Most of the students did well in the instrument phase. They would preview the aircraft lesson in the simulator so there were no surprises. If they had problems in the simulator, they would try it again until they got it right. They also had experience flying on instruments from the T-37 phase. The T-38 had different instrumentation but they at least knew how to build their scan, or instrument cross-check. Once the student mastered the lesson on the simulator, they would then try it in the airplane.
Flying on instruments in any airplane required building a “scan” for that particular plane. Building this scan meant locating which instruments to crosscheck in order to keep the airplane where you wanted it. A proper crosscheck or scan centered on one main instrument, usually the Attitude Director Indicator or ADI, with quick systematic looks to the other gauges. A typical scan would start with the ADI, then a glance at the airspeed gauge, back to the ADI, to the vertical velocity gauge, to the heading or course, then back to the ADI. The scan had to be systematic and it had to keep moving. The purpose of this back and forth was to see trends and correct them on the ADI. If you spotted a gradual climb while you were supposed to be level then a change had to be made on the ADI. If you stopped too long on one of the gauges, bad things usually followed. Concentrating on the airspeed could mean an unintended climb or descent. Watching just the heading could jeopardize your speed control.
Chapter 8
The flight line routine was split into morning and afternoon sessions, and the groups would alternate. “H” flight, for example, would be on mornings this week and on afternoons next week. The morning sessions started at 6:00 a.m. and went to 1:00 p.m. The afternoon sessions started at noon and went to 7:00 p.m. The only exception to this schedule was when we practiced night flying.
Every flying day was structured the same way. The day began with a weather briefing and student quizzing. Students would be called at random to stand up and recite the steps required for certain emergency procedures. The students had to know these cold, without hesitation or omission. If they forgot a step, or got the wording wrong or hesitated, they wouldn’t fly that day. After the emergency procedures quiz was completed, individual flight briefings started. An instructor and his students occupied a table. When the instructor briefed a student, the rest of his students would listen in.
Students sat in the rear cockpit, under the hood, for instrument rides. The rides began with basic maneuvers like maintaining straight and level flight. Speed variations would be added. Once a skill was mastered, a new task was added. Turns were introduced, then climbing and descending turns, then speed changes during turns and so on. Mastering these individual skills was building the student toward the ultimate goal of instrument flight: flying instrument approaches through the weather to a safe landing. At the end of the instrument phase, the student would be able to safely fly every type of instrument approach available in the T-38. Once the student passed his instrument phase check ride, he would move on to the contact phase.
The contact phase was make-or-break time for most students. The key elements of this phase were takeoffs and landings. Other topics covered in this phase were: taxiing, departure, climb, area entry, aerobatics, radio procedures, area departure, traffic pattern entry, single-engine and no-flap landings, checklist usage and ramp procedures (how to get in and out of a parking spot). If the student progressed normally, he would be eligible to solo after six to eight rides. T-38 solo was a major milestone. 95 % of students who soloed would go on to successfully complete the program. The other 5 % would stumble on the formation phase.
For these first few contact rides the students were behind the airplane. We would be entering the area for maneuvers and they would still be thinking about the takeoff but gradually they would catch up. Our goal was to get them planning their maneuvers ahead of the airplane. One of the reasons why this was so important was fuel usage. The average contact mission lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes. The student had to be able to get to his assigned area, sequence his maneuvers and figure out when to leave the area so he could arrive back in the traffic pattern and practice a few landings. After all this he had to arrive back on the ramp with a safe amount of fuel.
Chapter 9
At civilian airports, the tower controls traffic. At student pilot training bases, the Runway Supervisory Unit (RSU) controlled the traffic. The RSU was a small trailer-like structure on stilts that was situated along the side of the runway about 1500 feet from the approach end. It was fully airconditioned and radio equipped. It also had hardwired phone lines installed and flare gun ports for emergencies. An Instructor Pilot (IP) and three students manned the RSU. IPs wishing to be controllers underwent a rigorous six — week training program before being allowed to direct traffic. One student acted as a recorder writing down takeoff and landing times as well as controller comments. A second student, a spotter, acted as the eyes of the unit. He faced the approach end of the runway using binoculars to call the oncoming aircraft configuration for the controller. This spotter assured the controller that all approaching aircraft had landing gear, flaps and lights in the proper position. The third student faced the departure end of the runway. He would warn the controller of any impending conflicts on his end of the runway.
The controller acted like a maestro. He would safely sequence all the airplanes in the pattern. He had to know where every aircraft was all the time. The maximum number of airplanes allowed in the pattern was twelve. These twelve included dual ships (instructor and student aboard), solos, and formation flights. Radio calls were used to keep everyone aware of each other’s position. A call had to be made when entering the pattern from the area, when entering initial, pitching out, the final turn, go-around and requesting a closed pattern (a short cut allowing you to by-pass the outside downwind). Everyone had to call, and to make the system work properly, everyone had to listen-up. Only by listening could you know where everyone else was.
Some problems arose when aircraft would cut off each other’s radio transmissions. Sometimes the students would forget their call sign or just get so zoned in on landing the airplane that they weren’t listening. This is where the flares came in. On more than one occasion, a student tried to land gear up and I had to fire a flare because he was not acknowledging my instructions on the radio.
Back in the mid 1970’s we trained quite a few Saudi and Iranian student pilots. Some of them were very good but several were really bad. These students came from very wealthy, even royal families. Language was just one of the barriers they faced. Their major hurdle was the technology gap. They were at a tremendous disadvantage compared to their American classmates. Growing up in Saudi Arabia or Iran did not prepare them well for the high-tech world of jets. These students were under the ultimate pressure to succeed. If they washed out, they would be returned to their homes and were rumored to be executed for their failure. Their high motivation didn’t always lead to graduation.
Most had a good understanding of English but throw in the jargon of flight school and things started to crumble. Their ability to speak and understand English was inversely proportional to the amount of stress in a given situation. I had taken one of my Iranian students, Ahmed, on a cross-country flight. Our destination was Ellington AFB in Houston one Friday afternoon in June. The weather was not that bad but there were several thunderstorms along our route of flight. The thunderstorms were generating a lot of lightning and turbulence.