Sim Training- how to survive with your ego :b
 

I'm just putting this out there for kicks...what is your story? How did you survive the crazy hours, repeated maneuvers, emergency on top of emergency, and overall ups and downs? :eek:

I had a lot of help from Jack Daniels.

Get one of those cases of 5 hr energys. It's key.

My sim partner and I kept a close eye on each other. We would study everyday before the simulator and after. I kept a close watch on him when he was pilot flying and he kept a close watch on me when I was pilot flying.

We also had little "codes" we came up with in the event we forgot or missed something during the lesson. For example, if things got hectic and the pilot flying forgot to call for a checklist the non-pilot flying would tap the checklist loud enough above the autopilot panel to get his attention. There was more and I can't remember it all, but its stuff like this that made each and every lesson successful for us.

There is an excellent article out there about how to survive the sim portion of ground school. It was pretty much a summary stating your simulator experience is dependant upon your simulator partner. I can't find it, but maybe someone else has it?

I just told the instructor up front that this would be pretty easy for him since I already have a SIC type from Jet U so I know everything about the CRJ anyways. We may as well go out for a beer...




but as a serious note, know your profiles/callouts before you get in the sim :)

The biggest two things about surviving sim training as a newhire at a regional:

1) Initial new-hire is not party time. Its not college all over again. Hunker down and study, save the drinking and partying for once you're on the line and bored at the crashpad. Definitely get some relaxation time in, but only after the studying is done, and make sure you leave enough time to get a good night's sleep each night.

2) No matter how much you learned at your jet-transition course, you don't know more about the RJ than your instructors. Be humble, try to keep your mouth shut, and learn. As a side note to this, nobody cares about stories from your previous job or your previous airplane, especially if they start with "Well at ____, we did it xyz way.."

Study hard. An instructor told me something once that has stuck with til now. Memorizing the call outs in the sim, V1 cuts, go arounds, etc. is like memorizing the lyrics to a rap song. Repetition is key until you don't even have to think about it. The words just come out automatically.

Your partner is your greatest asset. I can remember times hand flying single engine approaches in the sim, get a little busy and notice the rudder paddle moving by itself. It was my partner adding correction where he saw it was needed.

Having my sim parter look out for each other... Like, if i forgot to call "flaps up" he would put his hand by the flap lever to remind me... Little things like that really helps.

Bring lube, you are going to need it. But really, just ask Cruz!!! :eek:

But in reality make sure that you learn from your mistakes as well as your partner mistakes. It helps if your partner is someone upgrading or who has flown in this type of environment. Study, Study, Study... Take time to relax and there is nothing wrong with going out on a Friday night with the classmates as long as you are not behind (don't get to drunk that you have a hangover the next day), then get good breakfast and hit the books again!!!

All great information. I'm very interested in hearing any and all advice also as I begin my initial new-hire training in a couple weeks. I come from a 6 year CFI background. I think the articles you were referring to are below:

Playing The Game

Surviving The Simulator

I'd appreciate more DOs and DONTs of initial new-hire training too. Thanks.

All good points. No add -ons from me.
Said the guy pushing all the buttons in back.

What's helped me the most and it can be hard to do is relax and have fun, oh and SLOW DOWN do it right the first time. I've seen people get stressed and try to shut down the wrong engine. Take your time and get it right, the plane will fly.

Twenty years of doing this and I'll say the above statement is KEY! Fly the airplane first, take a deep breath, relax, and METHODICALLY make your call outs and perform your tasks. SLOW DOWN!!

Then he said, "That's great, but you are assigned to the Saab."

In addition to all of the above, your attitude will have a huge influence on what you get out of it. A good partner is key, but if your partner is weak, you'll just have to step up even more. Don't fight the system. Work hard, get with your instructor about your weaknesses, have a great attitude and you'll be fine.

I came across this on another message board. A bit harsh, but something might help.

