Learning Systems
 

One of the biggest challenges of advancing into bigger equipment is learning new systems. Let's build a thread where we can share tips so that we'll know our airplanes as well as we wish we knew Gemma Atkinson's body (personal preference :cool:)

EMB-120 school was months ago, but these things seemed to help:

1) Start with general information and limitations, then get into the tough stuff.
2) Look over the systems diagrams. Think about the big picture - what's really going on - and draw your own diagrams that simplify the information
3) After you learn how the systems work when everything is going as planned, go back through a few times and ask yourself what happens if a certain component malfunctions. This is the really important stuff that will be tested on the checkride
4) Learn what will trigger each annunciator

That's all I can think of for now, feel free to contribute!

Think of yourself giving a class on systems. Consider how you would present it and explain different aspects to people that are not familiar with it. Draw diagrams and give a lecture on it to an imaginary audience.

I have to read each system chapter 8 to 10 times to really get a grasp on what's going on. Especially where things are moving around. Hydraulics, fuel, pneumatics.

Get a note card app for whatever phone/tablet you have!

Study groups are usually a must for me. Always helps to have someone who is upgrading on that plane that has flown it for years, if they are friendly enough to help with questions after class. I usually go through the limitations chapter at least once a day. After a day or two, I'll add any memory items the plane has.

Make simplified pencil diagrams for each system, and learn what they have in them and how things connect. It takes some effort, but draw and redraw the system in question until you can do it from memory without looking at the key. Do it not so much from rote memory as a sense of how this component supports that component, and that component affects the other. A purpose- driven view is what you are after and will remain with you the longest. Once you master one system go onto the next one until you master them all. It helps to make sure you have a good simplified drawing to start with, and if the school does not provide one, then run your pencil item by an expert and make sure you have the correct scheme. Most official manuals give diagrams that are overdone for pilots, and can be simplified quite a bit without losing the essential meaning. You will be amazed how fast you become and expert on the various systems this way, maybe an hour or two each system should be enough for basic turbine aircraft.

Notecards, notecards, notecards!

funny you mention E120 school... I went thru E120 in 1996 with ASA thru FSI's program and I recall they wanted to more or less build that airplane. The props of course, the flaps, and other systems on it were a bit complex for the size/complexity of the plane... I've since typed on several jets, including 3-man 747 which was extremely complex if you wanted to make it so (learning it at FE level).. yet oddly I still recall the E120 course being the most daunting.

Anyway, what works best for me is listen to a good ground instructor, and read the FCOM's on the relevant subject. I've found over the years that everyone learns differently... some better with flash cards, others better with reading their own lengthy hand written notes... whatever works for you is what works best.

As an aside, when I typed on the a320 I bought a booklet from Avsoft which was invaluable... I've since gotten an a330 version for my next type rating.. I highly recommend the avsoft books.

Making notes and/or diagrams is key. When you write/type/draw something it sticks in your brain exponentially better than simply reading it. Even if you don't use the notecards, simply making them will help (though actually using them helps more).

I know for 1900 ground I felt like we were going to be astronauts in systems. Even when I went through aircraft mechanic school we never went crazy in depth. Group quizzing was perfect with a few beers. Flash cards were also great for solo study and kept them for recurrent as well.

Knowing the background between annunciators that are master warning and caution are a must. Definitely makes oral prep easier.

Jim Beam and flash cards! Strip club breaks in PDX

Know what every annunciator means, what triggers it, and what it triggers you to do. Why does it light up?

But most importantly, take breaks! You have to let your brain rest and absorb it.

I've been through four initials now, and the first is by far the hardest. Once you figure out what studying method works best for you, the successive ones are a walk in the park in my opinion.

After initial systems academics I try to keep recurrent on them by reviewing emergency procedures. I go through the EP and make sure I can explain why each button or valve is pushed or opened. When I can't explain it, I go into the system diagram or explanation.

Good call by someone above on keeping your original notes for recurrent training.

Hope you're not serious! Short breaks are good for learning, short ones for tea and protein bars. Group study is good as long as the focus stays intact. Strip clubs and Jack are for when you pass systems, if that's your taste.

+1 on the study groups. Best way to study just like the old college days.

Get sleep. The science says that learning isn't fully absorbed until you get a full night of restful sleep, so make sure you do that every night to absorb everything you learned that day.

Mechanical equipment either pushes, pulls, or spins. Transducers sense temperature, pressure, current, and rate. If you understand that, you can usually figure out the mechanical portions of any system. This information is typically converted from raw information to a pictorial representation via an instrument or avionics processor to a glass display. From my experience, almost all airplanes use similar technology.

This.

Nothing is better in my personal experience, and it doesn't matter what the subject is (aviation or otherwise). I've found the preparation is altogether different and far more comprehensive (such as anticipating questions and having ready answers for them). In other words, preparation like this requires a deeper commitment, but the benefits are well worth the effort required. You will learn more, and more quickly/thoroughly, than any other methodology. Truly, the real student in the classroom is the teacher.

Re: Rama's advice, practice on non-aviation family/friends. It's amazing how interested people become when you tell them you need their help by practicing in front of them. It also forces you to condense the material into short, easier-to-understand examples/analogies.

Just my .02

As someone who is about to go through my first airline ground school/systems training this will probably be how I mostly go about it leading up to class. This method helped a lot when I was working on CFI back in the day. Also group study can be hit or miss with me. Sometimes having one know-it-all in the group answering all the questions doesn't help anyone.