Special Endorsements
In addition to a standard pilot's certificate there are several special endorsments available to broaden the use of a pilot's license.
These endorsement require additional training and a signed endorsement in the pilot's logbook, but no additonal testing.
Complex
A complex endorsement allows a pilot to fly aircraft with retractable landing gear, a controllable pitch propller, and flaps. It is a neccessary endorsement for
anyone seeking a commercial pilot's certificate.
High performance
An aircraft with an engine capable of producing more than 200HP requires a high performance endorsement. These aircraft can be difficult to control due to
the amount of torque created at high power settings. The larger engines can also make the aircraft difficult to control during landings since the nose may be heavier than
normal aircraft.
Tailwheel
Todays modern aircraft utilize a tri-cycle landing gear configuration. This configuration utilizes two main wheels and a nose wheel. The nosewheel makes steering very easy
and results in an aircraft that is very stable during landings. Unfortunately, the nose wheel tends to be damage prone on unimproved fields where it can easily dig into muddy, rutty
ground where it can bend or snap off.
Tail draggers on the other hand do not have a nose gear. The main gear are moved forward slightly so that the tail of the aircraft drags along the ground on a tiny wheel. With the weight
of the aircraft distributed across the stronger main gear, tail draggers tend to fare better on unimproved landing strips. Unfortunately, without a nose gear to assist with steering,
tail draggers become less stable during takeoffs and landings and require additonal training to operate safely.
Turbine
Technically there is no such endorsement, however turbine engines operate on a different set of principals than their reciprocating counterparts. The high degree of enginering complexity involved
in a turbine engine renders it very expensive to operate and own. Because of this, few low time pilots are ever offered a chance to build turbine time outside of the airlines. Turbine time however
is worth its weight in gold to a prospective employer, and Coyote Flight Centers is one of the few schools in the nation that has in its fleet a turbine equipped machine at a reasonable cost.
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