Knobology?

Question

Someone asked a question about knowing buttons in the cockpit and I was surprised to learn some say there are none. Does that include the mic button?

The answers led me to ask, is knobology still considered an important part of training or is it something expected to be picked up as training progress's.

Answer 1

I am currently in instrument training and 'knobology' (ability to quickly and proficiently turn k***s/quickly input keystrokes into KLN 94 GPS) is pretty important in my opinion.  It makes it so much easier because its harder for the instructor to distract you with the GPS and trying to type in intersections and airports.  We still learn how to ID switches in the cockpit blind folded because at night its hard to see everything.

Answer 2

In my experience, "knobology" was a casual term for what was formally called "systems training" in the airlines and cargo services.  It was so called to keep it separate from the parts of flight training that relate to the basic skills of piloting and the basics of aircraft handling.

For example, the transition from propeller aircraft to pure jets involves some basic changes in the way a pilot thinks about the airplane's responses and performance.  The process of landing a jet airplane is completely different from that for a piston airplane (because of the allowances that must be made for the spool up/spool down times of jet engines), and requires intense psychological orientation and lots of practice..  This part of training is related directly to piloting skills.

On the other hand, many of the systems do similar things and work in similar ways, but the crew members have to go through the "knobology."  APUs, air conditioning, pressurization, electrical busses, hydraulic power packs and systems, radios and communications systems, and so on...

Where are the controls?  What is the exact effect of operating a certain control?  How does a given system figure into emergency procedures?  And on and on.

I know the term is used in some contexts a little differently, but that's how I have always heard it used:  the parts of "operating" a specific aircraft type that are not related to basic piloting skills.

Answer 3

Knobology (in aviation esp. military) can be applied to a series of steps or the sequence of a chain reaction which are a part of the process of constant adjustments leading upto an action - perhaps delivery of a weapon.

I would also like to state that in the old times we had something known as a 'blind-fold cockpit check'. Here the pilot was blind folded and made to point out to the various k***s, switches, dials and gauges which were called out by the examiner. One had to reach out and correctly identify all items called out, and was then allowed inside the actual aircraft, if all answers were correct. I presume this procedure of identifying all cockpit layout could be the answer to your question.

The process of correctly identifying all k***s and switches was called knobology.

Answer 4

I believe that's now part of the "Human Engineering" studies. Unless you've mistakenly flitted over from one of your other categories of expertise, singles & dating, in which case "plus ca change". (!)