Originally Posted by
JetBlast77
When I went through new hire training I didn't have a single problem. I passed every single eval. flight including the final checkride without failing a single event. I'm in my third year as an FO at my company, yet every time I go in for a recurrent PC I seem to have problems. I study my manuals and systems as I should, and I don't fail, but I always have a lot of difficulty trying to get through them. The sim fly's nothing like the aircraft and everyone knows we don't fly profiles to a " T " on the line.
So what am I missing? How do you guys usually prepare for a PC? How far in advance do you start studying? What exactly do you study besides memory items and systems and such? How do you prepare for the sim? I've never failed a checkride before, but I really don't want to start if there's something I'm missing here. Thanks.
First of all try to relax! I hate to say it but you are making it a bigger deal than it is.
Here are a few things that I've discovered along the way:
1. Check airman see A LOT of pilots. Eight a day in some cases doing the same maneuvers over and over and over again. They aren't going to remember you once you walk out that door, besides, they only got to look at your face for a few hours during the pre-brief. So chances are, if you meet them on the line one day or fly with them, they are probably not going to remember your name.
2. Most check airman are good people. They are not there typically to bust you but to help fill in the gaps, keep your skills up, and teach you a few things that you will probably never see online but could. They are instructors and they like to teach. Mind you, I say "most" not all.
3. I've gone into recurrent sim with captains that knew nothing...at all...about the airplane and I've flown with captains that blew practically every single maneuver. They were having a bad day but they still made it through. Again, the check airman was mostly encouraging and helped them work through the kinks.
4. Finally, in all cases, when someone did something wrong, it was because they were too wound up and psyched themselves out of the checkride before they even got there. Don't let that happen to you.
Quick story: I had tons of trouble during initial. Even had an extra day of training before my checkride. I just couldn't get it. At the time, my check airman was considered one of the toughest check airman in the system. Fast forward a few years and I'm going to recurrent with that same check airman. I had myself wound up so tight before the ride that I was almost sick. -- On the day of the checkide, I decided I was just going to do the best I could. And that is what happened. I did great. From that day forward, I knew there was hardly anything they could throw at me that would cause me to fail and all my rides have gone well since then.
How I prepared:
1. Went for walks and "arm-chaired" flew all the maneuvers. I am sure I looked silly with one imaginary hand on the yoke and one on the thrust.
2. Reviewed my SOP and systems during overnights and during flights. Nothing extensive, about 30-45 minutes a night.
3. Talked to other pilots about their current sims. Find out what the "hot" topics are. They change yearly.
4. Most importantly, I believed in myself and that I could do it, knowing that I was going to make a few mistakes but that I had to let them go and get on with the next maneuver. I could think about what I did wrong later.
Hope that helps!
Jeff
Almost the Speed of Sound