Single Pilot Jet Aircraft
one-pilot jet aircraftHowever, the security balance of these processes is blended. Recent incidents indicate shortcomings in education and control related to the rating of individual pilots. However, the errors we make when running a jet with a pilot often have their root in a fundamental failure to take into account, design and reduce the all too frequent determinants that occur in a variety of accident situations.
Errors in jet single-pilot flight that we could get away with when using other, slow and cheaper aircraft are more challenging to deal with despite and because of the jets' abilities. It is possible to directly leap from a Cirrus or Bonanza into the one-pilot mode of an approved jet.
Whilst some drivers have done this, it is more usual to have advanced through multi-engine piston or turboprop or perhaps from a pressurised single. I made my own move to a single-pilot model in the Eclipse 500 using a different approach. With the Cessna 500/550 Citation serie in the seventies, Cessna did pioneering work in civil one-pilot jetting.
Launched in 1977, the Cessna Citation 501SP was conceived from the outset for use as a single pilot. Previous quotes, the 500 and the 550, were transportation aircraft of class (part 25) and needed two aviators. They can be piloted with a single pilot with FAA exception under certain circumstances. Single pilot jet developments began a new era around 2000, when many vendors began to announce very lightweight jet programmes intended for single pilot operation and appealing to owners.
Very Light Jet (VLJ) madness began around 2000 when Eclipse Aviation launched the Eclipse 500 at an introduction cost of well under $1 million. Cessna, with the model 510 Mustang, and Embraer, which launched the Phenom 100, were the most important aircraft manufacturers active in this area.
However, apart from the Eclipse, none of these upgrades succeeded in certifying a jet before it sank, even Adam Aircraft and his suggested 700, as shown here. The economic downturn and the breakdown of the world' s financials have put the corporate jet sector into a downturn by 2009, from which it has not yet fully recovered.
In 2008 Adam Aircraft shut down; Eclipse Aviation succeeded in producing 260 aircraft before closing its door the following year. It was later taken over by a new entity, Eclipse Aerospace, which in 2015 fused with Kestrel Aircraft to become One Aviation. Today Embraer is continuing to manufacture its one-pilot Phenom 100 and 300 series.
So Cessna ( now Textron Aviation ) has stopped the Mustang. While Eclipse Aerospace and its follower One Aviation manufactured several Eclipse 550 aircraft (the 500's successor), they reported in March 2017 that they were phasing out in favour of the proposed Eclipse 700/Canada project. At the end of last year, Cirrus Aircraft obtained certification and began delivery of its single-pilot Vision SF50 jet, as shown on the opposite page.
Mustang had no deadly crashes, while the only deadly eclipse took place in South Africa and was apparently due to the pilot's incompetence. Phenom 100 also had a single deadly crash, but with far greater consequences. Arriving at Eclipse in November 2005, I knew that the self-developed workout programme had to address several flaws in the FAA's rules for qualifying single-pilot pilots in jet aircraft.
In particular, these comprised the following three regulations concerning the basic qualifications, the monitored operational experiences as well as the periodic examination and schooling. FAR basic ratings training: 31 of the FARs prescribe the requirements for ratings on turbine aeroplanes, include one-pilot capability. In this section several previous surgeries are also covered which each turbine jet pilot shall perform either before or during assessment schooling.
This includes the operation needs for a large aircraft, high capacity aircraft and high altitudes pressure aircraft (see page 20). One of the main problems with these demands is the minimum amount of instruction needed for the usual high mountain turbo jet operation. In addition, there are shortcomings in typetesting.
Thus, for example, the FAAâs Airline Transport Pilot and Typ rating Practical Test Standards (FAA-S-8081-5F) described report is rigorously maneuver-based and, if it is an aircraft, could be performed without having to fly in the hangars. The FAR 61. 64(g) standard specifies that candidates who do not yet have turbo jet background (according to the FAR 61. 64b) shall have a limited ratings until they have gained 25 hrs of monitored operational or SOE time.
However, the SOE requirements are not yet specified, nor is the evaluation expertise of the SOE pilot. All a reclassified pilot could do on a bright summer morning is just circle the airfield, with every individual with a ratings on that aircraft seated in the right seats. Pilots In Command (PIC) Qualifying Examination:
The FAR 61. 58 standard demands an yearly PIC suitability test for aircraft that require more than one pilot and for each turbo jet. In 2012, this rule was strengthened to include the requirements for a turbine jet, as before this period the single-pilot jet did not require an audit every yearâ "a biennial air inspection in a Cessna 150 was sufficient to keep your PIC qualifications.
