Notices
Hangar Talk For non-aviation-related discussion and aviation threads that don't belong elsewhere

Tool of the day

Old 08-14-2012, 02:07 AM
  #2421  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Jughead's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Dec 2007
Position: ATL717A
Posts: 890
Default

Originally Posted by rickt86 View Post
what a nerd!!!!!!
Nerdy, yes. But based on this:



I'm pretty sure that's the Major's target audience.
I think the mundane details of his training evolution (including describing a crosswalk sign) are geared to entertain a C.A.P. meeting of 4th graders in rural Maine.
Jughead is offline  
Old 08-14-2012, 04:24 AM
  #2422  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,919
Default

20 bucks that guy does more than half his weekly chores in uniform.
DeadHead is offline  
Old 08-14-2012, 04:57 AM
  #2423  
Banned
 
Joined APC: Jan 2008
Position: Pilot
Posts: 2,625
Default

Originally Posted by Jughead View Post
Nerdy, yes. But based on this:



I'm pretty sure that's the Major's target audience.
I think the mundane details of his training evolution (including describing a crosswalk sign) are geared to entertain a C.A.P. meeting of 4th graders in rural Maine.
I understand that, but he thinks way to highly of himself, and makes it sound like what he does is the hardest thing on the planet and yet he is an ace at it all. That's what makes him a Major Tool!
Red Forman is offline  
Old 08-14-2012, 04:59 AM
  #2424  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Boomer's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Jan 2008
Position: blueJet
Posts: 4,497
Default

Originally Posted by DeadHead View Post
20 bucks that guy does more than half his weekly chores in uniform.
20 bucks the sales guys at GameStop call him Major Bearscove when he stops in.
Boomer is offline  
Old 08-14-2012, 05:02 AM
  #2425  
Gets Weekends Off
 
TeddyKGB's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Jul 2010
Position: 7er
Posts: 1,673
Default

July 31st - What Time is It?

I just completed my Operating Experience! The instructor and evaluator told me I completed it with fewer training hours than the average pilot who comes from turbo-prop plane, so that was a real morale booster. The simulator training was needed to get me trained on flying the plane. This Operating Experience (OE) was required to allow me to fly the plane for the airline itself. The Line Check Airman, the FAA representative, and a company evaluator all had to sign me off on this training. My first flight as a true Captain will be August 5th flying international into Canada.

No one is perfect and there were things I kept forgetting. One flight I would forget to turn on the landing lights for take-off - it was during the day so they only come on so other pilots can see us coming in – and on another flight I would forget to call for a checklist when I was supposed to. Some of this was due to the fact that when you're in the simulator your instructor would teach you one way, then when flying the actual plane that instructor would have a different way of doing things. You just have to accept this fact and adapt on the fly – pun intended.

On the second day of OE I made a funny mistake that others said they have done, too. I shut down both engines at the gate without first making sure there was an electrical source to power the airplane's interior lights. It was at night and all the passengers were still on… the airplane went completely dark! The emergency lights then came on. My instructor looked at me, smiled, and pushed the button to turn on the auxiliary power generator. He said "I bet that's a mistake you'll never make again."

The second day started in Chicago and ended in Des Moines, Iowa with a stop in Memphis, TN first. I made two nice landings. We followed a FedEx jet out of Memphis all the way to De Moines. The air traffic controller asked us both what our speed was in relation to the speed of sound. We were both flying at 77% the speed of sound, so the controller didn't have to have one of us slow down for the other.

When we ended our day the flight attendants told me that a passenger had commented to them that I had a soothing voice over the Public Address speakers in the aircraft cabin. That was the first time I have ever heard a passenger make that compliment about any pilot. Another morale booster!

What's it like flying a jet? Everything happens quick! You will fly near a thunderstorm you saw on the horizon just 20 minutes ago and had guessed that it was too far away to even worry about. Flying half-way across the country? In my previous airplanes you had hours to think about approach and landing. With a jet… you're planning the approach and landing only an hour after you took off… and you're not even in the same time zone yet, hah!

Warning: Science talk:

When we talk about how fast we're going in a jet at high altitudes, we talk in percentages of the speed of sound, not in miles per hour. To explain… the closer we get to the speed of sound the more drag an airplane encounters, to the point at which we would need a rocket engine or special jet engines to get the plane past the speed barrier. Because of these aerodynamic facts (and a couple more), a subsonic passenger jet plane, its engines, and its wings are designed to fly as close to the speed of sound as possible while also being fuel efficient. Now, the speed of sound changes with air temperature and air pressure. So while we are climbing or descending and the air pressure and temperature are constantly changing, the speed of sound will change. If we used miles per hour to describe our speed, we would need to calculate the speed of sound every single minute to make sure we weren't going too fast or slow. Instead we simply have instruments that tell us what our speed is compared to the speed of sound. Mach 0.74 is 74% the speed of sound. Using this terminology is different to me, but is very cool indeed. Our instruments tell us both Mach and nautical miles per hour at the same time, so I have to be careful to look at the right one while flying.

