I've been tossing around the idea that mission pilots should have to do a ride as a mission scanner (as in, sit in the back seat, and look out the window and actually scan for like a quarter grid at least) once a year, in order to maintain their MP currency.
As it is right now, they just have to do an initial qual of MS on the way to MP, and then thereafter every sortie flown as an MP gives equivalent credit as MO and MS.
Thoughts?
Good luck with that. For some reason CAP thinks that driving the airplane is enough to keep you current on everything that happens in the plane.
Question, what is the problem that this solution serves to solve? Not saying that it's a bad idea, in fact I think that it may be a pretty good idea, but if it's change only for change's sake, then no thanks.
To clarify, I don't think it should be necessary in order to maintain the MP rating. But, if a pilot maintains a MO or MS rating then they should have to recert the same on them as anyone else and should not be able to use an MP sortie as an equivalent to either of them.
I agree with both ideas.
MP's who are not MO's should be required to do at least one sortie as MS to main their currency, and those that are should have to do one of each...
...and the MO is not "fly from the right"...
The problem that it solves includes things like understanding what it's like to be the MS in the back,
scanner fatigue
and the effects of a pilot doing a poor job flying smooth and coordinated on the rest of the crew
Nothing like turning green yourself once a year to keep it fresh in your mind, that your ONLY focus while flying the airplane is safe and smooth operation of the airplane (i've flown with a lot of pilots who think they are supposed to be part time ground scanning, managing the search (MO's job), running the CAP radios, which equals sloppy flying, which equals at best, green aircrew and at worst potential safety issues)
Simply put, just remove MO and MS as an equivalency for MP...
but leave it as a pre-requisite for qualification... yeh.