Thread: NJA Sim Prep
View Single Post
Old 02-04-2007, 11:46 AM
  #3  
mooneymite
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Dec 2005
Position: FE, FO, CAPT.
Posts: 200
Default

I wrote this about a year ago for another forum...don't know if this is the kind of info you're looking for and I don't know how current it is. Good Luck.

*********
The NetJets interview includes a sim check. The gouge is dead on.

My suspicion is that NetJets knows full well that the non-motion (Citation II?) sim they put the prospective pilots in is probably the worst flying sim you'll ever experience. I also suspect they do that on purpose. My sim partner and I got a good comment from the instructor who administered our check...we both got job offers a day later. Here's my take on it:

#1 You and your sim partner need to spend about an hour together "dry flying" the profile. Go through the checklist they give you the night before and practice each item. Make the call-outs to each other and go through the hand motion of raising the gear, flaps, etc. Discuss what speed you'll be flying in each phase of the profile. Practice the radio calls at the appropriate time. Since the profile is no mystery, you will have no trouble figuring out how to do it. After about 3-4 times armchair flying, you will feel comfortable and confident. Since you'll be doing your steep turns either NE or NW of the hold fix, you can even pre-plan your holding entries.

#2 When you get to the sim, take a few moments to become familiar with how the controls actually work and feel. The hand-out will have familiarized you with location of the stuff you'll be using. There is no flight director or autopilot...everything is "raw data", but the display is quite adequate.

#3 If you are the first victim...fly. ONLY fly. Look at the ADI 95% of the time and crosscheck 5% of the time. Do not let your eyes go anywhere else! This is an attitude aircraft. If you fly the target attitudes, the rest will take care of itself. Flying the sim is like balancing a golf ball on the tip of a pen. It will roll over the second you look away. There is no "feel" for wings level. Make your sim partner do EVERYTHING but fly. For takeoff, initially pull the nose up to about 12 degrees, then adjust to attain a steady acceleration to 200 kts. Be careful of the first turn...the ailerons are light and it's easy to over bank.

#4 When you do your steep turns, do them on the ADI. It takes about 4 degrees nose up and the altitude won't move much...just make small corrections to attitude; don't wander much away from that 4 degrees. Have your sim partner concentrate on maintaining 200 kts with the power. The right seat has a glass display with a trend vector in the airspeed window. This is great for setting throttle position. Have your sim partner call "30 degrees to go, 20 degrees to go, ten degrees to go" as you s l o w l y roll wings level, or into the next steep turn.

#5 For the hold, slow the sim down to something around 160 kts clean. This gives you more time to think and complies with the max holding airspeed and will permit flaps when you're ready for them. When you brief the approach, give the sim to your partner to fly. Don't make/let him do anything but fly the sim. Tell him what altitude/airspeed/heading you want. At the end of the brief, tell him you'll take the plane back and call for the approach checklist.


#6 On the ILS, about 650 fpm maintains the glide slope. As I recall, this is about 1 degree nose up on the ADI after the gear and flaps are set and at Vref. If there is any wind cranked into the sim, I suspect it is 10 kts right down the localizer course. Pretty much maintaining heading will keep you on course. Have the heading bug set by your sim partner. When your sim partner calls "runway in sight, slightly right", glance up briefly, but go right back on the gages. Don't look outside again until you're about 50'. Fly it to the ground and pull power at 10'-20'. Nothing below 200' is graded supposedly, but you and your sim partner will look much better if you do a nice job throughout approach, touchdown and rollout.

#7 I personally feel that the sim is really all about judging your CRM skills. Vocalize everything...Do nothing by yourself. Use your sim partner. Hell, even use the sim instructor if the situation calls for it!

CRM and TEAMWORK are what I think they're really looking for with a modicum of stick and rudder skill. The sim instructor does not pull any tricks, everything is straight forward. If you get into a problem...you caused it. Just relax that death grip and put on a show!
mooneymite is offline