That glow

Sometimes I forget why I love flying ... then suddenly I'm reminded again.

Flew to Karachi yesterday, up along the west coast of India. The view of the Indus river delta approaching the city was quite spectacular - I had no idea it was so huge, and brown. Gradually the sand banks turn into islands and some houses and roads start appearing, then some more roads and traffic and finally it's a city. As I landed on runway 25L I really could feel that I was somewhere different.

The flight back was really spectacular though, the sun was just setting as we took off and I was the privileged witness of one of the most glorious sunsets in recent memory. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, just blue above and grey below and this stunningly bright band of orange in the middle gradually getting smaller and darker until eventually it was all black and we were alone in the universe. Unfortunately the camera I brought couldn't cope with the colours so I can't share the palette that unfolded infront of me.

I was also cleared for the final check which will take place in about 10 hours on the athletic 30 minute sector to Trivandrum. After that I will be, once again, an anonymous qualified pilot... Looking forwards to seeing the end of training now.

S.

It flies!

I knew I was forgetting something....

First flight in two months happened last Friday, a quick 50 minute flight to a tiny Indian airstrip called Trivandrum (actually it's called Thiruvananthapuram now because of some pathetic patriotic movement, but nobody calls it that). I flew there and I flew back and I didn't break anything or injure anyone so I think the day can be classed as a success.

Flying with the radically different SOPs was a bit disconcerting ... being away for a while dulls the senses, but then coming back to a different way of working is even more confusing, especially when the checklist is called for. Thankfully the training captain had a sense of humour and saw through the procedural errors.

The next flight was a long slog to Delhi and back. Delhi is anything but a tiny airstrip, and the new airport is quite impressive, especially the taxi routes which get rattled off at top speed. Indian radio etiquette is equally impressive, but for completely different reasons, never have I ever heard so many people step on each other so often, even in the H U G E Manilla sectors. Quite sad really.

Third day was the night flight to Bombay. A thrilling airport as every carrier from everywhere in the world is there, but also the arguably the biggest dump to pass as an international airport. The place deserves it's own post...

That will have to do for now, will write some more in the coming days probably once line training ends. 6 down, 4 to go, should be done by the end of the week.

S.

Dubai

I'm half way through my stay in Dubai. The seemingly interminable stream of (...) which was ground training ended last weekend and I jetted into the desert on Sunday evening, then spent the better part of last week practising every failure known to Airbus between 3 and 9 in the morning.

The sim check took place Saturday and went well, the usual programme which I have posted about many times before. The recipe this time called for a rapid decompression, flap failure, engine fire on take-off and a few approaches with various systems inoperative.

Dubai itself is surreal. I think the best way to describe it would be to think of Paris at the turn of the last century. This place has everything that's modern but 10 times bigger and shiner than anywhere else, and it's obviously brand new. Some may call it a bit ridiculous, but then Paris at the 1900 expo was ridiculous too.

What makes me smile is that there are still people in this world who have dreams and have the power and money to make these dreams come true no matter what. Cost cutting, public consultations and feasibility studies don't exist here for better or for worse.

There are many things that utterly revolt me about this place too, but they are best left unsaid...

I have 4 more days in Dubai, and 2 sim sessions: An ETOPS (engines-turn-or-passengers-swim) scenario and some low visibility approaches. After this I return to the paperwork nightmare of the local CAA (committee against aviation). I will finally be reunited with the right seat of a real aeroplane on the 26th of November, not a day too soon.

S.

More about training

So why exactly do I have to undergo training upon joining a new company? It's the same aeroplane, same sky, same planet but it's a different company and as this isn't a perfect world every company will have a slightly different way of doing the same thing. As a newcomer it is essential that I know the way things work here as the safety of the flight depends on it.

The course covers subjects like Standard Operating Procedures (who does what, when), safety procedures, interaction with cabin crew, handling of dangerous goods, low vis and extended range operations. The last three are fairly standard but the rest can be quite diverse.

Another element of initial training, which I am much less fond of, is the concept that the new pilot has forgotten every first detail about the aeroplane and needs to do a condensed type rating all over again. This might apply to some people (who really should have brushed up on their own beforehand) but it would be far more efficient for the airline to do a triage based on recency before arbitrarily sending everyone for training which is an expensive waste of resources.

Finally you get the regulatory hassle of operating in a new country which feels the need to exert it's sovereignty by altering the standard ICAO regulations slightly and making pilots write exams which have already been written during training - usually air law. Did I also mention the ludicrous licensing fees, or the need to do a new medical?

S.

Part two begins... slowly

First few days in the new airline, which will once again remain nameless but won't take long to figure out.

The majority of last week was spent going from office to office collecting papers, signing other papers, filling in endless forms and being issued with several tons of company material: uniforms, suitcases, books, etc. The usual stuff really.

