Michael wrote:

Matt Whiting wrote

That's one reason I wrote earlier that I'll be curious to see if Mike R.
changes his opinion one that he's beginning his ATP.


I'm betting that if he trains with a real, practicing ATP (meaning
someone who flies in a crew environment day in and day out) he will.
If not, not.


I don't care whether in sports, shooting, flying, motorcycling,
etc., I've always used the "train as you X, X as you train"


Well, that's your choice - but I believe in cross-training. There is
value to getting out of your comfort zone and doing something
different from, but related to what you do normally. I believe in
tailwheel training for trigear pilots, glider training for power
pilots, rotorcraft training for fixed wing pilots - you name it. Not
at the initial stages, but once you reach a level of proficiency where
there are only very small gains to be made with further practice,
cross training opens up new perspectives.

The essential point is that at some level, the best bet in improving
your skills at X is to do Y. If I'm doing a recurrent training
session for a multiengine pilot and he executes a near-perfect single
engine partial panel non-precision circling approach to a short
runway, I will not suggest to him that he should keep practicing this
until it is absolutely flawless. I will suggest that he get into a
glider, or a seaplane, or a biplane - something different.

If you don't believe in cross-training, you're not going to suggest
that.

I never said I don't believe in acquiring new and varied aviation
skills. I'm simply saying that you use the skills where they fit. I
have no problem learning two-pilot CRM techniques, I'm just saying I
wouldn't apply them occasionally just because I have a warm body in the
right seat. Having additional skills doesn't mean you use them where
they aren't appropriate. To me, it simply isn't appropriate to randomly
depend on another person when this isn't your normal operation. I want
to keep my single pilot skills as sharp as possible and have good habits
that will automatically come into play should an emergency occur. I
believe the best way to keep my single pilot skills sharp is to always
fly as a single pilot and to use another person only for noncritical
supplemental stuff such as handing me charts or monitoring descents,
etc. I have no problem having a right-seat pax performing redundant
operations such as monitoring my altitudes, but I would not give them a
critical role to play in my operation.

Mike R., you will report back as to how your ATP training is progressing
and any change of heart that you have with respect to single pilot
operation, right? :-)


Matt