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Broadening one’s personal abilities and comfort zone is why he refers to the majority of UAT’s training as being aimed at “Envelope Expansion.”
Ready Pilot One
“Identifying each student’s back- ground is one of the first things we do. Each pilot is different, and our two-day program is tailored to each student’s personal comfort level and maneuvering envelope,” Lauderback said. “As an example, if you are a for- mer military pilot, your training is obviously different than a pilot who has never flown beyond a 60-degree bank angle. Envelope expansion is based on foundations and does not have to be intimidating.”
He said that UAT’s team of instruc- tors run the gamut from corporate pilots (Lauderback’s focus) to airline, military, airshow, and bush pilots. No matter what you fly, one of their in- structors has a similar background and can relate to your kind of flying.
After the first day’s welcome ses- sion, students receive an aeromedi- cal briefing presented by UAT/ Stallion 51’s resident Naval aviator/ Flight Surgeon, Captain William “Doc” Busch, Ret. Doc’s presentation ex- plores what causes pilots to become spatially disoriented, how to identify the conditions, and the best ways to get through them.
“Next comes the aerodynamics of unusual attitudes, like V-G diagrams, stalls and stall speed manipulation, maneuvering speed, unloading, roll- ing and pulling as well as the many other aspects of advanced maneuver- ing,” Lauderback continued. “Digging deep into the aerodynamics is critical to getting a good picture of what is happening when your cockpit goes all topsy turvy.”
Following aerodynamics, the next brief is on the dynamics of recovery. Options are reviewed, and optimum recovery techniques are discussed.
Now for the Fun Stuff
Lauderback stressed that safety is UAT’s number one priority. Students receive a detailed pre-flight briefing prior to every sortie. Each flight’s procedures, goals and objectives are clearly defined. Then students climb
into the rear seat of the L-39 for a detailed cockpit briefing, including egress procedures before f light.
“Our students do roughly 95 percent of the flying. That’s the best way for them to stay comfortable and build confidence while expanding their ma- neuvering envelope,” he said. “After ar- riving in the working area, the student will take a few minutes to settle into the L-39, its control feel, roll rate and general handling qualities.”
“During clearing turns, we start to work on G awareness and calibra- tion, then look in-depth at stalls, both clean and configured, normal and accelerated,” Lauderback explained. “Then on to envelope expansion. The instructor will normally talk them into an attitude and talk them through the recovery. The next training seg- ment, they will get talked into the attitude, and without coaching, they fly the recovery.”
“In the third segment, with their eyes closed and chin on their chest, the instructor will place the aircraft in
Rosen
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