Go Time - Big Time
Well here I sit at Sky Harbor waiting for my a flight. Wednesday will be a day to regroup with some friends in Cincinnati. Thursday is Initial Operating Experience (IOE) class. It is conducted at my airline's flight ops and lasts just one day. I'm sure it will be a refresher on how to read schedules, how to check in, a little flight and duty and whatever else is necessary for the newbie first officer.
Friday is my first day on the line. Nope, I won't be flying. We are all assigned one day of observation flights. I will be sitting in the comfy CRJ jump seat for four legs. Cincinnati (CVG) to Chicago O'Hare (ORD) and back, then CVG to Milwaukee (MKE) and back. The purpose of the observation legs are to become familiarized with the real world vs. the simulated world. CVG-ORD should be a pretty good start. Some guys are doing Appleton, WI and Des Moines, IA. I am thankful to be heading to O'Hare for my very first flight in the cockpit.
I'll spend one last night in Cincinnati on Friday before heading to JFK on Saturday for my FIRST ACTUAL LEG! Just like my observation flight to O'Hare, my first actual flight as a First Officer will be baptism by fire. My first leg is JFK to Washington, D.C. Reagan National (DCA). That's a pretty tall order for my first leg and I am 100% ready for it. Again, some of my other classmates first legs are to Birmingham, Lexington and Grand Rapids. I'm sure those will be exciting too, but JFK-DCA is just over the top exciting. WOW. Flying from one of the most notoriously busy airports to one of the most restricted in the world should really keep me on my toes.
I feel kind of like someone that decided to take up jogging by running the Boston Marathon. Speaking of Boston, after an overnight in D.C., I'll be spending two nights in Boston. My mouth is already watering for some crab cakes and clam chowder. Yum. The remainder of the flying on my first trip will have me on several out and backs from Boston with one trip to Louisville, KY (SDF) and many to Philadelphia, PA (PHL) before the last leg to JFK on Tuesday. Hopefully, I'll get in early enough to make it home Tuesday night.
This has been a long time coming and the excitement is really starting to build. I'll try and post some photos on the next post.
2 comments:
That's awesome! I'll look for you overhead as you fly into DC! :) I hope you get to do the "river visual"-- though I don't know if that applies to flights coming in from the north. I've always thought it would be a lot of fun to do that approach. I have a client whose office is in Rosslyn (right under where the planes come by to turn over the river)... when that approach is active, I find I have a very hard time focusing on the work!
Sweet man! JFK isn't that bad. I know a few of the controllers there and if that leg happens to be your turn with the radio, just do as you always do and keep your pencil handy! Hopefully you'll get the Canarsie climb or the visual into the 13's.
If I knew of any good places to eat in NYC I'd say lets hit it up, but I have a feeling I'm going to be busy these next few weeks.
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