Sims Week One

Life seems a little twisted when you're away from home for so long. It has now been eight weeks and the end is finally in sight. The sim is the final phase of training before going on line for IOE.

It's easy to complain about the length of my company's training program, but it really is excellent. Many regional airlines outsource their training. The average length of service for instructors is over seven years.

Our first four sim sessions consisted of practicing cockpit flows, checklists and profiles and procedures. It was all of the basics of flying the aircraft from the beginning to end of a flight. We flew many departure procedures, arrivals and a lot of the things you'd normally do during flight including flight level changes, vectors, flight plan changes, climbs and descents with altitude and speed crossing restrictions, abnormal procedures and a significant amount of ILS approaches.

Our instructor also threw a few things at us including unexpected wake turbulence encounters, thunder storms, turbulence and wind shear.

The procedures validation was pretty straightforward. We started with a cold, dark airplane. Then had to pick up a clearance, push back, start the engines and taxi. He gave me a slow hot start. That's where the inter-turbine temperature (ITT) goes too high after fuel is introduced. The procedure is to put the thrust lever to shut-off, turn off the ignition and dry motor (leave starter running) the engine until the ITT is below 120C or until the starter has been running for 60 seconds. Next, you run the QRH procedure, then call maintenance.

During taxi, runway visual range (RVR) dropped to 600 feet. With visibility below 1200 RVR, a takeoff alternate is required. Also in order to take off with 600 RVR, center line lights and runway center line markings are must be adequately visible. For a low visibility takeoff, the brakes must be held until thrust is at 70%.

We took off from CVG on runway 18L and did the Bluegrass 8 departure. After a series of vectors and altitude changes, we were cleared to our final altitude. Once at cruise, the instructor gave me a pack low press caution. After that, he gave me a GEN 2 FAIL caution. We handled both of the procedures and were then vectored back to CVG for an ILS. Visibility was lower than reported and we ended up going around and flying the published missed. We were then vectored around for another ILS to minimums and landed.

That was the end of my portion of the procedures validation. After a ten minute break, it was my partner's turn to do the same thing and his went well too. We both passed and are ready to move on.

The next step is the maneuvers stage which is four sims sessions followed by the maneuvers validation. The MV conducted by a check airman and is a pass/fail checking event. We will be expected to perform rejected takeoffs, V1 cuts, single engine approaches and missed approaches and other tasks that are determined by the check airman. From what I've heard, the MV is a bigger deal than the actual check ride, which is called a line-oriented event (LOE). The LOE is the final event and is basically a typical flight between a city pair.

If anyone has any questions about airline training that haven't been answered here, feel free to ask. I'll do the best to answer them based on what I've experienced over the past few months.

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After finishing the PV, I hopped a flight home to see my wife and kids. It was another quick trip, but worth it. I actually had to fly through Los Angeles to get home. An extra two hours of flying got me home 5 hours earlier. The worst part of the trip was getting a middle seat from CVG to LAX. The guy in the aisle seat was over 300 lbs and made me look anorexic. Needless to say, it was kind of uncomfortable. On the way back today, I was luck enough to get an aisle seat in the emergency exit row. Ahh...legroom.

Rounding 3rd

Part One: Launch - 2 weeks

Parth Two: Basic Indoc - 2 weeks

Part Two: Systems & Integration - 4 weeks

Part Three: Sims - 3 weeks beginning on Monday at 4 a.m. The sim training is the last part of training before hitting the line for Initial Operating Experience (IOE). The three week process involves training sessions each followed by a check. The first check is the procedures validation which falls at the end of week one. The second check is the maneuvers validation at the end of week two. The third and final check is the Line Oriented Evaluation (LOE) or simply The Check Ride.

The LOE is usually done with a current and qualified line captain. It consists of a round trip flight between a city pair. The FO performs one leg as the pilot flying and the other as pilot monitoring. It is conducted just like a regular revenue flight, with a dispatch release, manifest and weight & balance. There are usually some abnormal procedures and emergencies thrown in for good measure.

The three part training is structured under the airlines Advanced Qualification Program (AQP). AQP's are approved by the FAA for Part 121 & 135 operators. An AQP basically allows the airline to break up the traditional check ride in to 3 phases. Instead of a day filled with a 3 hour oral exam and 3+ hour check ride, it is broken up over three separate events.

The check ride is three weeks from today. Ground school is officially over. Time flies when training in the simulator and then it will finally be time for the real thing. The culmination of a lot of time and effort. Will it be worth it?

