Is the trainer you fly and start with important to an career in aviation?

[photofly]

One of the biggest clues to how they were taught is found as soon as they start the climb after takeoff, they chase the airspeed needle and climb in a roller coaster profile.

Cover up the airspeed indicator and this behaviour vanishes, instantly.

[TT1900]

We agree, mostly.

Airspeed is life, especially close to the ground. I think you're discounting the importance of airspeed awareness.

Otherwise, I'll agree with everything you said.

[C.W.E.]

Somewhat, yes. For the purposes of basic training, the skills we want are the ability to maintain level flight, and to maintain close control of angle of attack. You can do both of those things in the short term without an airspeed indicator, not so much without an altimeter.

And the altimeter needle can be seen in your peripheral vision and when maintaining altitude it is easy to see when you are not flying at the desired altitude. If it moves off zero you are not maintaining altitude.

Cover up the airspeed indicator and this behaviour vanishes, instantly.

Exactly, so how come so many instructors do not teach basic flying correctly?

Another very common fault in airplane handling skills is correcting for a cross wind during a landing and not using or understanding the need for use of rudder to align the airplane with the runway and ending up contacting the runway flying sideways.

[photofly]

Cover up the airspeed indicator and this behaviour vanishes, instantly.

Exactly, so how come so many instructors do not teach basic flying correctly?

Maybe they're in glass panel equipped trainers where the instructor can't cover up the airspeed?
I suppose he or she could get busy with the paper, scissors and tape.

[MrTurbine]

this thread in currently on a rabbit trail of a lifetime.
Leave it to pilots to always have to prove how smart they are. You asked for advice, so here are my two cents.

No it doesn’t matter what training aircraft you start with. Just be willing to learn, and try to fly as many different types as possible. Each new aircraft you fly has something new and very valuable to teach you.
I recommend, get the obvious CPL multi ifr, and if you don’t go the instructing route, at least do some aerobatics on a tailwheel aircraft for an hour or two with someone experienced and get a float rating. Broaden your horizons, talk to people who fly various different types of airplanes, and enjoy every bit of the industry.
Do some cross countries on airplanes with a traditional 6 pack, another one with a glass cockpit airplane, some on a tailwheel airplane and some with traditional tricycle gear, or amphibian /floats.

Good luck.
Ps, try and word the headline to your post better next time , also, stop playing flight sim pro.

[maturepilot83]

Hi guys.

I am currently looking to get my PPL and CPL with one of the flight schools located in Boundary Bay Airport (closest location to me from East Vancouver area via Knight Bridge).

My goal is to work for one of the major airlines. I have 0 flight experience but am very eager to learn.

My question is : does the type of trainer you learn in affect your flying experience? I know this seems vague, but the one flight school I visited and liked was Sea Land Air Flight School. They have a fleet of Diamonds and diamonds only. No Cessnas or Pipers. This planes are only 15 yrs old and from what i know have glass cockpits. What I have researched so far is that if i plan to work for the majors, learning in a glass cockpit will help me as the future planes I'd be in would be glass cockpit (vs steam guage).

Professional Flying Centre (PROIFC) would start me off on Cessnas (not in good condition from what I saw when I visited). Thesee planes seem to be way more dated (I think the dispatcher said 70 years old).

Can you give me some answers as to if this really matters? Will attending Sea Land Air and flying ONLY diamonds affect my training to work for an airline?

Thanks!! I really appreciate all your answers.

Short answer: NO

Have fun.

[trey kule]

I am with Ahramins on this. We are talking about learning to fly and there are a number of other factors that are just as important, in my opinion, as the type of aircraft.

In today’s training where pilots go out the door and into a glass cockpit, it is quite reasonable to expect they may never need to fly on legacy guages for their whole career. With that in mind, I have to wonder about ths so called wisdom of flying anything but glass.

There is also a great deal of pseudo folk wisdom regarding flying all sorts of types, and particularly tail draggers because now a days, they are considered a challange for pilots apparently, and a badge of honour to have flown one. How times have changed.
I believe if a student is taught properly, and learns well what they are taught, the conversion to a tail dragger is less than an hour, if there is the proper wind to give them a bit of xwind experience. Anyone who finds or found it a real challange either was not taught properly or did not learn what they were supposed to have learned. And a 172 is just fine to have learned on...providing the student actually was exposed to wind...something I understand many FTUs do not want the students to fly in....for safety reasons, of course. There are rudder pedals in a 172, last I heard, and you can use them to make very nice co ordinated turns. Keep the ball in the middle on climbs and descents. It just takes some discipline because the little rascals will compensate for a great deal of sloppy piloting.

Flying lots of types is fun. But despite the “I am so good, I can just hop in anything and fly” super pilots in their own minds, a little checkout with someone experienced on type is a good idea. And having an instructor rating does not enable one to fly and teach on anything with wings.

[TT1900]

this thread in currently on a rabbit trail of a lifetime.

No it doesn’t matter what training aircraft you start with. Just be willing to learn, and try to fly as many different types as possible. Each new aircraft you fly has something new and very valuable to teach you.
I recommend, get the obvious CPL multi ifr, and if you don’t go the instructing route, at least do some aerobatics on a tailwheel aircraft for an hour or two with someone experienced and get a float rating. Broaden your horizons, talk to people who fly various different types of airplanes, and enjoy every bit of the industry.
Do some cross countries on airplanes with a traditional 6 pack, another one with a glass cockpit airplane, some on a tailwheel airplane and some with traditional tricycle gear, or amphibian /floats.

I apologize for the derailment. I was certainly guilty of getting sidetracked.

I think the above is excellent advice. Try to gain exposure to as many different parts of the industry as you can to make an informed decision on what you want from your career. You say you want to work for a major airline, and while there are certainly attractive elements to doing so once you get to the top, the disadvantages while getting to the top may not be tolerable to you. There are a boatload of interesting flying jobs outside of airline flying and each come with their own advantages and disadvantages. None will ask you, nor care, if you learned on steam or glass.

[PilotDAR]

None will ask you, nor care, if you learned on steam or glass.

In Canada, that's probable. Elsewhere in the world, it's not quite like that.

While you're progressing through your learning, and different aircraft, seek out both steam and glass to gain experience on both. But at the beginning, there is no advantage to you're learning the basics in an aircraft with glass, and it's probably costing you more for little initial benefit.

[maturepilot83]

Get your butt inside a plane with an instructor, period. No rocket science or periods of reflectivity examining the differences between the colours displayed on a glass cockpit and your feelings on a bright moonlit sky with a glass of red wine in your hand.