On day three we flew from Des Moines, Iowa to Minneapolis, MN to St Louis, MO back to Minneapolis then on to Austin, TX. One of the people that have to sign my training as satisfactory is a government representative from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). They have to sit in the cockpit in the spare seat and observe one flight. They aren't looking for perfection because they know I'm still in training. It's just the government's way of double checking that the airline is doing a proper job training pilots. But you still get nervous and feel a lot of pressure to be perfect. Mine went fine and the representative shook my hand and said good job. The last day we flew from Austin TX to Detroit to Hartford, CT and back to Detroit.

On the third flight (the one to Hartford) an FAA aviation inspector decided to hop a ride home on our flight. He used his credentials to sit in the spare cockpit seat to inspect my instructor and I. We were tired after flying all weekend and my training was coming to an end, so having a government inspector ride with us and watch everything we did wasn't fun, BUT, it's part of the job. I usually never ever worry, because I know I'm safe and do everything the way I should, so I don't have to worry about the FAA guy taking my license away. But when you're so new and still learning, you get nervous and want to put on a good show. Once again, the FAA shook my hand and said good job. Phew! It was a tough landing, too (not rough, tough). The runway didn't have an ILS landing system working, and there were no lights to guide me down to the runway, so once I saw the runway I had to use my basic pilot skills and land a fast heavy jet on the runway as if I had all the normal visual cues.

Now for my last flight during OE. My instructor thought I was doing well enough that instead of a training flight, he would make it the final evaluation. If I did well, he would sign the paperwork. If I made a big mistake, he'd just say I needed some extra time, instead of giving me a failing grade. That was very gentlemanly of him. Fortunately I didn't need that bone, because he thought I did well enough to sign me off fully! He shook my hand and said "good job!" In aviation if it's not one thing that goes wrong, it's another. On our last flight, when the whole crew (me, my instructor, and the two flight attendants) were going to be going home and hoped for an early arrival in Detroit, there was a glitch with the jetway. We waited on the plane with our passengers for almost 20 minutes while they tried to figure it out.

Overall conclusion:

The thrill of flying a technological marvel capable of achieving speeds and altitudes only dreamed about a century ago is something I would never give back. No matter how demanding the job can get I am reminded every day that what I do for work is simply miraculous.

So, what does airline training teach us? Besides the fact that we have to know and master flying the airplane itself, we learn that we cannot depend on our own human brain in itself to operate an airline flight. Everyone involved must do their part, must be trusted, and must speak up if they don't like what they see or hear. The engineers who designed, the mechanics who maintain, and the reliability of the equipment must be trusted. With all these elements in place, you still cannot ensure a safe flight if you did not take your training seriously, if you show up to work late, tired, emotionally drained, or under the influence of a drug or alcohol. You must rely on your and your co-worker's experience and gut instincts. You must follow the regulations and policies, filling in the grey areas with information from all resources available to you. Realizing that no human or machine is perfect you must always be planning a way to safely return to the Earth.
TeddyKGB is offline  
Old 08-14-2012, 05:03 AM
  #2426  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Boomer's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Jan 2008
Position: blueJet
Posts: 4,497
Default

20 bucks he wears his CAP uniform while strolling through museums and airshows (the ones with no CAP presence whatsoever)
Boomer is offline  
Old 08-14-2012, 05:07 AM
  #2427  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Boomer's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Jan 2008
Position: blueJet
Posts: 4,497
Default

This part always brings a tear to my eye...

Originally Posted by Delta1067 View Post
The second day started in Chicago and ended in Des Moines, Iowa with a stop in Memphis, TN first. I made two nice landings. We followed a FedEx jet out of Memphis all the way to De Moines. The air traffic controller asked us both what our speed was in relation to the speed of sound. We were both flying at 77% the speed of sound, so the controller didn't have to have one of us slow down for the other.
I think a hundred kids just signed up for flying lessons.
Boomer is offline  
Old 08-14-2012, 05:12 AM
  #2428  
Gets Weekends Off
 
TeddyKGB's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Jul 2010
Position: 7er
Posts: 1,673
Default



Honey, where is my hat? I need to go to the grocery store.
TeddyKGB is offline  
Old 08-14-2012, 05:13 AM
  #2429  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Joined APC: Jun 2010
Position: Doing what you do, for less.
Posts: 1,792
Default

Originally Posted by Delta1067 View Post
He is not flow eligible. He was originally a Colgan pilot who somehow migrated over to CRJ900 Captain.
Don't worry, even though he can't flow, hundreds more just like him will be able to.
lolwut is offline  
Old 08-14-2012, 05:23 AM
  #2430  
Gets Weekends Off
 
Boomer's Avatar
 
Joined APC: Jan 2008
Position: blueJet
Posts: 4,497
Default

Originally Posted by Delta1067 View Post


Honey, where is my hat? I need to go to the grocery store.
I was expecting an oak leaf cluster pin on his tie.

Or maybe a pledge pin.
Boomer is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Elvis90
Military
2
11-11-2010 09:25 AM
meloveboeing
Regional
5
10-02-2010 07:47 AM
kc135driver
United
119
08-24-2010 08:30 AM
exerauflyboy5
Flight Schools and Training
15
02-18-2009 08:29 PM
Busdriver
JetBlue
70
01-16-2006 10:32 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread
Your Privacy Choices