Keep it simple folks

Learn your flows, mem items, limatations AND PROFILES (ie set thrust, thrust set, 80 kts, check, positive rate, gear up, accel height, v2+15, VFS etc etc. Dont worry about systems, you will get this the second week on. Dont get all the fancy cheat sheets, and study guides etc etc they will just bog you down and get you going in 40 wrong directions. (hate retraining or having to argue with a student who has an answer from a system we havent even gone through yet) The course is designed for you to pay attention to the system being talked about that day. Study (read,highlight) the systems to be talked about the next day and it will make complete sense. We do not make you build the system, just learn the basics (no your a fuel atom stuff here folks)

Learn your Capt flows after your F/O flows, read what you are actually doing when you check a switch etc. I see too many folks just pushing buttons instead of checking the item. Remember the flow is just to be prepared for the checklist that will follow. Get the idea now, when systems come around it will all come together and make sense why you do this then and that later. DO THIS EVERY DAY FLOWS AND MEM ITEMS There are paper tigers in the holiday INN use them before your FTD's

When you get your books and are in systems spend time in the emergency area, this is the QRC/QRH/you will be amazed if you follow a QRH failure how much of the system knowledge you will gain.

Stick with the program, it has been tried and true for over 3,000 pilots it will work for you also! The folks who struggle are the folks that over think and try to out think the program.

If your struggling ask for help from your classmates and from the schoolhouse (don't try to be macho leave your ego at the door) The instructor will know who is getting it and who is not but he will not stop and wait for you, you gotta let him know and he will bend over backwards to help ya.

hope this helps....come as prepared as you can... study hard when you are here GO HOME ON WEEKENDS!!!!!! you will burn out if you don't and leave the rest to the schoolhouse.

 

I had an instructor, not at xjet, but he said something that I found really helpful and he told us that when we are doing our flows especially the first flight of day stuff that everytime you move a switch you should say in your mind, or out loud if it helps, "I see this, I hear this" so you know what it is that you are doing, and what you are looking for (EICAS messages, etc) so when you get in the sim or the airplane and something isn't correct you catch it right away.

 

the kool aid is for real!
About leaving your ego at the door, great piece of advice. The best thing about this company is that the understand the importance of personality and there is no reason to act like you know more than you do. A bunch of great guys in every class. We had lots of guys from other 121 carriers and what they had to say about Xjet was all good.
As a side note we lose a lot of pilots to CAL, and they are slated for 40+ aircraft. Do the math with your senority number and projected hiring.

 

You should know the captain flows so that you aren't fumbling through them and slowing down the sim session. Nothing like spending 45 mins-1 hour on a receiving checklist The exciting and important stuff happens in the air so the sooner you get there, the better.

 

Thanks, Rotate, That is some good advice.

 

Hey I interviewed on May 21 and I only got the white binder and the poster. Are they going to send me the green binder?

 

On top of that you need to Know them so you can make your partners Sim session better. Remember you are there to hielp each other out also. If you dont know your captain stuff and F-things up for your partner it could screw him/her. Good luck

 

YOU NEED TO KNOW THE CA FLOWS!! There was a guy in my class who had to redo a FTD because he failed the CA (non flying pilot) part of the lesson. The left seat stuff is the only time you practice your non-flying-pilot skills until LOFT.

 

Lots of good advice here!

But above all, don't forget to enjoy your time in training. Looking back from 6 months of line flying so far, training has to have been the most fun of it all. And reward yourself after a good FTD or SIM with a nice pitcher of Guinness afterwards.

 

So its okay to drink while in training? Grab beers after training or on weekends?

I would hate to do it, only to find out they have someone "watching" us.