First flight was to INL. I was fortunate enough to be just talking the radios that flight. Went up and did an ILS to 13 to minimums with an 8 kt tailwind. I can tell you that the approach and landing was great, even from the bathroom in the back, cause thats where I felt I was sitting the whole flight!

 

The first trip went fine, both of us were in a long term relationship at the time and didn't give each other a second thought. When I was furloughed, in between filling out mountains of applications, I saw her in one of my friend's pics on FB and decided to friend her because I had remembered she was one of my first FA's. She was basically like, who the heck are you? So I told her the only 3 things I remembered about her and they were specific enough to win her friendship. So we finally met up again after 2 years and have now been together for about 1.5.

So basically, on the first leg as a regional FO, I was dragged to ATL on the airplane's tail and unsuspectingly met my future wife.

 

JAX-ORD
Had to go-around on my first landing because of an aircraft missing a high speed.

 

When u get ur clearance don't ask for "IFR clearance to ?" just say flt number and where to!
Don't call DCA "Regan National" just DCA! Don't ever mention Regan.
You'll be fine!

 

906.. "The Queen" Ya, not the oldest, but she's been around more than her older sisters. A lot more. I wonder how many studs have handled her yokes?

It's funny, I didn't see this thread until today, ironic as today was my last day at my 1st airline job. Kinda bittersweet, and I was remembering and thinking about stuff all day from all the way back to SOE. Then I saw this! Made me smile.

My 1st day I didn't even fly. This is a story.
I had just moved across country from PHX to CT and moved in at home with the parents (that was a shock), only until I was done with training, and once I got my base I was out. So, my check airman called in sick for 2 trips in a row, and both times I was half way to BDL to catch my deadhead flight to CLT to ROA to start. So both times, I had to turn around and go home. Oh well. And then there's the charmer, (aka the 3rd time). My mom couldn't drop me off, so my semi disabled dad, (stroke left it hard to talk years ago) had to drive me. Now he "knew" how to get to BDL. The last time I had been was a year earlier when I flew in to see the folks, so I wasn't any help. Well 1st, we go to get on the freeway and ya it's closed due to an overturned Liquid Nitrogen truck that spilled, (I mean really, c'mon right?). So we had to take side roads that neither my dad or I had ever been on (in semi-rural CT). Finally get around all of that (took an hour to bypass what should have been 5-10 min), and head to the airport.

Between that and not generally knowing how to get there, I consequently was running up to the gate to watch my DH flight pushing off the gate. So at this point, it's after hours for training (who handles travel plans for SOE), and now for my 1st trip I'm not on my flight. Terrible WX all over the east coast, oversold flights, and ya, it's my a$$. Well I luckily get the jump seat on the next and last mainline to CLT which would get me in to connect.

I get into CLT just in time to catch the last flight to ROA (not my original flight, so no hotel/any help from the company).
But wait for it.
Canceled! Ice storm shut down the airport.

So it's 10pm, I report in ROA at 6am, and I'm just about to go rent a car when an agent suggest I get the flight to LYH and then rent a car from there. A lot shorter. I meet some people on that flight (very nice, but necks so red, a fire engine looked pale). They offered me a ride to ROA, b/c their son/daughter inlaw were picking them up for the same reason, they were on the Cnx'd flight to ROA. I say ok, what the heck. Well, their trunk wouldn't close so we had to tie the trunk lid down with trash bags that an airport janitor gave us (no bungee cords to be found). And the daughter in law was driving like an alien freak on icy roads enough to make me near crap myself in my tiny corner of the back seat, all while she was saying "That Oubamea guy is a Mouu-slim and there ain't noo wae dey voting for a black Mouu-slim who was born in Pakeystan" (Feb, 2008) But hey, they even dropped me off at my hotel and wished me luck, so I wasn't judging, just thankful for the free ride.

