Most
pilots find it difficult to gain the multi engine experience necessary to be
employable and insurable in multi engine airplanes. Most pilots also find it
difficult to maintain instrument flying proficiency after passing their
instrument rating flight test. Many pilots will actually lose some of their
instrument flying proficiency in the months after passing their instrument
rating flight test because their continued flight training usually focuses on
visual flying in preparation for the commercial pilot and flight instructor
certificates. Very few pilots are able to actually improve their instrument
flying skills immediately after finishing their instrument rating. Our multi
engine time building program is designed to help pilots gain multi engine
experience and enhance their instrument flying skills beyond the standards
required for the instrument rating flight test.
Multi
engine time building programs involve a multi engine rated pilot flying the
airplane under the hood from the left seat and another multi engine rated pilot
occupying the right seat as a safety pilot. Under FAA regulations this
arrangement permits both pilots to log pilot in command time on the same flight,
with some restrictions: The safety pilot can log as pilot in command time only
that time during which the left seat pilot is wearing a view limiting device,
provided that the pilots have agreed prior to take-off that the safety pilot
will be responsible for the safety of flight during that time. The safety pilot
can not log any take-offs and landings, or any time during which the left seat
pilot is not wearing a hood, such as taxi, run-up, take-off and landing. This
usually amounts to about 3/10 hour per flight.
Prerequisites:
Shared cost time building requires two multi engine rated private or commercial
pilots who fly as a team. It is easiest if two pilots arrive together as
training partners, since shared cost time building flights are not possible
without a second pilot. If you are unable to find a training partner, we will
try to pair you with one. An instrument rating is desirable, but not necessary.
If a pilot is not instrument rated, he or she should have about 15 to 20 hours
of instrument dual received. Some of the time building flights can be designed
to integrate with our multi engine instrument training program.
Initial
Check-Out Procedures: The
safety pilot is acting as pilot in command, and is responsible for the safety of
flight while the left seat pilot is wearing a view limiting device. For this
reason we require that the safety pilot be proficient at take-offs and landings
and some airwork from the right seat.
(a)
Prairie Air Service trained multi engine pilots: You will already be
familiar with the airplane and its equipment. You will receive 1.0 hours of dual
instruction covering traffic patterns and some airwork from the right seat, and
receive ground instruction covering crew coordination. The cost of this initial
training will be $ 180.00.
(b)
Multi engine rated pilots trained at other schools:
(1)
Ground training: The initial check-out procedures will consist of the
same cockpit briefing and ground school which is part of our multi engine rating
program. You will receive additional ground instruction covering crew
coordination. The cost of the ground training is $ 125.00.
(2)
Flight training: The initial check out will consist of traffic patterns,
engine out emergency procedures, steep turns and stalls. The amount of flight
training required will depend on the type of airplane in which your initial
multi engine training was received, and on the recency of your multi engine
experience. A pilot with a recently completed multi engine rating in an Apache,
Aztec or Baron will typically require about 2 hours of dual in the left seat and
1 hour of dual in the right seat. A pilot who received his multi engine rating
in a counter rotating twin, and who is not current may require about 3 – 4
hours of dual in the left seat and 1 hour of dual in the right seat. The flight
training will be billed at $ 155.00/hr.
Cost:
To
simplify billing procedures, only the left seat pilot will be billed on time
building flights, at a discounted hourly rate of $ 150.00. The safety pilot will
not be billed for any flight time in the right seat during time building
flights. On a typical 5 hour flight, a pilot will pay $ 375.00 for his 2.5 hours
of left seat time, and log an additional 2.2 hours of right seat (safety pilot)
PIC time free of charge. This results in an average shared net cost of about $
80.00 per hour of flight time.
Time
Building Operating Procedures:
Our insurance requires an instructor to be on board our Apache at all times. The
instructor will occupy a passenger seat in back and act as coach during the
flight, which will insure that these flights also provide enhanced instrument
training to both pilots. This is especially helpful if one of the pilots is not
yet instrument rated. The instructor shall occupy the right (co-pilot) seat for
all take offs and landings at runways shorter than 4000 feet, at airport
elevations above 7000 feet, or if strong wind, turbulence or other safety
concerns exist. The safety pilot will occupy a rear seat during this time. Upon
departing the traffic pattern, or approaching the pattern of such an airport,
the instructor and safety pilot will trade places. No engine out emergency
procedures shall be practiced with the instructor in the back seat. Should an
actual emergency occur, the instructor will move to the left (pilot’s) seat
after the situation has been stabilized.
Time
Building Flight Profiles: The
exact profile of each time building flight is left to the 2 pilots’
discretion. The instructor will make suggestions for flight profiles which will
provide the pilots with maximum training benefits. Typical training scenarios
are described below:
Crew
Coordination and Enhanced Instrument Approach Training: On
this type of flight the pilots will learn crew coordination procedures and the
different responsibilities of the flying and non flying pilot. We will also
focus on increasing instrument approach skills by familiarizing the pilots with
the various configurations of different approach procedures at a large number of
different airports. A typical flight lasts about 2.5 hours per pilot and consist
of a short instrument cross country, followed by instrument approaches at
several outlying airports which we do not typically use during initial
instrument training due to their distance from our home base at Benton. We will
land at an outlying field and the pilots will change seats. The second pilot
will then fly some more approaches at different outlying fields and finally fly
another short instrument cross country back to Benton.
Enhanced IFR Cross Country Training and High Density ATC Environment: This
type of training flight involves IFR cross country flights to busy destinations.
These cross country flights will be conducted on IFR flight plans to different
metropolitan areas with Class B or Class C airspace.
The pilots will become familiar with enroute and terminal ATC procedures
to busy airports. Crew coordination will be practiced, and if the pilots
encounter difficulties (such as a “slam dunk” approach), the instructor is
on board to assist as necessary. Most of these flights will terminate with a
radar vectored ILS approach at a major airport. The pilots will switch seats at
the destination airport. The typical flight lasts between 1.5 and 3 hours per
pilot, which provides us with a choice of 3 Class B and a large number of Class
C destinations.
IFR
Cross Country Training and Mountain Flying Checkout: A
typical flight would be an IFR cross country to Colorado Springs, Denver or
Cheyenne, followed by some mountain flying and high elevation airport instrument
and VFR training. One of our favorite airports is Leadville, Colorado, located
at 9,927 ft. elevation. There are many other high elevation airports in
Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico where our students will learn high altitude
approach procedures and also will gain additional familiarity with IFR Obstacle
DPs. This type flight can be a long one day trip or involve an overnight stay.
Long IFR Cross Country Training to a Tourism Destination: This is a
multi day trip
to a popular tourist destination such as the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Niagara
Falls, or the Air Force museum in Dayton. We can fly to any destination of your
choice in the Contiguous United States and Canada. We fly 6 – 8 hours to our
destination on the first day, spend the second day sightseeing at the
destination, and fly back home on the third day. A flight to any destination in
the mountainous Western US will typically also include mountain flying training.
Additional Costs (on extended cross country flights): On extended flights all out of town expenses (such as hotels, restaurants, rental cars, entry fees, tie down and landing fees), including the instructor’s expenses, are the responsibility of the pilots flying the trip. A cross country fuel surcharge will apply to fuel purchases away from home base. Our hourly rates are based on our bulk fuel costs at Benton. Retail fuel costs are about $1.25 per gallon higher than our bulk cost, which will increase the hourly operating cost by about $20.00. Our Apache has extended range tanks, which enable us to fly about 7.5 hours without refueling. Therefore only extended cross country flights beyond about a 500 nm radius will require retail fuel purchases.