The rest of the month will be spent in various classrooms learning about local air law, the company's Standard Operating Procedures, reviewing the agonising Airbus Computer Based Torture (Airbus calls it training actually - but it's completely irrelevant to a pilot already familiar with the aircraft), reviewing aircraft performance, etc.

Once suitably brainwashed I'll get sent to a secret location for a two weeks (same as the initial rating course) in the box of tricks before finally, after nearly two wasted months, being allowed to fly again.

My theory is that all this training takes place so you have time to forget your old airline callsign because 90% of everything else stays the same. It's still a scandalous waste of time though.

Probably won't write anything here until the real flying starts but I will be tweeting from time to time.

S.

Safety refreshers

It's hard to believe that my SEP course was already a year ago, but it was, and I earlier this week I got summoned back to the academy for a 3 day refresher... A really perfect way to end 10 days' leave at home.

The SEP refresher is slightly less drawn out than the initial course - lasting 3 days instead of 3 weeks - and comprises a written exam about the life saving gadgets which we have on board, a fire fighting drill, opening and shutting the door, jumping down the slide (which is great fun), swimming around in full uniform (which isn't fun at all), learning how to make proper announcements and talking about CRM (or how to avoid accidents).

First flight in 2 weeks tomorrow and I'm really looking forwards to flying again.

S.

in Sweden

I'm sitting in Stockholm right now, it's just going on 9:30 local and I've been up for 5 hours already. I've just completed my annual A320 type rating renewal sim check, a short flight which involved dealing with an engine failure, some other random system malfunction and flying a few approaches. I arrived in Stockholm yesterday around 3 and I fly back to London in 2 hours.

Very little changed since I was last year a year ago and coming back for the sim ride was a bit like going home to one's old uni or school. Memories of clicking away at computer-based-training consoles until the wee hours of the morning and the perpetual cold/darkness of the Swedish winter came rushing back.

The sim ride was actually almost fun - my Captain was one of the instructors from the type rating and the examiner was another of my instructors so it was more of a reunion than an exam. It a shame I can't stay any longer but I'll be back sooner or later...

S.

LOFT/LPC part 2

Turns out my hard disk has given up on life, with the only recent backup being corrupted. A long, unpleasant, expensive week beckons..........

We decide to divert to Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan. The weather there isn't great either but it's within tolerances and the only other alternative is Hong Kong which would involve flying through a lot of bumpy weather. I negotiate a new clearance from ATC and the Captain briefs the cabin crew and passengers. There's no time to relax (of course) as our new destination is only 20 minutes away.

"BING" "My controls, my communication, ECAM actions"

Now one of the thrust levers has decided to leave us. It's not a huge problem now as autothrust is looking after engine power, but as soon as we extend the slats the right engine will go to idle and I will have to fly a single engine approach ... for an overweight landing. I'm only 5 miles from the ILS intercept point and still at 6000ft so I request a hold to gain some time and hopefully burn a little more fuel. I very quickly brief the Captain on the approach procedure, finish all outstanding checks, review the overweight landing procedure. Captain then gets clearance for the approach and we configure.

The approach itself is easy as the autopilot is doing all the hard work, but it's still bumpy, gusty and the constant change in engine power on one side causes a lot of yaw - I can't imagine it's very comfortable in row 30. "100 above ....... MINIMUMS" No runway in sight so we execute a rather slow lumbering go-around and get vectored for a new approach.
The second time the runway appears in the gloom at about 400ft and I manage an acceptable landing in a surprisingly strong crosswind. Welcome to Kaohsiung.

The second part of the loft, with the other pilot flying, is our departure from Kaohsiung a few virtual hours later in the second attempt to make K-L. Needless to say things go wrong and we end up where we started, shaken and stirred, 2 hours later.

Sim test later today which involves things blowing up just before take-off. Although it may sound scarier I personally find it easier as it's a more scripted flight where more or less everything goes according to a plan and 'all' we have to do is press the right buttons and say the right things at the right time. It's still a test though, and there's no fun in being tested.

S.

LOFT/LPC

It's been a while. My laptop is very badly broken and blogging from the computers at work isn't easy or pleasant; but now it's one in the morning, on one else is around and I have nothing better to do...

To the point: The LOFT - Line oriented flight training. It's a jolly in the simulator where we simulate the worst possible line flight to ensure we're able to cope with eventual mishaps in the real aeroplane. Today's scenario was the Taipei - KL service.

Taipei weather is terrible with very strong rain, poor visibility, soaking runways and thunderstorms reported nearby. We have a full load - 180 pax + as much cargo as the jet will carry.

