Aspiring to be
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2002
- Posts
- 95
I have flown the Lear 24, 25 and 35 like you described. I have also flown the L-1011. How much time do you have in a 1011? Not trying to be smart but it is hard to compare unless you have experienced in both types. I know you think that the Lear pilot has more to do and to some extend that is true. I did not normally have to file a flight plan on the L-1011 but with the Lear I would use some service and it would give me the route with fuel burn, time, best altitude, etc., almost the same as we would get from the computer.
I would guess it would take me about 10 minutes to figure a 3 or 4 leg flight when flight planning the Lear. Another five minutes or so to file or I could do that with the service with no additional time required. We had canned flight plans with the airlines since about the mid 70's. The computer would print out the canned route with the 3 best altitudes based on cost. If the weather was not a factor we did not normally change the flight plan. Long range international was a different matter. The dispatch work load was about as demanding as flying without a dispatcher. The dispatcher would basically figure the min and max fuel loads. Only time I would normally talk with a dispatcher was to reduced fuel. Increasing fuel was a give me but decreasing of course, both had to agree.
Most of the time the reason to call was due to a change in dispatchers. You might depart one place and the recommended fuel code was to take enough to return or some other stop. The new dispatcher would figure a different fuel load for a minimum than the first so I would get to the first stop and not have enough fuel for return flight. I would call dispatch and tell him to reduced required fuel. Many dispatchers were new and inexperienced and would pad the required fuel. They would always reduce when the Captain requested.
The orals and check rides are more difficult in the L-1011. You just have many more systems, more profiles, and more procedures, more concerns. A Lear has one door and one emergency exit, one of most things except two engines. Not trying to make the airliner job seem more difficult but in most ways it is.
Flying the Lear was a ball, I loved it. That little 24 is really a hot rod. Very light load (only minimum fuel for a 40 minute flight) summertime temp. but climb to 41000 in 8.5 minutes. Use to love playing when no passengers onboard. It was truly fun and would bring out the kid in me. The 24 is the hottest thing I have ever flown. The Lear is not a toy but I did seem to think of it as a toy at times, it is just fun. I did tend to over control at first due to the light control. I know in sim training the toughest part was the taxing. I had never really flown anything without nose wheel steering through the rudder peddles and I had a time trying to steer the little thing (I have a few hours in an aerostar and an aero commander).
Flying is flying and most of us could with time llearn and adapt to the environment. My opinion the biggest difference in duties for the crew is in the servicing of the aircraft and the passengers. The airlines you have someone else to do those things. My opinion it takes more knowledge and skill to fly say an L-1011 than say a Lear. The smaller jet will do many things quicker and are much more forgiving than the larger jets. The power in the 757(with a light load the 757 is really a performer) was close to the Lear but was not as forgiving.
I would guess it would take me about 10 minutes to figure a 3 or 4 leg flight when flight planning the Lear. Another five minutes or so to file or I could do that with the service with no additional time required. We had canned flight plans with the airlines since about the mid 70's. The computer would print out the canned route with the 3 best altitudes based on cost. If the weather was not a factor we did not normally change the flight plan. Long range international was a different matter. The dispatch work load was about as demanding as flying without a dispatcher. The dispatcher would basically figure the min and max fuel loads. Only time I would normally talk with a dispatcher was to reduced fuel. Increasing fuel was a give me but decreasing of course, both had to agree.
Most of the time the reason to call was due to a change in dispatchers. You might depart one place and the recommended fuel code was to take enough to return or some other stop. The new dispatcher would figure a different fuel load for a minimum than the first so I would get to the first stop and not have enough fuel for return flight. I would call dispatch and tell him to reduced required fuel. Many dispatchers were new and inexperienced and would pad the required fuel. They would always reduce when the Captain requested.
The orals and check rides are more difficult in the L-1011. You just have many more systems, more profiles, and more procedures, more concerns. A Lear has one door and one emergency exit, one of most things except two engines. Not trying to make the airliner job seem more difficult but in most ways it is.
Flying the Lear was a ball, I loved it. That little 24 is really a hot rod. Very light load (only minimum fuel for a 40 minute flight) summertime temp. but climb to 41000 in 8.5 minutes. Use to love playing when no passengers onboard. It was truly fun and would bring out the kid in me. The 24 is the hottest thing I have ever flown. The Lear is not a toy but I did seem to think of it as a toy at times, it is just fun. I did tend to over control at first due to the light control. I know in sim training the toughest part was the taxing. I had never really flown anything without nose wheel steering through the rudder peddles and I had a time trying to steer the little thing (I have a few hours in an aerostar and an aero commander).
Flying is flying and most of us could with time llearn and adapt to the environment. My opinion the biggest difference in duties for the crew is in the servicing of the aircraft and the passengers. The airlines you have someone else to do those things. My opinion it takes more knowledge and skill to fly say an L-1011 than say a Lear. The smaller jet will do many things quicker and are much more forgiving than the larger jets. The power in the 757(with a light load the 757 is really a performer) was close to the Lear but was not as forgiving.