After this gap has been closed, the PIC audit will still have the same shortcomings as the first one. This exam is manoeuvre-based and does not involve the PIC taking periodic instruction in addition to the exam itself. They may think that the assurance requirement would demand more than this absolute minimal of education.
That is often the case, but in today's highly competitive financial markets it is possible to agree minimum educational needs. In Eclipse, we have tried to create an overall qualifying programme that includes strict preconditions for prior learning before starting credit assessment at all. Furthermore, the ratings concept contained a high dosage of single pilot resource managment (SRM) and scenario-based workouts.
âmentor Pilotsâ to perform the necessary SOE and determine what it should contain. Also, we have set minimal standards for recurring trainings. In addition to all this, a manually operated limit on the aircraft's operations has been imposed, obliging the pilot to comply with this programme. While I am glad that the Eclipse security recording was good, there have been some worrying pilot related injuries so far described in the following side bar, indicating that pilot education and qualifications for pilot operations may be widely used.
A number of single-pilot jet casualties in recent years have been caused by a number of factors indicating that certain missioncritical skills required for the safe operation of these aircraft may be inadequate. Following a hectic take-off and taxiing, the pilot indicated a loss of the setting display on the first ascent. Aeroplane was under freezing condition, but pilot could not deice.
Consequently, the plane stopped just before the airstrip and killed the pilot and two passenger as well as a mom and two kids on the floor. NTSB proposed to train and check the shortcomings. Pilot explained an incident due to breakdowns of the main and back-up air traffic system. Apparently the pilot was out of command and the plane suffered a disastrous commotion.
Deadly single-pilot aircraft crashes described in the following side bar indicate that the participating aircraft may not have sufficient SRM capabilities for the prevailing flight environment. The new ACS pilot certificate and pilot authorization documentation now includes this important capability. ATP and ACS are expected to be published in early 2019.
By this time, all single pilot jet rating applicant shall have demonstrated the capability to identified, assessed and mitigated risks to all aspects and goals of the assessment. In particular, this applies to operation with a pilot. Knowledge of automatization contains the knowledge when the automatization is not to be used and the knowledge in manually flight without automatization.
To fly with each jet means to follow all processes, control the load for each stage of the journey, manage more sophisticated equipment, and stay ahead of an aircraft that flies at twice the airspeed of the world''s smallest reciprocating jet. This also applies in particular to single pilot aircraft. Maintain Situation Awareness (SA): Having good SA is a skills that should be learnt early in one's aviation careers, but it is indispensable for operating a jet with a pilot.
Consciousness of meteorology, ground, airspace, transport and aircraft system power and configurations is necessary in all flying situations. Cessnaâ' s Citation range has set a notable security records, but it was a huge success on August 2, 1979, when the famous ballerina Thurman Munson was murdered while steering his Cessna Citation 501SP during a land run at Akron-Canton Ohio International Aport.
He had started his aviation carrier less than 18 month before, followed by quick up-grades from single motor Cessnas to a pressurised Beech Duke double pistons and then to Cessna Citation. As a pilot he had collected about 500 hrs of overall flight-duration. It sparked a heated discussion about the possible risks of non-professional pilot aircraft operating with one pilot.
However, it did not diminish the appeal of the Cessna 500 range or its single pilot versions. Indeed, Cessna launched the 525 Citation Jet from 1993 onwards, which was conceived from the outset for single-pilot operation. The following proposals may help to address FAR shortcomings if you are considering operating a single jet pilot or are already doing so:
⢠Attend an on-line course or other kind of SRM tuition before you begin your basic single pilot qualification. ⢠If controlling a single pilot jet is your next destination, use your valuable experience in your latest high-powered aircraft. ⢠When looking for your basic certification course, you donâ??t have to go to a supplier of branded simulators, but look at the benefits of simulator-based simulator assisted testing before starting to practice on your aircraft.
When you opt for the latter method, you work with your insurer to find the best way to train independently. ⢠After receiving your ECA, you should use the service of a mentoring pilot even if it is not necessary to lift a restriction on your certifications or meet an obligation to take out compulsory medical coverage.
⢠When it is your turn for your yearly aptitude test, you should go beyond a basic inspection to meet FAR 61.58 requirements. It would be better if you attended a recurring simulation course or hired an independant vendor to imitate the way you use your jet in the game. Mr. Wright is a former FAA Manager and President of Wright Aviation Solutions LLC.
It is also a 9700-hour APT with four jet types and has a Flight Instructor Certificate.