Ok is my instructor messing with me?

[User546]

Good job nosehair, but I'm sure that doesn't suprise you that your right!

I agree completely with what you said!

 

[bobbysamd]

Seminole Janitrol fuel consumption

OK! "one half gallon per hour", yes, I looked in the POH!!!

That would be a good question from an Instructor, to get the student reading the book, and to enlighten him that the heater uses fuel, but it would not be a good exam question. As a matter of fact, trivia like that has no place on an exam. Questions should address the Application or Correlation level.

. . . . though that question was standard on ERAU stage checks and probably at FSI, too.

 

[A Squared]

Uhhh, what's wrong with expecting a candidate to know about heater fuel? seem pretty basic part of fuel planning to me. Even if it's too small to make a difference, it's reasonable to expect somone to know about it and know that it's neglibible. I would say that somone who was ignorant of the fact that the heater uses gasoline and hadn't considered how much it uses, hadn't done his fuel planning adequately..but maybe that's because I fly in northern climate where heaters are run year round.

 

[HMR]

. . . . though that question was standard on ERAU stage checks and probably at FSI, too.

Bobby, weren't you flying BE76's when you were instructing? I know the Duchess heater burned 2/3Gallon per hour.

 

[JAFI]

I agree with A-squared here. The heater is using engine fuel and can be part of the fuel calculation, it is fair game for the exam. I would go further if there are more than one manufacturer of a heater, I will ask which heater the aircraft has and only ask those questions. If an operator (135/121/125 only) has more than one brand of a system, I will ask about the others also for a PC.

Some said you must have a "working" knowledge. I agree that is the key. I have suggested to schools to have a basic knowledge for a course/type ride and save all the wiz bang other stuff for additional/recurrent training. The student does not need to know everything for the course/type ride but enough to operate the aircraft.

Many Examiners/Inspectors have a Instructor back ground, and try to expand the students knowledge during an exam. I like to remind them that an exam is two things. It is first to see if the student has obtained enough knowledge/ability to operate the aircraft safely (and) the exam is also a quality control check of the training system. Too many failures could mean the system needs review. If you ask questions outside of the training system, then you slew the data in checking the system. If you put too much information into the system (off the wall questions) then you can slew the data on the validity of the course. I have seen long time schools add every question a examiner/inspector has ever asked to the "normal" questions and the list of information has become unmanageable. My standard is if the information for a question is not in the course material, it is an unfair question. I will qualify the last statement on one point. I ask system questions to see if the student understands HOW the system works, not just how much fluid/fuel/air or what ever is in the system. An example would be "tell me the different ways you can lower the landing gear" or "the normal way to shut the engine down did not work today, how else can you shut down the engine?" All normal placards/check lists/QRH or what ever is handy to the pilot (except the course book) can be used to answer the question.

Just my thoughts....

JAFI

 

[bobbysamd]

Bobby, weren't you flying BE76's when you were instructing? I know the Duchess heater burned 2/3Gallon per hour.

No, ERAU-Prescott had started to convert to Duchesses shortly after I left in mid-1991.

I do have about two hours in the Duchess I flew for my ATP, but d@mned if I remember its heater fuel consumption!