Eighteen Study Tips
1. Find a study method or two and use them. Many use flashcards. Write the checklist name on one side, the checklist on the other. If you were able to get the flows, limitations and emergency memory items, know them all before you arrive for ground school. If you were able to get your hands on the expanded checklists, know your limitations, flows, and memory items, then start working on the expanded checklists. Each flow item might have a seven-item checklist with it, know what those items are and what you are looking for. The harder you work before class, the better prepared you’ll be once you get there.
2. For limitations, you could make a worksheet like the ones available on this site. Run through the worksheet every morning and every night, and in a few days, you’ll find the knowledge starting to stick. When you’re first starting, only put the number correct at the top of the page. Dating them so you can see your progress and the ones constantly missed helps motivation.
3. Know memory items verbatim. If the company says “Reverse Thrust – Apply Maximum until Stopping Assured”, be able to spit it back that way. It’s standardization. “Thrust Reversers – Maximum” doesn’t cut it. When everyone says and does the checklist the same way, you can then work together immediately with the rest of the pilot group, and better be able to adapt to unusual situations.
4. When trying to memorize verbatim, one technique is to write the material on one side of the flashcard, and write the name of the flow or memory item on the front, as well as the first letter of each word in the checklist. For example: “1. Reverse Thrust – Apply Maximum until Stopping Assured” becomes “1. R T – A M U S A”
5. If you have time, learn required limitations verbatim as well as being able to explain what they mean. Then start working on the other limitations. You are responsible for all of them, so make life easy on the line and know them before starting ground school.
6. When in class, indoc is not the time to slack. Pay attention in class, take notes, review those notes at night, read all the assignments, take notes on those assignments. There will be a test (or three). Ops Spec (C055 & C078), duty limits, exemption 3585, when you can board, what happens when a pax gets disruptive, baggage weights, limits, memory items and so on. Don’t read ahead of the assignments if you haven’t mastered the previous and assigned materials. Make flashcards, the process of making them will help you to learn the material.
7. If you have a relevant question during class, ask it. Chances are the five guys next to you have the same question. However, class time is very limited, sometimes you may need to hold your question until before or after class.
8. There are plenty of gouge sites and commercial sites charging you for a version of the material your company provides and is paying you to learn. Read your company materials first. If you insist on using third-party materials, use the questions, look up the answers in company materials.
9. When in class, what your previous airline did doesn’t matter. You were hired by the current airline to fly it their way. Pull the big red FLUSH handle in your brain and dump that previous aircraft and company. Learn and master this one.
10. Many companies have paper tiger rooms that are available 24/7. Take advantage of them. If you can, find your sim partner early and get together to run flows, callouts, and maneuvers. Reach for each control. If you make a mistake, start over from the beginning. Once you and your partner have mastered the basic flows, start adding the expanded items. Switch up with other classmates occasionally if possible. Flight instructors know that you best learn materials when you try to teach it, so practice teaching your classmates the materials, and have them practice teaching you.
11. If you’re exhausted by the end of that night’s homework and practicing flows, callouts, and maneuvers is impossible, go to bed. Get up early and hit the flows in the morning, before class. Thirty minutes of practice while refreshed and awake each morning before class adds up and you’ll be able to spend more time on assigned reading each night. By the time you’ve completed indoc and systems, you should have a good handle on the requirements and CPTs/formal paper tiger practice will be much more productive, as well as once you hit the sim.
12. While reading through the manuals, you might have a question to ask the instructor. One instructor gave everyone a pack of large Post-It notes, and instructed everyone to write their questions and stick them on the page. In class, ask the questions. It worked. Page markers are useful, especially when organizing your notes.
13. During systems, one student took time at the end of each day to type up his notes. His studying included the re-phrasing of his notes into the computer system, plus he discovered the gaps in his knowledge. The next day in class, he filled those gaps. His study was efficient, and his tests were easy.
14. Another pilot, when faced with a new aircraft, and/or company, sits down the night he receives the aircraft systems books, and makes flashcards. Every switch, button, knob, and so on gets a flashcard. On the back he lists what happens when the switch is moved, knob turned, button pushed and pushed again, light illuminates, and so on. He first tackles the overhead panel, then works his way across the cockpit. You can get bogged down in EICAS messages, skip those until the major systems are done, then come back and card the important EICAS messages. It takes time, and more complicated aircraft might take several hours for this process to be completed. The systems exam is the first deadline, the oral exam the second, the checkride the third, and once out flying, each flight is the continual deadline.
15. Now that you have a ton of flashcards, make your studying efficient. Some systems use 7 boxes for flashcards, I use three. The first box holds all the new cards. The one on the right are the ones I got right. The ones on the left are the ones I didn’t know. When I start a flashcard session, I start with the box on the left, then add the new ones. I’ll usually hit the left box items twice in a study session. Every other day, moving to third day, then week, and so on, I review the box on the right. If I miss one of those, it goes into the left box.
16. When faced with a long open book exam, usually at the end of indoc and usually with a time limit, just like you did on your knowledge tests, go through and answer every question you know immediately, saving calculations and those needing research for later. Pay close attention to wording. You might think you know the answer, but one question might state “beginning” while the source in the manuals states “ending”. This is also a test of your attention to detail. The second time through, answer all of the questions that need calculations or research, but don’t spend more than the time it takes to look up the index and/or chapter table of contents, then read a few paragraphs on the page to find the answer. If the answer is not readily apparent, skip it and go to the next. You’ve probably earned a passing grade at this point. Now go through the exam again and research the tough-to-find answers. Finally, review the test making sure each question has an answer. These last two steps will take you from barely passing to the 90% and higher, which allows better absorption of trick questions or areas the entire class misunderstood. This process does not work on those exams that do not allow for review of previously answered questions.
17. Sometimes the company will show you how to read the releases, then you won’t touch them again for two weeks, after systems. Every other day or so, re-read the practice problems and work them. The faster you become at calculating weight and balances plus takeoff numbers, the more sim time you’ll have to practice maneuvers.
18. Once the company allows it and you have your crew badges, try to jumpseat on a company flight or two, solely to observe the procedures in motion.
Good luck with the studying!

