Aero-Tips!
A good pilot is always learning -- how many times have you heard
this old standard throughout your flying career? There is no truer
statement in all of flying (well, with the possible exception of
"there are no old, bold pilots.") It's part of what makes aviation
so exciting for all of us... just when you think you've seen it
all, along comes a scenario you've never imagined.
Aero-News has called upon the expertise of Thomas P. Turner,
master CFI and all-around-good-guy, to bring our readers -- and us
-- daily tips to improve our skills as aviators, and as
representatives of the flying community. Some of them, you may have
heard before... but for each of us, there will also be something we
might never have considered before, or something that didn't
"stick" the way it should have the first time we memorized it for
the practical test.
It is our unabashed goal that "Aero-Tips" will help our readers
become better, safer pilots -- as well as introducing our
ground-bound readers to the concepts and principles that keep those
strange aluminum-and-composite contraptions in the air... and allow
them to soar magnificently through it.
Look for our daily Aero-Tips segments, coming each day to you
through the Aero-News Network. Suggestions for future Aero-Tips are
always welcome, as are additions or discussion of each day's tips.
Remember... when it comes to being better pilots, we're all in
this together.
Aero-Tips 03.26.06
Got your eye on a slick Diamond D-Jet or another of the coming
Very Light Jets (VLJs)? Once it’s certified and you pony up
the bucks, there’s another significant hurdle before you can
fly it away as pilot-in-command. You’ll need a Type
Rating.
Just Your Type
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires a type
rating to act as pilot-in-command in any:
- Large aircraft (defined by the FAA as any aircraft,
other than lighter-than-air, with a maximum takeoff weight greater
than 12,500 pounds), and
- Turbojet-powered aircraft regardless of weight.
The requirements are in 14 CFR 61.31. You’ll
need to complete training and take an FAA checkride to earn your
Type Rating specific to that “type” of aircraft.
There’s no FAA written, but the checkride follows the format
of the Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate
practical test. In fact, if you meet the other
requirements of the ATP (including the ATP written), you can
combine the “type ride” with your ATP checkride -- you
can’t get the “type” without meeting ATP
standards.
(Note: Flying on a non-U.S. pilot certificate? Check
requirements for the country that issues your certificate for the
rule that applies to you.)
Large and turbojet aircraft
(note this doesn’t include turboprops, unless they are
“large”) are usually very complex and high-performance.
The object of the type rating is to ensure the pilot-in-command has
fully mastered the airplane and its systems, and can handle its
performance.
The Malibu Endorsement
Soon after the Piper Malibu entered service there were a number
of in-flight breakups eventually traced to lack of pilot
familiarity with the complexity and capability of the design. As a
result the FAA modified 61.31 to add the following additional
requirement for a type rating:
- Other aircraft specified by the Administrator through
aircraft type certificate procedures.
This catch-all says the FAA can require a type rating for
specific airplane designs that are not turbojets and not
“large” aircraft. The regulation change came with a
proposal to require a type rating to act as PIC of a Malibu, and
possibly other airplanes as well. There was significant industry
resistance; the point became moot when insurance companies added
regular training as a condition of Malibu insurance, a de facto
“type” requirement for its pilots. Similar insurance
requirements for other high-end designs have prevented 61.31 from
becoming a laundry list of airplane models with type rating
requirements.
Aero-tip of the day: Required or not, hit the
books and fly with a knowledgeable instructor to become “type
rated” in the airplanes you fly, from a Light Sport Aircraft
to a Very Light Jet.