R2F's American Eagle Training Updates

ready2fly said:
Day 22


Loss of all AC power = memory item = "ADG manual deploy handle.....PULL" Eventually got all power restored with the APU, did the ADG override thing, and booyah - back up and running.
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That's it? ONE item for that? Dude, we've got 5 different things to remember in that situation. Then you pull out the QRH and do it all again. I'm starting to think I got hosed on the whole memory item deal. :)

I'm off to CPTs in about an hour, which are located in Flight Safety next to the sims. I still have about a week before I get in the simulator due to the insane amount of initial/upgrade/recurrent that's going on around here. Heck, we normally do CPTs in paper tigers at the training center, but they need those rooms for interviews right now. So, we luck out and get to go to Flight Safety, which is about 5 minutes from my parents house.

Blee, you're starting to harsh my buzz on the whole sim thing with your oh so kind words about the box. :)
 
ready2fly said:
Did it all again - just like before .... and got a "Nicely done! Very nice!" from the Master. :bandit:

This time, Master took us to DAL where we shot the visual to ....umm...31???? I forget.
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I find it interesting and yet funny that you call him "master"...hehe just sounds funny...like "brian" funny (family guy)
 
aloft said:
This thread's starting to give me a bit of a woody! :buck:
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I find this disturbing........yet.....strangely......amusing. :D :D

Day 23
So far, my best day!

Today's flight plan was: ORD (howdy Amber! :) ) to SGF (Springfiled, MO).

Normal takeoff, climbout, level off...

First assigned alt was 5000.....then 10,000, then 17,000.

Got to 10,000 and the FMS read "ALTs CAP" (flashing) = autopilot has caputred that altitude and unless you select CLIMB, it'll stay there.

We'll... I didn't..... so.... That prompted The Master to query me as to why. I froze. Couldn't come up with the answer. Finally came around to (DUH!) "select speed/climb mode" and VIOLA - off we went. Pretty much my only snafu.

The cool thing about today was the simulated rapid decompression at FL310. Steve - you'll dig this - Memory item = "Oxygen Mask ....ON 100%, Crew Communications...Establish." :bandit:

Ripped the headset off, grabbed the O2 maske, put it on, lost my glasses :whatever: , set the ALT to 10k, selected speed mode to DES (Descend) and away we went.

Pretty bitchin'!!

Couple of aft/forward cargo fires. One that Capt. handled, one that I handled. Pretty straight forward stuff.

Then, we shot the DME arc to RWY 02 at SGF, got down to 100 ft. AGL... 50.........."Eagle Flight 802, (Say it with me) Go around." (blind man coulda seen that comin' ;) ).

Did that, came back around for the GPS to RWY 14, here's where I got the gold star for the day.

I was so far ahead of the plane on this approach, had it configured, and actually WAITED for the next ALT....that The Master never said a word. :nana2:

Landed....stayed ON the runway :D and we were done.

In the debrief, The Master said "based on today, especially the last two approaches, I can easily say 'you are getting this!'. On your last approach, Iwas in MY comfort zone. Really the shining star!"

:bandit: :bandit:

He said that my missed approach procedures were text book and that usually, at this stage of the game, he is still debriefing on what went wrong, but that he could tell that I really studied this. (which I did).

I'm not bragging. Just proud. This stuff ain't exactly easy or second nature yet.....so bear with me if I pat myself on the back every once in a while, K? :D

Tomorrow- all bets are off. We go full motion.

More later!

R2F
 
ready2fly said:
I find this disturbing........yet.....strangely......amusing. :D :D
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So long as you don't find it similarly arousing, we're cool. No Brokeback Airport stuff here, man...

Glad to see you're adhering to the clearance I issued earlier regarding training, bro. ;)
 
ready2fly said:
The cool thing about today was the simulated rapid decompression at FL310. Steve - you'll dig this - Memory item = "Oxygen Mask ....ON 100%, Crew Communications...Establish." :bandit:

Ripped the headset off, grabbed the O2 maske, put it on, lost my glasses :whatever: , set the ALT to 10k, selected speed mode to DES (Descend) and away we went.

Pretty bitchin'!!
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Ah yes, the Darth Vadar Emergency Decsent. Got to love it. Wait until you get the motion on and he have enough time to confirm no structureal damage and move the speed bug up to the red line and pull the spoilers. I think I saw 9000fpm down one day. It alt caps about 2000 feet prior to your level off altitude.

Sounds like you are getting the system down. I still make mistakes withe the vnav stuff. Like hitting vs mode to climb and wondering why it goes into pitch mode. Some times it takes me hitting the button two or three times to realize the altitude selected is the altitude we are at. It's sort of hard to climb at 1000fpm from 12000 to 12000. Oh well.
 
