I remember back in the day, being asked to list ALL the cabin emergency lights, list and location of all the cabin emergency equipment. "How many primary and secondary windings in the PMA?" List everything on the engine accessory gearbox. I don't miss that stuff at all.

I got hit with everything on the accessory gearbox and cabin emergency equipment too. Must've been doing good.

I agree it is a different time now, but I wish we could find a happy medium. Most who go through long term AQP don't have anywhere near the knowledge or understand of the systems they use to have. Don't even get me started on performance now.

During my last two hour pc oral, before I left I was asked that by one of the infamous check airman on the 145. When I answered "accessories" I thought his head would explode.

I never could get anyone to tell me why they thought that, or the PMA windings was critical knowledge.

Hahaha...was it the A, B or C?

All of this^^^^

The reason is because the FAA feels there isn't any significant improvement in the tasks that a pilot needs to perform these days by having the ability to rebuild the airplane by scratch.

I have always been pragmatic in this sense. If I cant touch it, interact with it or fix it from the cockpit, there is little reason for me to know how it works above the rudimentary information. I mean, knowing how many bolts hold engine together is wasted information that I could better use elsewhere.

They should get away from system heavy knowledge and focus more on real world scenario training as that does far more to enlighten modern pilots that knowing the gearbox crap.

Anyway, thats my take. I only have so much room in training to absorb stuff, prioritize it with stuff that I actually need to know.

Everyone keeps bringing up the gearbox. That to me is solid knowledge to have. Maybe not to the mechanics of it, but if you lose an engine you lose everything in that gear box. And let me tell you it's. HEAP OF stuff!

Truth be told I barely remember ANY of that stuff. Gonna have to cram hard for recurrent, but since I'm on permanent never-fly reserve it shouldn't be a problem.

While I agree with the sentiment of Cyio's post above yours (not word for word), the gearbox is a bad example.