So I get a few hours of sleep and just after I got up to go to the bathroom to shower, scheduling calls. We're delayed 2 hrs for MX, "go back to sleep, report 2 hrs later". At this point I felt like I caught my break!

Get up 2 hrs later, and start the shower. COLD, ICE COLD. Call the desk. The boiler broke 15 min before, won't be fixed for a few hrs. Now I'm the kind of guy who needs a hot shower in the morning, or I'm a total mess for the day. I MacGyver'd a hot bath with the in room coffee maker and a wash cloth, at least I was clean and smelled positively "delightful". (The best part of waking up is smelling like you're a cup of Folgers).

Show at the airport, meet the crew. Turns out I've got the coolest cat for a captain. Really a super awesome dude, and a hot as hell FA. Plane is in another MX base still (leaky ditching hatch, crew the night before got drenched with glycol). Hours went by, no airplane, so we finally double DH from ROA to SBY to get our plane ("should be ready by the time you get there"), to ferry to our overnight. Well when they checked the hatch, it leaked water so bad that it fried the COMM stack, so overnight in SBY. No shower, 14+hours of duty, 2 DHDs, no flying. Day one complete. No panties to show for it either.. (Now the last trip of SOE with a different FA was a different story, I'll save that one for the "FA's on your overnights" thread).

Day 2, Ferry SBY-LGA. Totally on top of my game, my leg to LGA, shoot the Expressway VIS 31, fly all day, no problems. While I wasn't way out front of the airplane, I was at least in my seat, not in the cabin or clinging to the tail. I credit the captain a lot for setting the tone: "no stress, there's aways time to do everything, don't rush it".

So I thought I'd never make it to an airplane, I was freaking about getting fired before my 1st day. But all turned out great, I learned a lot then, and over the past 3 years on the line. Time to move on, but wouldn't trade the experiences I've had, the people I've met and learned from, or the enjoyment I've had flying one of the coolest and most forgiving and capable airliners (in my opinion) for the world. That step is complete, moving on, but I'll never forget it.

 

Everyone told me to fly "just like the sim." So my very first takeoff out of CVG I overtemped the engines. I threw the thrust levers forward "just like the sim." The check airman is chewing me out and laughing at the same time. Never said so many "yes sirs and no sirs" in my life. The first takeoff will be your best memory. One of those "oh s@@t what do I do" moments. The training will kick in.

That was 5 years ago when I enjoyed this job. Now I can't wait to move on. Enjoy the moment!

 

Colgan Beech 1900D N60MJ ITH-LGA June 04'

 

Just like a cesssna, you always have to be thinking about what you're going to be doing with the plane before you arrive at that point. You're thinking about setting up for the arrival before you start down from your cruise altitude, right? Well, it's the same thing, just that if I'm thinking about the descent and arrival in an airliner at FL360, I'm thinking about that stuff 100-150 miles out. I'm pep ing for an emergency on takeoff before we've even started away from the gate. Tha's what we mean. And your first day you're still used to being ahead of a cessna that flies 150kts, not a jet that flies 450kts. For me, by the end of the first day I felt like I'd just made it to the employee lot when we got to the hotel for the overnight.

IOE is Initial Operating Experience. Sim training only teaches you how to fly the plane in a nice, safe, controlled environment that's missing all the extra stuff that you need to deal with when line flying. If you try to fly an ILS by the book in ORD, you're gonna **** off a lot of people and gum up the works. So on IOE you learn how to fly the plane on the line and deal with the extra stuff. Like getting the walk around, the clearance, the w&b, catering, ramp, ops, and all the other stuff, and all within 15 minutes or so.

It takes a few weeks to get the hang of it, but IOE is there to set you on the right track and get you started in the airline life.

 

Comair CRJ-200 CVG-RDU

The plane itself flew a little differently from the sim... but everything went well and I had one of the best landings I've ever had... hell of an experience...

 

Sitting in your bed at the hotel on your first overnight and you say, "Gear up" means you're behind the plane