[PilotMan]

Just came back on Saturday from Houston for my yearly simulator training and check ride (flight test). It was a good experience. I always manage to learn a lot and it can be a very humbling experience. No matter how hot you think you are in the plane someone can bring you to your knees in the sim, especially once nerves start to get the better of you. As soon as your confidence flags, you start to doubt yourself and suddenly you can ride yourself into the ground (not literally thank God.)

I left home on Thursday morning, with plans to get to the hotel by 130p in the afternoon. I wasn't due for my briefing until 800p so I had some time to eat and I needed a nap. My training was scheduled until 200a central time, which was damn late and the extra hour time change wasn't helping.

The nap helped, but I timed my dinner poorly and found myself eating a cold sandwich and chocolate milk out of the cooler in the training building before the brief.

Normally our training would be a full crew together, but for some reason, my Captain didn't make the trip and I had a fill in. So I was the only one that was getting trained that night. It's a double edged sword. On one hand with only me needing training I was going to get done well before 2a, but I all the attention would be on me and I would have to fly cold. I was nervous I needed to start off good.

Normal takeoff and vectors to shoot an RNAV approach to a missed approach. Followed by holding, then I had to fly as monitoring pilot while the Captain shot the same approach to another missed approach. That was followed by a CAT III ILS flown by the Captain. I'm required to do this too. Only the Captain flies this approach and I have to do it prove my proficiency and qualification.

After that I had to do another takeoff with an engine failure at our decision speed (one of the worst times for that). It's a high power setting, the plane yaws hard, gotta keep it straight and takeoff. From here it's a lot of single engine work. Single engine ILS to a go around. Back around for another single engine approach, this one to a landing.

From here it's up to a high altitude for stall recovery. Then we go to Anchorage for wind shear recovery and terrain avoidance maneuvers. After that I have to land the plane from a straight in approach with no visual or electronic guidance or even correct approach speeds. It's harder than it sounds. I have to touchdown within a specific part of the runway, it's all pure airmanship.

After that I get another airmanship test. Just takeoff, fly a pattern and land. I've done tons of these as a CFI, they are harder in a jet that wants to go 200 mph. I do well here too. It all takes just over 2.5 hours after the 2 hour briefing. I'm tired. It's almost 1a by the time we get out of there.

I head back to the hotel, hungry. So I grab a Shiner Bock and microwaveable burrito from the sundries at the hotel. It rings up $13. Gotta love hotel prices.


The next day I have to go in a little early for emergency equipment and doors training. We have to demonstrate being able to open and close all the doors (we have mock ups in the training facility). Then we have to demonstrate being able to use the portable breathing equipment, oxygen masks and life vests. We go over the medical equipment, talk about the life rafts, how to set them up, board them. We even have a full mock up of that too.

After that training it was time for my brief for the Line Orientated Evaluation. Day 2 is all about acting like everything is for real, in real time. Day 1 is all about getting it done, and Day 2 is about proving you operate correctly, standard and can handle the problems that will arise.

We start with a flight plan from EWR to San Juan PR. The flight goes out over the ocean where we have some different operating rules. Some very specific procedures that have to be followed when things hit the fan. We head out over the ocean and once we are sufficiently far enough we have an engine start to overtemp.

I'm flying, and try and save the the engine by manipulating it. I can't save it though and it blows. We have to work together to step through the correct procedures. We start to make a course back to Newark and decide that Norfolk will be a better option. It's a very busy time between flying the plane, and splitting time between talking with ATC and the flight crew.

All our work pays off and I successfully put the plane down in Norfolk. It seems like it goes fast but it was at least an hour and a half. From there we have to do more maneuvers.

We are repositioned to Denver for some new go around procedures training. This new procedure will allow us to carry more weight going into high altitude airports like Denver that have terrain around. Our limits can be based on go around performance at landing (or a number of other things). This new procedure will give us some relief from that and allow heavier weights and therefore more efficient operations. We'll only use this new procedure if dispatch tells us we need to for planning purposes. It's taken the company a year to get every one trained. The new procedure should go live later this year.

After this we had another demo maneuver. The instructor set the runway up for poor braking and some icy conditions. I landed the plane in 2 different landing configurations, the point being how much more effective some configurations are than others and when to make the decision to select one over the other.

It's a full schedule. I get done, pass, and convince the instructor to pick up some Taco Bell this time. My flight home isn't until the next day (yesterday.) I take the rest of the night off and enjoy the spoils of success. Another year trained and it feels good to get done. I set all this up so that I could be home for Mother's Day. By finishing when I did I was guaranteed to have it off. Worked out as planned.

Home for Mother's Day, home for a band concert. I'll miss a 7th grade honors night recognition and piano recital for my youngest. It's all a trade off. I can't win them all, I can only enjoy what I can get. Gotta get my bid in for June.