Being a new hire at an airline is hard enough as one has to learn about specific airline operations and a new airplane. There is a clear divide amongst the group. I have a good idea about those who will succeed and those who will have a career day. In my cockpit trainer session are [...]

The new hires started about a week before me. They spent a week going over basic company operations. From then out we are in the same boat. The difference is I’ve been on this cruise before. My first time through was incredibly confusing. Going from a Piper Seminole to a regional jet is a huge [...]

Being an airline pilot is more than firewalling the throttles and flying from point A to point B then heading to the hotel. There’s all kinds of performance issues to worry about. In the old days weight and balance was done by the second officer. Later the first officer. Now more commonly it’s done by [...]

So here is day 4. This morning we discussed advanced aircraft maneuvering and unusual attitudes. Recovering a swept wing, high performance aircraft is not the same as recovering a Cessna 172. That discussion lasted 4 hours. Same presentation I saw when I was new 4 years ago. Lunch break. I brought my lunch. Saves money [...]

Studying is going well…I suppose. I haven’t had to study intensely in almost 4 years. The basics are the same. I have a PFD, MFD and EICAS screen in the middle. If I push on the yoke the things on the ground get bigger. If I pull back on the yoke things get smaller. If [...]

The studying has begun. My airline uses home based study for the first portion of training. I log onto a website and click through slides. Mind numbing. Very monotone voice reads text to me. I did a similar course when I first started 4 years ago. The systems are similar to what my last plane [...]