you can do and cover the requirements in the NATOPS Instrument Flight Manual (NIFM) and you’ll be just fine.
The brolo is just a good time overall. On the day my buddy and I went up, the ceilings and winds were just barely within the solo limits and we made it off deck with enough time to grab some food up in College Station and come home before my crew day expired. When all was said and done, the CDO met us on the flight line as we were parking and handed us our name tags with the gold wings on them. There’s no other feeling quite like it.
Final Remarks
In typical south Texas/Gulf Coast fashion, weather is usually ok to awful. Some days, it’ll be clear and a million, but super gusty; other days, it’ll be low IFR until the sun comes out; most days, it’ll just be straight up hot and humid (you’ll be thankful the A/C in the 54 actually works). Since we’re training to be instrument rated pilots, you’ll usually takeoff anyway (in accordance with CNAF, of course).
Automation can be your friend if you use it correctly. As the instructors like to say: Garbage in, garbage out.
Just like any stage of flight school, you still have to apply yourself in order to learn and get the best bang for your buck from the training. The sim and flight line instructors are great and they want you to get your wings, but they won’t give them to you for free.
If you ever feel down in the dumps, just remember that no one is perfect and that bad days happen to everyone. I actually unsat’d a flight in capstone (my first unsat in the whole pipeline), but I bounced back the next day and passed my check ride soon after.
Don’t be afraid to reach out to people if you need help. CRM isn’t exclusive to the cockpit.
Overall, remember why you’re here and have fun with it. In my opinion, advanced was a much better experience than primary, and the flying was great.
Fly Navy!
