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TRARON
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WCFC 2008 CHECK PILOT'S MEETING 4-25-2008 @ KMER A FAST Check Pilot meeting was held at MER prior to the start of the TRARON WCFC 08 Clinic. Members in attendance were: Stu Eberhardt Jim Booth Marv Quaid Bob Farrell Larry Gayler John Harrison Agenda items included a review of FAST Ver. 20, and of the CAF requirements/differences for Wing and Lead candidates. As a clarification for Lead, the CAF candidate needs to have a Commercial license and 1000 hours TT (CFI, military/airline IP is desired but no t required). The Commercial requirement can be waived by TRARON Lead but approval is required prior to a check ride. Likewise CAF 2-ship Lead or Wing check ride requires preapproval, as they are for special/conditional situations. (No 2 ship rides for T-6's or T-28's). A CAF Wing check ride must be performed from the #4 position. Because the CAF requirements are more stringent, the CAF does not accept other signatory cards UNLESS the candidate can demonstrate he meets those requirements. All CAF Check Pilots are encouraged to log onto www.traron.org for the latest news and standards from the Mother Ship. The FAST Formation Maneuvers Guide, Radio Communication and Visual Signals Guide, and the Practical Test Guide for Wing and Lead were briefly reviewed. These documents are a big improvement over those considered this time last year. They can be viewed at www.flyfast.org and their adoption as our official manual is expected in the not too distant future. Each signatory will then develop aircraft specific manuals regarding procedures, sight pictures, etc. to address their particular needs. Morris Ray and Mike Ginter have been tasked with the T-6 guide for both NATA and the CAF. Another topic of discussion involved the desire by both NATA and CAF to raise the level of training and proficiency for all formation pilots, especially the Lead pilot. NATA will be requiring 2 proficiency reports per year accomplished no closer than 60 days apart. Expect a similar requirement by TRARON. Various training issues for the WCFC were discussed, among them: 1) Only hand signals would be used for cross under....no 'wing dip', likewise, an elevator flutter for close trail....not an aft thumb. 2) The signal for brake release on takeoff will be a forward head nod....NOT a backward one. 3) The T-6's will now train #2 to pass the element cross under signal to #3 when in echelon (always looking at Lead, never at #3!). This conforms to the new FAST manual and is a standard for the T-28's. 4) Use the CAF Training Form so the student will have a record of instruction received. The Check Pilot meeting was fortunate to have among it's attendees Bob Farrell and John Harrison. Bob and John were instrumental in the creation of the T-34 Manual and John was also one of the driving forces in the development of the Darton Formation Video. Both provided valued and informative input during our briefing. Thank you Bob and John! Respectfully submitted, James Booth Check Pilot NATA/CAF P.S.- Gentlemen-This email has been sent to NATA and I mail a copy to TRARON. Please make a copy for your records and send a copy to any other FAST s ignatory to which you may belong. Remember to make a copy of the attached sign in sheet. cu, jb. |
