Originally Posted by
Adlerdriver
......I still got the sim prep and practiced the profile.
The profile isn't something you can practice in the actual jet if you're flying at another airline. I tried it in the "sim" at my fighter unit but that's not the same either. It's a cross-check exercise, so anything you can do to improve that is good - but get the sim prep.
Bottom line: It's absolutely worth the investment to give yourself the best shot at success. If I tubed the sim, I would have spent the rest of my days wondering if the outcome would have been different if I dropped the cash and got the sim time.
Just a short take on interview sim prep and 4 small steps for thought/consideration.
Background – This information was provided by a long time retired AA pilot who spent many years administering interview sims for AA.
First – if you want the sim interviewer to know you had a practice sim in a similar type sim, hop in the seat and adjust it to the proper vertical and horizontal location for you without help. If you don’t want the sim interviewer to know you had practice in a similar type sim, fumble around or ask him how to adjust the seat. Most a/c seats have different adjustment procedures to adjust the seat.
Second– turn all the lights full up. Usually, you are not going to land or perform procedures requiring night vision so more light the better, in my opinion.
Third – adjust the arm rests to a position where you fly the a/c with your elbows resting on the arm rest and just use your wrist to perform the maneuvers. Provides a very stable platform with the elbows locked down on the arm rests.
Fourth A – applies to sims with more than 2 engines. When the sim interviewer hands you the a/c, it’s usually stable, in level flight, @ 250 kts. Your throttles are set for this, so to make climb and descents don’t use all the throttles for power changes, leave at least 1 (for 3eng a/c) or 2 (for 4eng a/c) as a level flight/250 kts marker (maintain symmetrical power for easier heading control). Or you note fuel flow for level flight/250 kts and refer to the FF gages.
Fourth B - For 2 engine a/c…use the fuel flow method.
An in the words of that famous BB player from Philly (I think!)..."Practice...practice...practice".