Out of the FTD and into the Box!

A lot has transpired since my last posting, but the big news for those following from the last post is that no furloughs have occurred and I'm still employed and in training. Truly this IS the season of miracles! While the company tries to take stock of our pilot manning situation, my partner Scott and I have started and completed FTD training, and as of today are in the "box".

Last week we spent five days on the Flight Training Device, or FTD, which is basically several large LCD touchscreens mounted so as to resemble the layout of the CRJ flight deck arrangement. There was no control yoke so there was no real flying to do, but each switch throughout the flight deck would respond to touch and would reposition as appropriate. Some readers may have experienced a "paper tiger", or a cardboard mock up of the flight deck on which countless flight crews have trained. The FTD is the 21st century version of that, so I guess you could call it an electronic tiger. Although you could not fly the FTD, it is a fantastic way to learn switch functions and locations, and the corresponding aircraft responses. In the FTD we learned how to bring power onto a cold, dark aircraft, start and secure engines, perform normal takeoff and landings, and most importantly, we learned the "flows" and "callouts" required for each evolution of flight.

A flow is a series of switch changes needed to preform some evolution, and is followed by a checklist verification. For instance, after the engines are started, the Captain and the First Officer will perform their respective after start flows, and then the Captain will call "after start check". The First Officer will then read down the after engine start checklist, and as each item is called, the Captain and/or First Officer will visually verify the item was completed and then the appropriate person will announce "checked", "completed", "set", or whatever is appropriate for that item. Once the checklist is completed, the First Officer announces "after start check completed". This may sound like it is scripted, and that is exactly what it is. Each item must not only be correctly accomplished, but the challenge and response on the checklist must be stated/responded to in exactly the correct wording. Word for word, item by item. No ad lib, no "close enough". Exactly as per the Pilot Operating Manual. Although my partner has never flown jet aircraft before, he attended Embry Riddle University and their CRJ First Officer program, so most of this is second nature to him. Unfortunately, silly old me is still struggling to "un-learn" some Falconisms that keep haunting me. In the Falcon, the parking brake is "set". In the CRJ, the parking brake is "on". This may sound trivial, but it is not. Until I can do business the company CRJ way, I will not pass my checkride.

Today we had our first session in the actual simulator, or the "box". As shown on the photo above, the simulator is about three stories high, is mounted on several hydraulic actuator legs, and can move about all axis. It is a Level D simulator, meaning that it has fantastic graphics and can simulate both day and night visuals. You enter the simulator by crossing a catwalk on the second story, passing through the back of the control cab where the instructor sits and plays his various instruments of torture, to the flight deck which is an actual full-size CRJ-900 flight deck including every switch, light, screen, doo-dad, and hoo-be-do that the real McCoy has. You sit down, strap in, and try hard to remember that you are not in the real aircraft. During my Falcon type rating, I flew a Level C simulator, and although that too is impressive, the Level D is truly amazing. Every sound, every bump, flap buffet, engine noise, ATC radio traffic, flight attendant chimes, you name it, it is there. The only thing missing perhaps are cranky passengers, but I'm sure our instructor can fill in for them. Speaking of instructors, once again I have been completely amazed at the quality of instructors we continue to be introduced to. This company has some great people on staff, which makes the training that much easier.

In addition to the basics of flight training, we've been issued our Jep plates and airport directory, and we've already been issued our first Jep revision. I had to break down last week and buy a new chart case, since my old one was brown (wrong color) and was so old I think it was passed down from Orville Wright. Uniforms came in today so I had to try them all on to confirm fit (I have GOT to start eating a little better, or I'll have to let out my pants in the waist!). Although this was just a trial fit and I don't have the company brass (wings and hat design), it was still the first time I've worn a uniform since I last took off my Navy uniform in May 2000. Although I'm not yet worthy of wearing a "real" pilot uniform with wings, I still had to Skype Cathy so she could laugh at my funny hat. The February bid package is out and my name appears on it for the first time, meaning that the schedulers are planning on building me a "green line". In other words, I'm too junior to be able to hold a real bid line, but, because I'm considered green until I have 100 hours in the CRJ, the schedulers will pack in a lot of flight time for me early, as if I were more senior. Although this is great in that I'll get plenty of flight experience early on, as soon as I'm not "green" and I have my 100 hours, I'll drop off the bid and will likely be sitting nothing but reserve for a while. As I've been told, enjoy the green line flying while you can.

That's it for now. Our sim schedule has us briefing at 0500 and in the box at 0600 each day, so its lights out for me at 9:00 pm. That's OK...9:00 is a good bed time for an old fart anyway.

Tailwinds and Blessings!

The F-Bomb!?

Regular readers of the Fledgling Flyer know that I have only been pursuing my airline dream for a month. So, with only one month of ground school behind me and another month to go before my very first CRJ-900 flight, could it be that I might be about to be awakened from this dream and slapped in the face with the F-word...FURLOUGH! Maybe not yet, but suddenly it seems possible.