Well, my CPT yesterday turned into an impromptu landing session in the sim. :)

CPTs went as planned. My sim partner and I had been working our asses off on flows, checklists and profiles. So, we get in the CPT, run through them and learn all the little things that go in between that we didn't know about. We also had the opportunity to get a lot of grey areas cleared up like who controls the flaps PNF or PF, etc. Basically, the PF has the FCP (minus the ALT knob), the thrust levers and the flight spoilers. Everything else belongs to the PNF. We got the "Thanks for coming in so prepared, guys. You made this session easy," which boosted our egos. Then we were treated to landings in the sim, which promptly brought mine right back down. :)

Okay, I can grease a Nole and a Cessna in, but it gets a LOT different screaming in at Vref+5 in a sweptwing aircraft. BTW Stan, we DON'T have leading edge devices. You suck for getting the -700. :) The lack of the leading edge stuff makes this a tricky bird to land without floating or bouncing, which I did quite a bit of. By the 4th or 5th landing, I was starting to begin getting the hang of it.

Oh, and if you use the touchdown markers as your reference point, you're looking WAY too close. We were told it's easier if you use the end of the runway from the START instead of transitioning your view there in the flare. Makes sense seeing as there is NO flare really.....
 
BobDDuck said:
I think I saw 9000fpm down one day. It alt caps about 2000 feet prior to your level off altitude.

Like hitting vs mode to climb and wondering why it goes into pitch mode. Some times it takes me hitting the button two or three times to realize the altitude selected is the altitude we are at. It's sort of hard to climb at 1000fpm from 12000 to 12000. Oh well.
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:D :D

Well, with my glasses hanging around my neck, I barely "saw" anything. Had to squint to set new headings. :D

OH...... as The Master has informed me.....ahem...."Here at American Eagle....we do not "hit" anything..... we 'select.'" :D :D :D
 
Had another CPT session wind up in the sim (motion off unfortunately). Some of the CPTs tend to become possessed and indicate the wrong things. So, instead of confusing us poor newbs, if there's a sim available, we'll go in there and run the flows and profiles. Well bonus is there are yokes in there, whereas the CPTs don't have them (if they did, they'd be FTDs and cost more I guess).

So, we did engine starts, push backs, and all the normal stuff. Then we got hammered with engine fires (both before V1 and after V1), emergency descents, stalls, steep turns, dual flame out with a windmilling re-flight (ala FLG3701 but with better results), single and two engine ILS approaches and a SE go around (some idiot in a delivery truck pulled out on the runway in front of us).

Basically, I got beat down for 4 hours. I've got my last CPT tomorrow, my oral on Wed and then it's onto the sims....with motion.
 
Day 24

Today was the bizomb!! First day of full motion sim. A lot of the profiles were the same from the days before with the exception of the approaches, which were ILS (two standard, two ILS/PRM) and a couple of visual approaches.

OH - and Windshear. Windshear on the takeoff roll. Windshear after takeoff. Winshear on approach......

[sic]
Windshear in the mornin'
Windshear in the evenin'
Ain't we got FUUUUUUUUUN!
:D

Anyway....

I really couldn't tell much difference from the full motion to when the thing was sittin' with the bridge down.......until.....

PCU runaway. :o

Un-freakin'-beLIEVEABLE how heavy that sumbitch is!!! I was literally sore from holding the ailerons to the stops to keep the wings level.

That was, of course.. a few seconds AFTER we basically rolled inverted. :p :insane:

I got `er upright (there's a joke in there somewhere) - we ran the checklist which included engaging the Roll Disconnect giving me my airleron and both cross-side and on-side multifunction spoilers. STILLL was a bear to fly.....and I don't mean Pooh either - we're talkin' GRIZZLY, baby!!

The rest of the session I was as rattled as hooker on Judgment Day. Couldn't put two thoughts together....or remember my approach profiles....or my name. ;)

Fun stuff!! I suggest you all try it.....once....In a SIM! :D

Afterwards, on the way to debrief, I remembered one very, VERY important procedure I forgot......when the PCU runs away and the bird wants to roll.....(listen up all ya'll you ever end up with the brown side on top).....UNLOAD the aircraft!!! = meaning - push the freakin' nose FOWARD ....do not pull back!!

I wasn't pulling back so much as I was not pushing forward. That will not happen again. Once was enough. You find out REAL quick just how heavy your plane is. Believe me.

Overall, I'd give my performance a C-. Lots of room for improvement, but I have six more days to get there. The ride is next Saturday (the 16th).

Off today. Decompressed and we're back in the saddle tomorrow.

More later.

R2F
 
i just got back from flying the ATR, airplane not the sim. It was pretty awesome. its was pretty neat sitting in the jumpseat watching everybody else go, but i can't really remember myself flying, kind of just zoned in and flew it. oh well its 230am, day off tomorrow and checkride on monday nite, then IOE the next week in SJU, should be fun.

adam
 
SteveC said:
A T/R deployment at high altitude can be a bundle-o-fun too. :)
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On the CRJ (200 anyways) it really wasn't too bad. Just a distinct rumble and shake from the back. I remember when getting a briefing on the Citation that the ONLY immediate action item I need to know was to press the TR stow button if I saw it light up. In the RJ it isn't even an action item and the plane will keep flying on autopilot in a slight slip.

