Archive for October, 2007

We’ve slowly been making progress. We’ve been through the walk-around three times now, I think I’m going to scream if we do it again today. Course, when you consider that they teach us to preflight the plane by showing us a powerpoint presentation…

For those of you that keep asking me about the overall scheme of things, here goes:

• Basic Indoctrination (I finished that last week by passing the test)
• Systems (This is what I’m doing now, and will finish at the end of the month)
• Then I’ve probably got a break. The class that finishes this Friday has been told to expect a 6-8 week break.
• Cockpit Systems Integration (This is where we sit in front of cockpit posters and they tell us which buttons to push when)
• Oral Exam
• Another break, this one possibly longer in the order of a few months.
• Simulators

6 simulator training sessions

Proficiency Check (If I pass, I get a Second-in-Command type rating for a CL-65)

Line Oriented Flight Training (This is where I get a flight in the simulator to give me an idea of what it’s like to fly the jet on a normal flight with both engines, nothing on fire, no thrust reversers deployed, the cabin properly pressurized, etc)

• IOE (Initial Operating Experience– this is where I’ll get to fly a real jet! With real passengers! I’ll have to do my first 25 hours in the plane with a specially qualified Captain who, in addition to doing everything else, is going to be evaluating me to make sure I’m capable of doing what I’m supposed to be able to do. If I pass, I’ll be out on the line on reserve somewhere. Woohoo.

We got our wings yesterday. A rather unexciting ceremony of the uniform lady passing them out. We were reflecting that it would have been nice to be presented them formal-like after we got through training. Oh well. We can return them formal-like when we wash out, I guess:)

So, I’ve got a test Friday the 26th on limitations. It’s a 100 question rote memory type thing. Boring, but at least it’s about the airplane!

Class is back to the early shift, starting at 6:30am today. I went to bed at 9pm and slept soundly until 2am when someone was yelling outside. It’s times like these that it’s a good thing I don’t own a firearm. It took me a couple hours to get back to sleep.

Our systems instructor was unable to get to work today (it seems that he’s stuck on the east coast), so one of the training supervisors who talked to us last Monday gave us some books (see below) and spent the rest of the class period going through a pre-flight walk around. Yes, he spent 6 hours talking about it and showing us slides.

Things start in earnest tomorrow, I think. Our instructor today managed to drive me absolutely crazy by pronouncing the final t in the word pitot. Seriously.

Lunch is at 10am, at which point the “Burrito Express”, otherwise known as the “Taco Wagon”, or more affectionately, the “Roach Coach”, pulls up outside the building. It appears to be a bad/authentic Mexican restaurant inside a bus, with a proprietor that leans out the side in order to peddle some theoretically edible goods. I purchased a Mexican coke, and received a John Adams dollar in change. I didn’t know such a thing existed– it looks like even more of a disaster than the other previous dollar coins, being roughly the same size and weight as a quarter and only slightly golden colored. The cool feather is the pound-sterling-esque lettering on the side. (Took me a long time to find the mint date)

I’d planned to read through the CFM before class tomorrow, but that’s probably not even possible if I weren’t to sleep. And we got a systems manual as well, which is also the same size. Flying a plane involves a ton of paper.

We also got our seniority numbers. I’m currently the 4th least senior pilot in the company!

Eli is on The Incredible Human Machine on Sunday night on the National Geographic Channel. Among other things, the program will “study top-notch individuals who have harnessed the power of their body through rigorous training, including U.S. Olympic pentathlete Eli Bremer, who trains at more than 6,000 feet above sea level…” It looks really cool. I don’t have the National Geographic Channel (or a TV for that matter), but maybe I’ll get to watch it on video sometime.

I aced the test. I got a bit freaked out when I got my paper back, and had stuff scribbled all over it. After a second I realized it was a smiley face, and I didn’t miss any of the 40 questions.

We start systems ground school for the Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet CL-65 (CRJ 100/200) on Monday morning. It’ll take three weeks. We got a study guide full of 23 pages of rote memorization, and he suggested we complete as much as possible before Monday morning. Woohoo!