I just got a copy of “Visualized Flight Maneuvers Handbook” (for high wing aircraft) today and had a chance to take a look at it.
You can consider this book to be a cheat sheet for all the maneuvers you will need to do to get your license. They cover everything from pre-flight to some crazy things you will have to do if you want to become an instructor (like spins, cross control stalls and chandelles).
A Sample Page
(Click for a larger image)
This book does have an American bias to it (especially the test prep checklists). Overall I feel that this handbook is going to be a good asset to having when trying to visualize some of the maneuvers I will be doing.. and provide a good reference.
I’ve been thinking if it would be possible to start the flying portion of my training before the schooling portion. Specifically if I can start ground school at Buttonville before the Seneca classes start. I’m also thinking of booking a introflight at Buttonville soon as well.. just so that I can ask an instructor some specific questions I have while in actual flight.
Someone today asked me if I wanted to fly “the big jets”. I told him I did, but whether or not its filled with people or cargo, I haven’t decided yet. I think it would be great to fly people all over the world, it’s a lot of responsibility and probably more rewarding than shipping stuff for FedEx.
re: responsibilities for flying big planes… I think that even in a fedex scenario there are still crews, so of course there isn’t 300 people, but you are ultimately responsible for the well being of all aboard.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that the potential loss of life flying passenger jets is much greater, and flying cargo would be less stressful I think, if you were to start out that way and get the hang of it.
There is not much margin for error flying any commercial plane, but it would help if you don’t have 300 people *freaking out* when you drop a couple thou during turbulence or whatever :)
Q: what role does the first officer (or whoever is next to the captain) play during flight? Is this person trained to fly the aircraft as well as operate it, or is it more like a rally navigator?
Yeah I agree.. I guess it’s just something that I will have to contend with when the time comes.
To answer your question.. The first officer (co-pilot) has most of the same skills as the pilot just not the same amount of hours or experience.
As far as I understand, the Pilot in Command and the Co-Pilot discuss what roles they are going to play during the flight. The pilot might take off, but the co-pilot might do all the flying and the landing.
There really is a good podcast of a pilot (co-pilot actually) produced by Joe d’Eon. He just recently got promoted to a Pilot in Command.
In some configurations there would be three crew members in the cockpit. The pilot in command, co pilot, and a flight engineer. The flight engineer takes care of all the flight systems and the overall health of the aircraft. He also helps with navigation and where needed.