Check your ego at the door. You might have a shot at survival, but it probably won't...

If you find yourself on the wrong side of the academic power curve, you will need to maximize your available study time and your study effectiveness...

Don't party or hang out with folks who shoot the breeze more than study every night...but blow off some steam when you absolutely need to, like once a week. But don't waste a weekend study day on a hangover.

Don't go home on weekends. If happen to live in town, you probably need to plan on only going home to sleep.

Work out. If you're not used to studying 16-18 hours/day you will need to clear your head. I usually hit cardio machines so I can study while 'm doing it. That's a good time for flash cards and practicing flows...you won't need a paper tiger for routine flows once you have everything memorized and can visualize it all.

When you get to sim, do "full mission profile" practice sessions with your partner. This means go through start-to-finish approaches talking through ALL flows, callouts, checklists, approach briefings, approach profiles/configuration, and radio/nav setups. Common mistake is to memorize flows but then forget items like radio/FMS setup or flaps/gear so integrate ALL of the things you need to do in your practice. If you partner doesn't have the patience, then do it solo.

LOL Welcome to 27 electrical buses of hell!

Tell them u flew the Saab and they will **** :cool:

Here's one for you...I start sim tomorrow after a two week "vacation" due to sim backlog. I received a phone call yesterday morning letting me know that my sim partner has "resigned" and that I will be by myself throughout. On top of that, they cut my session time in half since there is only one new FO in training now.

Without having a partner to train with at the hotel, giving each other hints and code words and such...what are some thoughts on making it through...

....and don't say study your callouts/profiles/flows....I know that much already

Watch me in the sim I'm obviously a pro!

Well, those really are the main precepts. In addition, I'll say that the sim wil be a bit touchy and unstable. Use a light touch and if you find yourself fighting it, relax your grip on the controls and let the sim catch up with your inputs.

You may not have a sim partner, but you WILL have someone in the left seat with you - likely your instructor, who will control the sim through a remote controller. Take advantage of the fact that your "partner" will be an expert in the airplane and will be able to guide and coach you in real time.

I was really lucky at my airline, they were happy if you knew the flows but were not anal about it, their attitude (and it's pretty correct for me anyhow) was that you'd get them all in IOE; know what they (the flows) were, but if you screwed one of them up it didn't end the sim session. They were more interested in CRM, flying the airplane (sim), and thinking. The instructors were awesome, and everything was professional. A good attitude goes a loooooong way too.

