Flight Training - January/February 2022 - 6

ALWAYS LEARNING BY KOLLIN STAGNITO
ONLINE RESOURCES:
Senior Vice President of Media and
Marketing KOLLIN STAGNITO
spent most of his time aloft last year
in a Cessna 140, Grumman Tiger,
Piper Arrow, and Van's RV-12.
kollin.stagnito@aopa.org
What makes an airplane technically advanced?
aopa.org/ft/taa
Constant-speed propeller technique
aopa.org/ft/constantspeedpropeller
flying in instrument conditions after you're
a commercial pilot.
Additionally, autopilots in TAAs are far
superior to those in most legacy complex
aircraft. Beyond reducing pilot workload,
modern autopilot/avionics systems increasingly
offer flight envelope protection that
prevents the pilot from unintentionally
putting the airplane in an extreme nosehigh,
nose-low, or banked attitude.
If your primary or instrument training
was behind a glass cockpit, you might
seek out a complex airplane with analog
gauges to expand your knowledge base.
And although the instrumentation may be
simpler, it wouldn't be accurate to say that
the other systems are not complex.
Granted, the landing gear control has
COMPLEX OR ADVANCED
Commercial pilot applicants can conduct some of their required
training in a complex or technically advanced airplane. What's
the difference, and why is there a choice?
When I began commercial pilot training, flight schools largely offered the Piper
Arrow or Cessna 172RG Cutlass in which to train, since the airplane used during the
commercial checkride had to be complex-defined as having retractable landing gear,
flaps, and a controllable pitch propeller.
In 2018, the FAA added an alternative to complex aircraft for commercial pilot
training: a technically advanced airplane (TAA). The TAA must have a glass panel-
including a primary flight display, a GPS moving map, and an autopilot-but can have
fixed landing gear and a fixed-pitch propeller. A few examples of TAAs used for commercial
training include the Cessna 172S G1000, Piper 100, and Van's Aircraft RV-12.
The FAA's acceptance of technically advanced airplanes for commercial training
acknowledged two significant shifts in aviation. Avionics have become the most complex
system on many airplanes and must be mastered by pilots-particularly when
flying for compensation or hire. And, TAAs have become more available and typically
cost less to rent than complex airplanes, reducing training time and expense.
So which option should you choose? If you've been flying airplanes with analog
gauges, switching to a TAA will feel like upgrading from a rotary dial telephone to an
iPhone when the round gauges in the instrument panel disappear in favor of a glass
cockpit. Although intimidating at first, learning to fly with a PFD will quickly become
natural. And, the increase in situational awareness and reliability-the primary reason
most modern aircraft use glass cockpits-will make you feel more comfortable while
6
FLIGHT TRAINING JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022
only two positions-up and down-but
there is much to learn about the appropriate
time and airspeeds at which to
raise and lower the gear. What's more,
emergency gear extension procedures are
not intuitive and require explanation and
practice.
Constant-speed propellers similarly
require pilots understand their function
far more than simply memorizing a few
manifold pressure and rpm settings.
Proper preflight checks, combinations of
manifold pressure and rpm settings that
minimize fuel flow-or maximize cruise
speed-at various altitudes, and strategies
to avoid shock cooling or overspeeding the
engine are all important considerations for
the commercial pilot in training.
Complex or technically advanced? I
recommend a combination of both during
commercial training. In a few hours in an
expensive complex airplane, you can learn
the nuances of controllable propellers
and moving gear-and earn a complex
endorsement. The majority of the time
may be spent in a relatively less expensive,
and often more modern, technically
advanced airplane. Either way, your eyes
should be looking outside the cockpit
while learning chandelles, Lazy Eights,
and power-off one-eighties-maneuvers
that will prove your mastery of flying
the aircraft regardless of its complex or
advanced status. FT

http://www.aopa.org/ft/taa http://www.aopa.org/ft/constantspeedpropeller

Flight Training - January/February 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - January/February 2022