Leviathan of the Sky

© Michael Davis

The A380 landing on CVG Runway 18L. There are
20 wheels on the 4 main landing gear trucks!

CVG is a pretty busy airport. Around 65% of the air traffic is comprised of regional jets including Bombardier CRJ-200/700/900 and Embraer ERJ135/145 and 170 series. None of them carry over 90 passengers.

Yesterday was a pretty big day for CVG. The Airbus A380 stopped by for a promotional visit for all of the employees of the GE engine plant in Cincinnati. The A380's GP7000 engines are manufactured by Engine Alliance, joint venture of Pratt & Whitney & GE Aircraft Engines, headquartered in Cincinnati. The other engine choice for the A380 is manufactured by Rolls Royce/Trent.

After doing a low altitude fly over of the GE plant, the behemoth headed south for CVG in Northern Kentucky. It landed on runway 18L and taxied to the Airborne cargo ramp on the south end of the airport. It spent the day there giving GE employees the opportunity to see it up close and personal.

It was a big deal to see the A-380 here. CVG will never see service from an aircraft that size. Delta 767's are the biggest planes you'll see here.

It's going to be interesting taxiing behind one of these monsters. I bet full t/o thrust could turn a CRJ upside down.

Here are some more photos:

© flycvg

You could drive that Ford F-150 underneath the outboard engine.

© Michael Davis

When I look at the main wheels, I can't fathom the heat those brakes must generate.

© Michael Davis

The size of the wings is what impresses me most. They are HUGE.

Photos 1, 3 & 4 courtesy Michael Davis, Nashville Aviation Photographers. See all of his A380 photos here
Photo 2 courtesy of flycvg.

So Let It Be Written, So Let It Be Done

Monday was the Limitations and Memory Items Exam. It was the final written exam, the one that everyone dreads due to a 100% score requirement. Apparently, people do better under the pressure of having their job at risk. Everyone passed.

We have one more CRM class this week, then airport indoc and systems integration intro. Next week is systems integration where we take everything we've learned from company ops specs to aircraft systems and put them all together for the FINAL phase of training: Sims.

Sims start 10/15 and run through 11/1. The check ride is scheduled for 11/2. Hopefully the next 4 weeks will fly by. I'm ready to be done with initial training.

I've finally reached the training saturation point and am officially sick of all things CRJ related. Being away from home is something I'll have to get used to until I can locate to a base that is suitable for family. However, there will still be breaks in between where I can see them. 10 weeks is a very long time and I just miss my wife and kids. Nobody forced me to be here and there aren't any regrets. It's just hard.

Tomorrow is my wife's birthday. Our anniversary was last month and my daughter and youngest son have October birthdays that I'll be missing. We've all discussed special occasions and how they can be celebrated when everyone is together. A day is just a day. A special occasion is any time we can be together as a family. I thank God every day for my wife and children.

My attitude isn't as bad as it sounds right now. It's just one of those bumps. Maintain positive mental attitude.

Hangar Night

Last night was hangar night. Basically, the class goes out to the maintenance ramp where an aircraft has been set aside for our use. Over the course of three hours we: did a pre-flight walk around inspection, inspected the avionics bay and aft equipment bay.

After all of the exterior activities were complete, it was time to open up the main cabin door and climb aboard. My sim partner and I were the first aboard and that meant we were tasked with doing the flight compartment safety check and firing up the APU. I've done it over 50 times in the simulator, but doing it for the first time in the actual aircraft was a little unnerving. If you do it wrong in the sim, the instructor has you do it again. If you do it wrong in the aircraft, it just might destroy a one million dollar APU.

It's amazing how accurate simulators are. When the battery master is flipped in the plane, it sounded just the way I expected it to. I love seeing the displays light up like Times Square. After doing the safety check and the APU start flow, it was time to press the APU START switch light. I love the way an APU sounds when it's firing up and it was especially gratifying to hear it from the cockpit for the very first time. This may sound corny, but I will never forget it.

The rest of the evening was spent practicing opening the emergency exits, learning the locations of all of the emergency equipment, opening and closing the main cabin door and galley service door, the crew escape hatch in the cockpit plus a few other things. It was a fun night.

In the cockpit getting ready to start the APU

Just after APU start...getting ready to turn on the AC Packs.