Overall it was a far better experience than my first regional where I had the sim partner from hell who sat there when she was the PNF like a lump of coal. Not a great experience; not great instructors either.

16-18 hours a day?!?! That's crazy talk.

Spot on


Also having your sim partner as an upgrading Captain helps alot! Use their experience!

We would work on call outs while doing something else to distract us, eg throwing a ball, driving a car in busy downtown traffic.

Knowing your profiles and flows as best as possible saves some mental capacity for doing something else like, flying the airplane or handling the emergency.

My best idea comes fro part of the title of your post, ego. Check it at the front door. You have no ego here. Then you should begin to take the rest of the advice you get here. It is humility and teamwork that get you through the process.

That said, when you get online, repeat this step.

When you make captain, repeat this step.

There is no ego in a consistently successful cockpit. Yes you are in command. Yes, it's your decision. But at th end of the day it is a team effort.

So, in closing, don't worry about ego. Worry about outcome. I the end, it's all that matters.

Te-bow prior to each sim session.

Step 1 notify the POI that the company has thrown out his approved training program to cut costs. Step 2 also quit working for a company that pulls this kind of crap, you won't want to see what a place like that tries to do to you after training.

I don't think he's talking about a change to the approved program. He's just missing out on repeating everything on the second half of each sim session as the NFP since he has no sim parter.

Strange. Being NFP in the sim is typically a lot more demanding than being FP when you're into non-normals.

Thats kinda what I thought too...how can they not give me the experience of PM (as its called here)...I really don't want to wait until IOE to get slapped in the face with all the stuff I am supposed to be familiar with...

I plan on being pretty straight forward with my instructor today with all of your comments....thanks!

we do that all the time at Pinnacle. Perfectly legal. it can actually have its benefits, you are at your pace the whole time and not at the mercy of a weak sim partner.

Enjoy your enthusiasm now. You'll need your fun memories, when your knee deep in reserve and a year later, saying to yourself 'what the he77 was I thinking?'

Once you've run 1 abnormal/emergency QRH successfully during training you've run them all. Same goes for FMS work. Look at the requirements for any check ride or even a type ride. It is all maneuvers and command skills. Not PNF stuff. You get signed off on your PC/type rides/initials by being graded as PF. On the check ride though your instructor will probably have you do something like program a hold or intercept a radial, and go over the QH in the oral/prebrief. It might be more work being the non fly, but they don't have to make decisions, they just sit there and do as told. The whole point of the check ride is mastery of the aircraft and CRM/judgement, something the PNF doesn't really have to deal with. Learning the PM stuff takes maybe 10% of the program. The rest as said before is all profiles callouts and maneuvers.

I had the same thing happen in initial and I was "odd man out" for upgrade. All my sims were shortened. It was actually a blessing. My PNF for each event was a check airman or a sim instructor. They want to get you through and will really help you out if they see something that you are doing wrong (you will do things wrong, that's why you are in training). For studying on your own, once you know the books, CHAIR FLY. It looks goofy, so doing it out of view in the others may help.

You can also study with others. You are most likely not in a class of 1. I even taught my wife the profiles, gave her the book, and ran it. Teaching it is mastering it.

*Caution, you may be calling for the QRH in the middle of the night and will need to be informed that you are on the ground and the fire is extinguished... I slapped her leg once in the middle of the night after studying for a PC (she obviously didn't bring the flaps up as commanded...). She now hates when I have a sim event because she is afraid she will get hit in the middle of the night a few days prior. It's a joke in our house now.

Plenty of folks have made it through solo. IMHO it's actually better since the guy next to you knows exactly what you should be doing and when you should be doing it.

What do you tell a chick with 2 black eyes? For the 3rd time, bring the &&&& flaps up!!!

Just blame the sim....it's always the sim's fault. After all, it's not the "real airplane".

I studied my rear off during PDT initial. Drank my rear off during the others.

When I said ego, I didn't mean like my big ego, just keeping a part of the psyche intact. You guys all have such helpful hints, I appreciate all the great replies. It's nice to know that this phase of training is tough on more than just me. Now, keep the funny and helpful responses coming! :)