Things start to go wrong before we start moving with a hung engine start. No big deal, aeriate the engine, try again........... and it starts. We taxi - slowly - to runway 06 for departure and line up. "WINDSHEAR AHEAD" says the man in the overhead, and sure enough there's a very pretty looking formation of horror on the weather radar. We decide to wait a bit and as if by magic the colours go away.

Take-off is normal, surprisingly but reaching the second turn on the SID the TCAS starts shouting and shortly afterwards overhead-man shouts again: "CLIMB CLIMB". We're in cloud so the Captain doesn't see the, but it passes 600ft below us.

Slightly shaken but still alive we're cleared to our cruise level FL340 and I start to relax. Right on cue there's a "BING" and the master caution comes on. "My controls, my communications, ECAM actions" it's only a fuel pump (there are 2 per tank) so the procedure is quickly taken care of ....... Until the other pump fails as well.

Now things are getting interesting. we haven't passed FL300 yet which means that our operational ceiling for gravity feeding is FL150, and we'll never make it home at that level where fuel consumption is nearly twice as high. We can't go back to Taipei either as that terrible cloud has reappeared and is now sitting right over the airport.

My bus home has just arrived so you'll have to read what finally happens to us later on...

S.

CRM

Cee Arr Em. A word used extensively in aviation, it stands for Cockpit/Crew Resource Management and we spent the lsat 2 days digging deep into it's meaning and application. Googling the term will tell you that "CRM is concerned not so much with the technical knowledge and skills required to fly and operate an aircraft but rather with the cognitive and interpersonal skills needed to manage the flight within an organised aviation system." That sounds very nice, but it doesn't really mean anything.

At my company it goes even further and we call it Company Resource Management. We looked into the interaction between the flight deck and the cabin, air traffic, ground handling and even general cultural factors affecting human interaction - a good thing as the airline employs people from all over the place and, operating in Asia, has to deal with some fairly strong local traditions which aren't compatible with aviation safety. The course was as much for first officers, to learn about CRM, as it was for captains, to remind them about CRM. Much too long to go into details about, but the single most important word is safety.

Next week RVSM and an air law exam, then (probably) more office hopping to get forms stamped and cards issued.

Safe to fly...

Safety training finished yesterday with an afternoon in the pool going over post-ditching procedures. Safety training for pilots isn't as thorough as for cabin crew, but we still need to know how to evacuate, fight fires, use oxygen and what the cabin crew will be doing to deal with whatever situations they face. I found my 3 days worth unpleasantly difficult so I really feel for the poor girls (and a few guys) who have over 2 weeks worth.

Another part of the safety training is company policy which is very relevant to pilots. Items such as maximum invalid passengers or infants we can carry, company procedure for dealing with ... security sensitive ... situations, procures for fuelling with passengers on board and/or engines running (I'd like to see the latter happen in H&S minded Europe), etc. Training completes with an exam which must be passed with 90% or better.

Training continues - how to talk to customers today, dangerous goods tomorrow then first aid and CRM next week...

S.

Smile!

First day in the classroom. The first 2 hour lecture was about the company and it's culture (big family - all equal), work ethic (smile!), how great the boss is, how the airline started and it's amazing growth, what the future will look like, how great the boss is, all the awards it won and how we should behave while wearing the uniform (smile!) and represent the company.

We were also handed a list of destinations and told to memorise it by the end of the week, airport names, time zone, currency and IATA codes included. I strongly question the reasoning behind learning some of the items by heart, but...

We were then paraded around the academy to shake the hand of everyone in the building, while smiling of course. Rather embarrassing for us and the groups of host... flight attendants we barged in on. The office staff seemed used to it.

The afternoon brought a session of Airbus Computer Based Torture explaining all the features of the cabin systems: doors, O2, lights, IFE, lavatories, etc.

Papertrail

First day (back) at work today - although one could say it was genuinely my first day at work as I actually did something: Rush around more offices than I can remember fetching/delivering/copying papers, being briefed about all the briefings which will take place, collecting the training schedule and doing a lot of waiting. I was also assigned my permanent base: WBKK.

Tomorrow is another day of paperwork and going to see various agencies. SOP training starts Monday morning for about 4 weeks.

Reintroduction

I spent the last 7 hours in Gatwick reacquainting myself with the A320. Incredibly it had been over six months since I last saw the flight deck of a bus.

We flew Manchester-Gatwick-Manchester as a standard line flight then did some manoeuvres: engine failure/fire, hand flown ILS, VOR, LOC and visual approaches. My landings were a bit ... artistic ... but acceptable. Taxying was something else altogether, however the captain will always be doing that on line - and ground manoeuvring isn't a strong point of the otherwise extremely realistic simulator.

I now have a day to pack before flying off to Malaysia. I'm starting to feel excited, rushed and a bit sad about leaving all at the same time.