What do newly minted private pilots and experienced test pilots—you know, those folks with the Right Stuff—have in common? Both look forward to testing their skills by flying faster and more challenging aircraft. Students in the world’s elite Test Pilot schools are expected to analyze and fly a wide variety of different aircraft before they graduate to develop safe procedures for approaching the newest experimental aircraft.
In the world of the private pilot, unless the aircraft in question has a tailwheel, more than 200 horsepower or retractable gear, the FAA has little problem with a pilot hopping from plane to plane. However, not all fixed-gear singles are created equal. In recognition of this fact, insurance companies generally call the tune on requirements for renting, owning and flying different types of aircraft. However, it was not always this way!
During World War II, the Women’s Air Service Pilots (WASP) and the RAF Ferry Command pilots made an artform out of transitioning from bomber to fighter to transport with little more than a set of pass-on notes and a quick cockpit familiarization. These abbreviated training encounters gave rise to the saying, “turn on the shiny switches, don’t touch the rusty ones, and grab the red or yellow handles in an emergency.” Flash forward to today, and these types of experiences, some good and some not so good, led to the excellent formalized aircraft type rating training programs we see today in commercial and military aviation.
However, in the absence of a formalized program, how might a new pilot make the leap from a 100-knot two-seat trainer to a technically advanced, sophisticated cross-country machine? Our test pilot friends might provide some tips. They routinely size up a new aircraft and successfully fly them the first time. Maybe we can learn a thing or two from these pros as we transition to heavier, faster and more capable airplanes?
First, Get In The