Also, PCU runaways are teh suck! It depends on how fast the breakaway bungie catches it. I had more problem with the stab trim runaway as I didn't catch it very fast to disconnect and it got almost all the way down to 1 before it stopped. Try landing a heavy plane like that.
 
Day 25

Got a new Master today. Most of the guys will work with more than one instructor through sim training...so, my new guy started today. All I can say is WHEW! Thang GOD for this guy!! He's extremely laid back. Nowhere NEAR the type A+++ instructor I had last week. I actually could sit and LEARN things from this guy. He'd give me time to ask questions - and more importantly - he'd LISTEN and aswer JUST that question - and not try to impress me with how much he knows.

The lesson, overall, went very well. Still working on not over-controlling the trust levers for power settings, but it's coming.

Today's lesson took off from PSP (Palm Springs) and was filed to LAX, where we shot the ILS to 25L, went missed, out to the Seal Beach VOR to hold, then divert into SNA (Santa Ana/John Wayne Airport).

When we took off from PSP, he purposely vectored me towards the mountains so that we'd get an EGPWS warning "Whoop, Whoop! Pull up! Pull up!". Had to disconnect the autopilot, set max thrust, and pitch up to 20 degrees.

Cleared the mountains, then off to LAX. ILS went well. Had a couple of small failures thrown at me where he took the plane and let me work through the checklist.

Failures we worked on today were:
Landing Gear Disagree (both with the gear up and down = two totally different actions)
Main Landing Gear Overheat
And a couple of others...

Did the LDA into SNA. That went okay. Still got squirrely on the landing, so after we finished, he repositioned the plane on about a 7 mile final and let me shoot visual after visual until I and he felt comfortable. Took two more landings to quit overcorrecting.

I'm really going to like working with this new Master!! I have him today through Tuesday, then back to the Old Mater for Wednesday, then finish up with the new guy.

More later!

R2F
 
BobDDuck said:
On the CRJ (200 anyways) it really wasn't too bad. Just a distinct rumble and shake from the back. I remember when getting a briefing on the Citation that the ONLY immediate action item I need to know was to press the TR stow button if I saw it light up. In the RJ it isn't even an action item and the plane will keep flying on autopilot in a slight slip.
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Yeah, the memory list items for T/R deployment is pretty short; basically hit the stow switch to emer, disengage the autopilot, make sure the throttle has come to idle, slow to 150 knots to allow the hydraulics to close the bucket, and clean your shorts. It'll sure get your attention in the Citation sim if one deploys when you are at cruise speed (slow as that may be in the Citation). I had 60+ degrees of bank and it was increasing fast before we could even hit the stow button. The instructor said that a good number of people end up close to inverted, and some just continue the roll all the way around. Fun ride. :)
 
Day 26

Today was really fun! We did "stalls" today. I say "stalls" (in quotations) because we don't actually take the sim to the stall. Just to the the aural warning and first indication of stick shaker. (yes, the stick actually shakes....and if you let it go too long....it'll push itself forward too....don't ever let it go that far.).

We did stall in the following configs:
In cruise - clean - autopilot engaged;
In takeoff config - 20 degree bank
In approach/landing config

Pretty fun once you get the hang of it.

Then, it was Engine Failure time!!!! :bandit:

First, we did what I hope NEVER happens = dual engine flameout!! We started at about 11,000 ft. and had the checklists run and both engines restarted by 6,000 ft. In real life, I was informed - chances are, we'd probably (a) never have a dual engine flame out (God willing); and/or (b) if we did, we'd probably not be able to re-light.....(nice). :insane:

Cleared that up, came into the ILS for 36R at MEM, broke out, went visual and - TADAAAA - aircaft on the runway (there was actually a simulated 727 positioned and holding - that'll wake you up! :D )...went missed, had an engine catch fire, ran that checklist - shut it down and came around for the ILS again with one engine - autopilot on. (until visual contact with runway was confirmed my PNF, that is), then hand-flew on down (a whopping 200 ft or so. ;) ).

Got down to about 50 ft. AGL and went missed.

Kept single-engine profile going back around to another ILS - this time the autopilot "failed" - meaning, I was not to use it ;) - so I hand flew the approach to a full stop landing.

Pretty wicked!!

I hope those of you who have stayed around long enough to read these - enjoy them. I enjoy tellin' ya'll about my lessons. But if they're boring you, let me know and......well.... tough. :D I only have three more and a wake up and it's checkride day so deal with it!! :D

Peace!

R2F
 
Boring....HeII No! It is great reading and it beats sitting at work in the data center on the night shift......

Oops, who said that.....:D
 
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