re: Any Student Pilots? Soon To Be Student Pilots?

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They’re still required to know light gun signals, for that very scenario!

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LOL I didn’t know shite for light gun signals about 8 years into my Army flying career. I’ve told the story here before...

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A couple of years ago I’m doing my APART (Annual Proficiency and Readiness Test) and we are doing the instrument portion of the checkride. I’m used to flying the AH-64E with it’s tricked out (comparatively in Army terms) IFR package, but at this particular unit I’m flying OH-58C’s with the most basic steam gauges known to man.

My flight plan is from KBYS to KONT to shoot the ILS there, stop get gas, and then go to KDAG for the VOR. As I’m being vectored to final at KONT I’m getting instructed by ATC to fly max forward airspeed which with doors off I was already doing at 110KIAS. Needless to say I was holding up traffic.

Anyways on final for the ILS, my VHF radio shits the bed. I switch to UHF and still nothing. I go to the FM frequency and nothing. All the avionics are out I pull circuit breakers and reset, still nothing. I continue the approach and terminate to a 5ft hover at the departure end of the runway. After about 5-10 seconds I look at the tower and they are flashing light gun signals. My IP (CFI in civilian world) looks at me and says, “Do you know wtf they are saying?” I look at him and say I have no clue. He laughs and says, “Good I don’t know either!” I just depart at the next taxiway and taxi to the FBO.

About 15 minutes later I get a call on my cellphone from the very upset tower for holding up SWA traffic...

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