if you need a shot of inspiration...

sbe

Well-Known Member
...I highly suggest a visit to your friendly neighborhood airline training center.
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Last weekend I was at the airshow at SUS, flew over with a friend and helped out with the Lockheed Constellation that the Airline History Museum flies, as I'm a member of the organization. Well, the two pilots of the "Connie" on that trip are both 767 capts for AA (former TWA) and also sim instructors.

Myself, the friend I flew over with, and another pilot that was along on the trip were invited to spend the entire evening Sunday at the American training facility at STL. Specifically, in the 767 sim.

The smile grew on my face immediately after the first takeoff and didn't leave for at least 36 hours afterwards.
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It's still about all I can think about - what an incredible experience, and to have a pilot with 7000hrs in the 767 in the right seat explaining everything....wow.

In all, I did two takeoffs (we were set up on Rwy 19L at MCI) and two ILSes, one in VMC the next in IMC, then he demonstrated the autoland capabilities and I basically just sat there and watched the plane fly a Category III ILS. Amazing. At the end I had almost an hour in the left seat and about 3 more hours watching everyone else. An experience I won't soon forget, and talk about lighting a fire under your butt!

Sarah

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Sarah's my hero!!
Seriously!

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Awesome!!! Sarah, have you started your commercial training yet?

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In the true sense of the word 'training', I haven't started the flight training portion, but I consider myself to be actively working on my comm in that I'm building time, doing my night reqs, will be doing the long solo x/c soon. I've got about 55 hours and then I'll be down to just doing the flight training with my CFI to hit the 250.

I'm paying cash as I go, so I'm not going as fast as I'd like esp. considering last weekend I (seriously) was basically told I had a job waiting for me when I got my Commercial. Part time, occasional flying, but it is hours nonetheless...
 
Sweet!! Sounds like you'll have the commercial soon enough. Then you're just a few hours away from your CFI and it's all down hill from there!! Good luck and keep us posted!!
 
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Sweet! What's the job?

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hopefully a bit of flying for a law firm here in town that has their own plane.
 
Yeah I love the look on aspiring young pilot's faces when I let them fly a REAL simulator, like a CRJ or a B-737. The smiles are usually broad enough to crack the face in two
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Dang, even I'm jealous!
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Good job and remember the three rules of getting an airline job... network network network!
 
Great job Sarah! I will be starting training as soon as I get my medical out of the way. I hope it can be as exciting as your experience. By the way you sound, you deserve it.
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Best of luck!
 
I took a 727 simulator course last semester and I had the time of my life!

How does the 767 handle? My biggest obsticle, initially, was the lag time between control input and airplane response. Then it was actually landing the thing (jets don't really glide when the power's idle and speed brakes before thrust reversers!).

Good luck on your commerical!
 
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How does the 767 handle? My biggest obsticle, initially, was the lag time between control input and airplane response. Then it was actually landing the thing (jets don't really glide when the power's idle and speed brakes before thrust reversers!).

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In the air I thought it handled WONDERFULLY. As long as I stayed on top of the trim through the power changes things went REALLY well. In fact, I loved flying the approaches. The only problem I had in 'lag time' was in 'taxiing' it onto the runway when I first sat down - they had me depart from a different runway than what the previous person landed on and just let me taxi. The tiller was hard to get used to and the throttles had a lag such that I put way too much power in because nothing was happening - and ended up zooming down the taxiway headed at a turn.
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Landing was the most awkward thing to me. The pilot helping me from the right seat talked me through the whole process, though, and at least they were landings you could walk away from.
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Transitioning from flying the approach and looking at the flight director to flying visually was weird, and I'd start transitioning over and go "oh geez that threshold is coming up FAST!" Then the first time of course I tried to pull a Cessna flare even though I was told not to - it's just ingrained into me. I realized right quick that wasn't going to work.
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Did what I was told and lo and behold - good landing! Of course in my astonishment over not pranging it on the runway, I rolled to a stop and still had thrust reversers going. I was gently reminded about that oh, right before we started rolling backwards.
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I was actually very nervous when I took the left seat - I had an audience afterall, and the two AA pilots notwithstanding, the other pilots had way more experience than me too. But the pilot flying right seat made me relax right away - he was quite the ham. He liked to call out altitude and heading changes like an auctioneer, which had everyone laughing. But he was an EXCELLENT teacher and extremely patient, and knew *just* how much he could throw at me without completely overwhelming me. But by the time I did the first takeoff, I had a very large grin that would not leave and I simply didn't want my time to be up!

But anyways, long story short - I thought the plane handled VERY well other than my rather lacking taxi skills.
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What an opportunity that was, and it's in my logbook to boot...

Sarah
 
man stories like this make it hard for me to wait for my training to start. Everyday I have a view from my high school that overlooks the downtown kansas city airport and it makes me smile when I see it. I think I even saw the Connie returning home from that same trip you were on sarah.
 
WOW! How kewl is that!! that is soooo awesome!!!! I'm jealous!!
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How neat to get to fly in a 767 - especially when you least expect it!!

I felt the same way when i got to sim in the L1011 at the Delta training center with doug....

really hope that someday in my lifetime, i'll get another chance to do that in a 777!! :)

things like that sure do give you more spirit to get to where you want to go!!
 
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