Know your systems

‘The systems are what you need to know about in a new aircraft’. Those are the words given to me by a more experienced instructor when he was checking me out on a new aircraft type. ‘Yes, you must know the speeds but you must know the systems better’. And he is not wrong.

Any pilot flying any aircraft should know the aircraft, not only the vital flight speeds but also have a good working knowledge of the systems. And what are the systems? They include the fuel, electrical, hydraulic, undercarriage, and flight controls.