Ground School...The First Week

Well, me and my fellow classmates are finished with the first week of ground school. Thank God! Don't get me wrong; it was an enjoyable week, and I'm still extremely excited and proud to be here, but I'm just glad to have this first week behind me. We were told day one that we would be provided information in fire-hose fashion, and they were not kidding!



Day one set the standard, and made a favorable impression on each of us. As you would expect from any company's indoctrination, there were the typical introductions, administration paperwork, review of training syllabus, etc. However, each and every instructor, member of management, and anyone else who spoke with us stressed several important facts:
1. That our new company had never had a fatal accident. Not just no fatal crashes, but no fatal ramp or maintenance accidents. That is very impressive, especially knowing that Mesaba was founded in 1944. We were expected to continue that record.
2. That each of us had already "made the grade", and they the company's expectation was that each of us would survive training. In other words, there was no planned or expected attrition here.
3. As of 0700 that morning, each of us were Mesaba pilots. Not after ground school, not after Operational Experience, but that very day. Although we would be afforded all of the recognition and benefits of being a Mesaba pilot, we would also be held to the professional standards of a Mesaba pilot. By lunch on Monday, each of us were wearing a Mesaba pilot ID badge, which was very impressive.

My class is pretty diverse. In addition to 20 fellow CRJ trainees, we had the 4 Saab pilots with us for this first week of indoctrination. Of the 20 total in the class, we have 21 male, three female. The youngest in the class is 20, and you-know-who is the oldest. Interestingly, one half of the class is the same age or younger than my son Brandon. Also of note is that with the exception of about five of us, everyone else has previous part 121 (airline) flying experience. This meant that me and my fellow 121 Fledglings had to spend a lot of extra time studying topics such as Exemption 3585 (don't ask!).

Another thing I'd like to say is that our class has quickly solidified. Every night during the week you would find study groups in the hotel common area, pool room, and almost anywhere else. These groups were not cliques, and anyone could and did drift from group to group. Everyone has been accepted as an equal, and we are each committed to ensuring that we all make it through training. I am proud to be part of such a group, and I must give credit to not only each of my fellow class mates, but also to Mesaba who helped establish that culture on the first day.

So, with the first week and first test behind me, I'm planning on spending the weekend getting familiar with my pilot union contract, Pilot Operating Manual, and CRJ Systems Manual. On Monday we start General Subjects, which is a continuation of some of the Indoc subjects, but this time more specific to our aircraft. This means that we have said good-bye to our Saab friends, and will instead be joined in class on Monday by Saab Captains who are now upgrading to the CRJ. I for one am looking forward to meeting them and hearing about their experiences with the company. It should add some great dynamics to the classroom.

Cathy's birthday was yesterday (Happy Birthday!), and this was the first time we've been apart on her birthday since we've been together. Our neighbors Jim and Heather invited Cathy over for dinner the night before, which was so typical of their generosity. With Jim and Heather on one side of us and Guy and Connie on the other, we are blessed. Cathy and I already miss each other a great deal, but having the ability to video chat using Skype has been great. If you've never used it, I highly recommend looking into it. You can't beat the price (free!), and other than an occasional slow hotel web connection, the quality is really great.

Well, that's it from snowy cold Minneapolis. Keep chasing your own dreams!