Page 10 - TNTMay18

But what would training look like if it not only helped you meet the minimum standards, but was customized to help you develop the skills to be the safest, most proficient pilot in the aircraft you fly? What if, in addition to reinforcing emergency and system failure procedures, you were able to focus on scenarios based on actual events that have led pilots of your particular aircraft type to trouble?
TRU Simulation + Training was born of the idea that training should be anything but cookie-cutter. Their Tampa facility is now the company’s largest with seven programs available, including all the Citation 525 variants except the CJ4 (although they do offer CJ4 online ground school), Citation Latitude, Sovereign+, and the Beechcraft King Air 90/250/350. Even as they have aggressively added programs, they continue to perfect their cutting-edge teaching approach and develop new technologies to improve the training experience and ultimately make pilots more skilled, well- rounded and ready for real-world flying.
devices, called Integra. It is the full-flight cabin with a different visual system but the same control loading, same flight dynamics, and same avionics components as the real aircraft,” said David Smith, vice president of training centers.
Smith said the way the FTD’s are implemented are what sets TRU apart from all other training providers. “Our customers aren’t going to get a 40-hour lecture watching an instructor talk and point. We conduct half of our ground school content in the FTDs. There is no substitute for the tactile feedback, which then turns into good habits that transfer into the aircraft.
“For the clients who are owner-operators or first-time type rating clients, it’s a significant relief in that they feel more prepared in their first full-motion session. They have already worked in a high fidelity, nearly identical device for quite a while before that point.”
The ground school material is taught and reinforced through the use of the FTD. According to Smith, the way clients learn the ground school content most effectively is in the context of the cockpit. In the morning, students learn the systems, see the schematics, and they are exposed to the emergency situations, procedures and failures that are relevant to that set of systems. Then they go right into the FTD in the afternoon to perform the basics of that system’s function and also some of the emergency checklist. They see right away how it all relates to the operation of the aircraft.
“That’s the magic – you connect theory to the true operational environments,” said Smith.
To further perfect the FTD and simulator experience, TRU regularly invites Textron Aviation demonstrator pilots to provide feedback on ways to make the sims more realistic.
“Because they are so proficient in the aircraft, if you have a button that clicks the wrong way, they will catch it. That is feedback we value to help us hone in the accuracy. That improves the ‘stickiness’ of the learning,” Smith added.
Beyond the 61.58
Citation clients who return for recurrent can experience an even more customized approach to their training event. In addition to ensuring they meet the requirements of the 61.58 check, TRU has developed a set of enrichment training add-ons that will further enhance pilots’ skills and decision-making. Developed in partnership with the Citation Jet Pilots Association, this enrichment content satisfies one of the key requirements for the association’s Gold Standard Safety Award program.
“We walk them through scenarios that are either directly from an accident report or involve a heavy infusion of causals related to accidents in the light jet market. Unfortunately, there is a wealth of examples, such as improper automation management, difficulty coping with adverse weather, or physical switches that are flipped in the wrong order at the wrong time because of high stress in the cockpit. All of those have resulted in fatal accidents and near misses,” Smith explained. “It’s a win-win for everyone: the legal and insurance requirements are satisfied and the pilot leaves with knowledge
Citation clients who return for recurrent can experience an even more customized approach to their training event. In addition to ensuring they meet the requirements of the 61.58 check, TRU has developed a set of enrichment training add-ons that will further enhance pilots’ skills and decision-making.
Citation-Focused, Single-Pilot Minded
With the M2/CJ3+ being one of its most popular programs, especially among owner-pilots, TRU-Tampa has trained nearly 200 pilots in those aircraft. As the M2 is the entry- level jet within the Citation family, the typical owner-pilot is often moving up from a turboprop with limited multi-engine turbine time. For most, this is their first type rating.
The company has put together an effective formula that involves online and/or classroom ground school, f light training devices and full-motion Level D simulators. The company offers the choice of completing the ground school through an online course or participate in a live classroom setting.
“For our initial type rating programs, we have invested a lot of money in providing extremely realistic flight training
8 • TWIN & TURBINE
May 2018