Study Time

As I study for Systems and read through the NATOPS (flight manual) for the T-44A, my appreciation for the simplicity of the T-6 has grown immensely. Maybe it's the fact that I'm looking back on it, but the T-6 just seems so much simpler. Having two engines adds a fuel crossfeed system, makes the engine starting procedures more complicated, and adds a third electrical system to worry about. The T-44 also has both anti-ice and de-icing systems, the difference being that anti-icing systems prevent ice buildup around the engine inlets, windshield, and pitot tubes, while the de-icing system actually removes ice from the wings after it forms. The de-icing system inflates a rubber boot along the front edge of the wing which subsequently breaks the ice into chunks, so they fall off. Smart.

So the T-6's one generator, single pitot/AOA heater, and comparatively straightforward glass instruments seem like a long-lost dream of simple flying. Hopefully I'll feel differently once I have all these facts and figures tamped down in the back of my brain.

Lockdown

No flying today, just a lockdown exercise...just like high school...and the Academy. Study time and a workout are in order.

Yesterday

Yesterday I stepped to 2 different airplanes, but both of them were broken. Both had canopy malfunctions, but we caught the discrepancies in the course of our preflight checks. As I closed the canopy on the first aircraft, my IP couldn't see the mechanical indicator that verifies the canopy is closed, so we didn't take the plane. We stepped to a spare, but as I was closing the canopy on that one, the canopy annunciator extinguished before the canopy was actually closed. Huge red flag! We knew we weren't taking the aircraft right then. We got maintenance up on the wing to take a look. We closed the canopy and reopened it, and the canopy annunciator and master warning didn't even come on. Wow! That's a big deal. Too bad, because it was a beautiful day. Since my IP and I didn't end up flying I got some good experience doing the preflight walkaround and exterior inspection. Getting in the books this weekend...