Teamwork

Today was the systems test. It was 100 questions about every system in the CRJ-200. I scored 97, but should have scored 100. Some day I'll learn to RTFQ/RTFA. Am I happy with a 97? Absolutely. 80 was passing. However, blowing questions strictly due to attention deficit is a bummer.

The time spent here in training is like living on a different planet. The only people that I have anything in common with right now are the other 13 members of my class. Our class of 14 is pretty tight-knit and a wonderful group of people from all walks of life. Our ages range from 22-42, with 13 men and one woman. Backgrounds range from fresh Embry Riddle grads to former engineers and a flight attendant. Everyone in the class performed well with no one scoring less than 95. That is a testament to teamwork. My room mate and I have had as many as 10 people at the apartment on nights and weekends, each contributing their particular strengths. By the time we wrapped up studying last night, not one person felt uncomfortable with any CRJ system.

After each hurdle is cleared, there is only a moment to breathe a sigh of relief. Now that systems is over, it's time for CRM, flight planning and performance. The next big exam is Monday, covering aircraft limitations and memory items. Passing score: 100%. No pressure there. Now does it make sense why I'm bummed about a 97?

The most difficult thing about training is being 2,000 miles away from my wife and children. I miss them so much and the 3 hour time difference makes communication difficult. In addition, being so wrapped up in myself and training means that I have no other contact with the outside world. Finding things to talk about is like pulling teeth. My head has been crammed full of new information with more on the way. The only recent news stories I can recall are the death of Luciano Pavarotti and disappearance of aviator Steve Fossett. Now if you want to talk with me about hydraulics, game on.

All I can say is my wife is the most wonderful, understanding person for putting up with all of this. Aviation is definitely a selfish business.

I saw something funny not too long ago:

"The average pilot, despite the somewhat swaggering exterior, is very much capable of such feelings as love, affection, intimacy and caring...These feelings just don't involve anyone else."

I'm ashamed to admit that I'm starting to see myself that way right now. The check ride has been scheduled for November 2nd. God bless my family for the willingness to stick it out.

Training Week 4: Family Orientation and Systems

First thing Monday was the final exam for indoc. Everyone in the class passed and the instructor said that she can't remember a time when everyone scored over 90. At noon, it was time for family orientation. The airline flew class members' families out for the day to meet management, enjoy a nice catered lunch and hear about life as an airline pilot. Afterwards, they were given a tour all of the company facilities and the simulators. It was a pretty nice thing to do. Monday was a good day.

Tuesday was the first day of systems class. It felt good to be re-immersed in to CRJ systems. As much as I thought had been forgotten started to come back out of long term memory storage. That is a very good thing as the CRJ is a complicated aircraft. I remember how difficult it was the first time around and am glad to have a leg up.

In the first four days we covered EICAS (Engine Information and Crew Alerting System), AC/DC electrical system, APU (Auxiliary Power Unit), Fuel System, Powerplant, Environmental Control System, Ice & Rain Protection, Fire Protection, Hydraulics, Landing Gear, Flight Controls, EFIS (Electronic Flight Instrument System), Oxygen & Emergency Equipment and Lighting. That's enough for four days, right?

Monday & Tuesday we'll be finishing up on systems with Navigation, Communications, EGPWS (Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System 0r E Jip Whiz for short), Water & Waste, Aircraft Doors & AFCS (Automatic Flight Control System). Wednesday is the comprehensive systems test which is about 100 questions covering all systems. Multiple choice, true/false and my favorite...fill in the guess. Oh well, it's just another hurdle in a seemingly never ending race.

Thursday is the first of four CRM (Crew Resource Management) classes and Friday night is hangar night. We'll be spending about 8 hours in a CRJ learning about and performing tasks like pre-flight and emergency procedures.

Since I'm in severe study mode, if anyone has questions about the systems of the CRJ-200, I'll try to answer them for you. It will definitely be good study matter for me. Keep in mind, this is from a pilot's level of knowledge - not an A&P. I can't and won't build the system for you.

For anyone interested in learning a little more about the CRJ-200, here are some images of cockpit panels and descriptions of what each switch, switch light, button and dial does. Enjoy.

Above are the left and center overhead panels.

Above is the right overhead panel along with lighting, oxygen and mag compass
Above is the glare shield, minus the AFCS, and the captain's side panel. The triangular black handle is called the tiller. It is used to steer the aircraft on the ground, up to 70 degrees.

The above panels are from the lower pedestal. There are several detail panels missing including the throttle quadrant, main radio tuning units, audio panels and FMS.