By Mickey Dean, EAA Chapter 234 Build Team Leader and former U.S. Navy pilot
I recently joined a Part 135 charter operation, where I’ve been assigned to fly a Cessna Citation Encore, a twin-engine business jet that carries seven passengers. Having no prior experience in this aircraft, I spent two weeks at Flight Safety International in Orlando, Florida gearing up for the type rating check ride that would let me safely (and legally) fly this jet.
The first week was spent in the classroom about 8 hours per day covering the aircraft systems, avionics, limitations, and memory items. Memory items are the emergency checklist steps that need to be committed to memory, what we used to call in the Navy “immediate action items” or “bold face.”
I had the benefit of having a set of manuals for the two weeks leading up to the class work and felt pretty good going in. As is always the case, however, the instructors provided their unique and intimate understanding of the systems and I headed into week two with an even better comprehension of the airplane, how it worked and how it is talking to you when it isn’t working right.
The annunciator panel in the Encore is fairly substantial and we spent a good deal of time working through the subtleties of the meanings of these “warnings” and “cautions.” Logic and reason seem to be in short supply at Cessna engineering and the instructors spent a lot of time explaining the stuff that made no sense at all. The checklists are just as bad and nonsensical as some of the systems and indications.
The second week was all sim time. Six days in a row, four-hour sessions with an hour brief and half-hour debrief. I went through the entire week with the same sim partner, an active-duty USMC Colonel. One of us would fly the sim profile first, and then we would swap seats and do it again. I never saw daylight or VMC in the sim until session six. Most of the takeoffs and approaches are conducted at ILS minimums or less.
This was my first experience with an FAA Level D full-flight simulator. As expected, they are perfectly capable of making you feel perfectly uncomfortable. Vertigo? Yep, no problem. A constant battle and I always left the sessions with a dull headache. Terror transfer? Yep, first 600 RVR takeoff with an engine failure at V1 left a very stout impression. So did the last one on the check ride. It just never got old.
And lastly, there was what we termed in the Navy, “pucker factor.” Sim sessions were top notch in this regard. We used to joke about measuring this p-factor by estimating what percentage of the seat cushion your sphincter had a hold of. A little unexpected turbulence on climb out with passengers, maybe a 10 or 20 percent. A 12 knot direct crosswind landing after not flying for a while, maybe 30 percent. A gnarly night pitching deck approach to the ship, maybe a 70 or 80. You know the p-factor is getting up there when the seat feels like a tennis ball. Anyway, the sim sessions at were all in the 30 to 40 range. Just marginally uncomfortable all the time. I’d say they were about perfect. My wife was an airline pilot and told me to trust the process. “They know what they are doing and they will tell you if you aren’t doing well.” So I did, and after a week, my instructor said, without much fanfare, that I was ready for the check.
I had been on the early morning sim slot all week and fortunately the check ride was the same, with briefing beginning at 5 a.m. First hour and a half was an oral. Full exploration of systems knowledge, limitations, and memory items. Then an hour briefing the profile, performance calculations, takeoff and landing data, weight and balance, approaches, and review of the FAA’s Airman Certification Standards for ATP, or Airline Transport Pilot. As my sim partner was not getting a type rating, I was assigned a Flight Safety co-pilot and met him five minutes before getting in the box. I was told that it was a benefit to get an assigned pilot that knows the sim, the aircraft, and the check ride profiles and that proved to be true. The couple of times during the check when I was hands full and behind a bit, a comforting nudge from the right seat was very helpful. “Standing by for the single engine approach checklist”, for example, or my favorite, “auto pilot is available.” A good co-pilot, or in my new language, a good “PNF” (pilot not flying) can make all the difference.
The check ride itself was as advertised. No surprises, as you had seen every aspect of it during the sim week. No gotcha’s or anything that wasn’t briefed. It was just a matter of executing on the requirements. Flow went something like this. Cold/dark start at KMEM FBO. Nighttime. One abnormal start (hung start for me). Normal checks and a low viz taxi. Takeoff with a 600 ft RVR (runway visual range, or about 1/8 statute mile visibility) with abort before V1 (Master Caution Light for inverter failure). Reset to lineup and wait position. Normal takeoff and fly the SID to 5000. Easterly transition for air work, which included steep turns, a stall series, and unusual attitudes. All IMC of course. Clearance back to Memphis for a non-precision, localizer 27, night circle to land 18R. Weather: ceiling 1000, visibility 3.
After landing, reset to 18R for takeoff. 600RVR, loss of engine after V1, continue takeoff. Air start to get two engines back. Vectors for ILS-36C, weather now 250 foot ceiling and 1800 RVR (3/8 SM). Waved off at 100 feet for aircraft on the runway (topical) and lose the engine again on the go around. Return for single engine precision approach but lose the autopilot so hand flown to landing with weather down to a 200 foot ceiling and 1800 RVR. This gets you over the hump and all that’s left is a GPS approach and a VMC night visual no flap approach to finish up. Two hours in the box. Dull headache and a “you passed” as the reward.
I’m happy to report that the check airman punched a hole in my pilot certificate and gave me a temporary that includes CE-500 in the ratings section. Another license to learn. An intense, purposeful two weeks and an unbelievable opportunity to fly a Citation Encore. My first trip is scheduled for the end of March.