First of all, a little history. As much as I would like to think that my seasoned flying skills is what made Mesaba hire me, I know that it was a shortage of pilots. More specifically, a shortage of pilots willing to be separated from their families for days on end, bring home about $350 per week, and fly the CRJ-900. The CRJ enters into the equation because Mama Delta promised Mesaba that we would be getting 15 new CRJ-900's for Christmas, and to keep 15 CRJ's flying, you typically hire about 5 crews per aircraft. So, doing a little Jethro Bodine "cyphering" here, 15 CRJ's equals 75 Captains (most moving up from the Saab 340's), 75 new hire CRJ First Officers (enter yours truly), and 150 Flight Attendants (a mixture of new hire and existing employees). Keep in mind that the 75 Captains means that 75 Saab Captain positions are vacated, so existing First Officers now have the opportunity to upgrade to Captain. Upward mobility at its best.

For the last quarter of 2008 this hiring frenzy was pretty much the only airline hiring in the entire US, which explains why so many of the new hire First Officers in my class are furloughed pilots from other airlines. Based on the delivery schedule of the new CRJ's, the company expected to continue hiring and forming classes until March or April 2009. However, like so many others this year, the Christmas present that we wanted so badly did not appear under the tree, and it was announced a day ago that instead of 15 new CRJ's, we'd be getting 5. So, substitute 5 for 15, cypher a little, naught from naught leaves naught, carry the one...you get the picture. Suddenly instead of a hiring craze, the company finds itself with about 100 extra pilots. The party is over; over so quickly in fact that the very next CRJ class that was supposed to start next week has now been cancelled, along with all future CRJ classes. Ouch!

Where does that leave the Fledgling Flyer? First of all, it leaves me in a lot better position than many of the folks who were scheduled for the Jan 5 class, that's for sure. I know for a fact that many of these folks had already given notice to their current employers that they were leaving to join the Mesaba team, which is no longer happening. It also leaves me much better off that some current Mesaba pilots who have been with the company for a while, and were waiting for that elusive upgrade to Captain, which is now less likely. In the notice letter to the company, our CEO stated that furloughs of current employees were not expected, "at this time", but "at this time" ended a minute after that memo was posted. So, my fellow classmates and I are now on the bubble, praying that it does not get popped.

So, as we enter into 2009, it is hard not to feel the spirit somewhat dampened, not so much because I fear that I may be furloughed before I even sit in the flight deck of the CRJ, but because I know how many lives have been affected by this change in plans. Tonight there are many, many pilots and flight attendants who were excited about joining Mesaba in the coming weeks and months who no longer have a job. By the grace of God, I was on the right side of the door when it closed, but I know that I am only one corporate decision, one employee memo away, from having to let go of this dream of airline flying. Don't get me wrong, I would never wish this on anyone, but in some ways it seems almost just that I experience a little turmoil in my airline employment as so many others have. Another ticket punched toward admittance to the airline pilot club.

Every cloud has a silver lining (and a few have mirco bursts and hail, so beware). ASA was awarded the 10 CRJ's that Mesaba did not get, so many of their pilots and flight attendants who were facing furlough now perhaps have a brighter future. They like Mesaba are a part of the Delta family, and for the good of the parent company and the industry, I wish them tailwinds and God Speed. For all of those on the other side of the door when it closed, keep knocking. Those of us blessed enough to be on this side will hopefully continue to do the things needed to keep Mesaba growing and on track for a successful 2009, which will hopefully get that door opened again.

Until I hear otherwise, it is business as usual. FTD's and simulators start soon, and after a couple of days of enjoying some time with Cathy, Randy and Rose in Alberta, it is back to the grind.

Blessings and best of wishes to everyone in 2009!

Christmas from Afar

Like so many others in the Airline Industry, (and military for that matter) I spent Christmas 2008 separated from the ones I love. No pity party here, just the reality of my new chosen career, with little chance of being at home during holidays. As it turns out, others in my family circle had a subdued Christmas too.

As mentioned in last week's post, Cathy and Nikki were able to get away and head up to Alberta to spend Christmas with her Brother Randy, his wife Rose, and their children Justin, Michael, Cassandra, and Jacqueline (oh, and Emmie...Nikki HAS to have a playmate). They had a traditional Newfoundland-style Christmas, with presents, "Jig's Dinner", and simply enjoying being together. If you have never had the pleasure of a Jig's Dinner, imagine a traditional turkey dinner with all of the trimmings, then add some salt beef (complete misnomer...it should be salt fat), figgy duff, and peas pudding, and you've got a Jig's Dinner. By the way, here's a quick lesson for you Yanks out there...Newfoundland is pronounced "NEWfoundland", accent on the first syllable. Most Americans incorrectly pronounce it newFOUNDland. In any case, it is a beautiful place with wonderful warm people, but questionable food. They do have some damn good fish and chips though, even if they do put stuffing and gravy on them!

I was able to speak with both Jamie and Brandon today on the phone. They are with their Mother in Florida, and enjoyed a day at Universal Studios and saw the Blue Man Group. By all accounts they had a fun day. Brandon has decided to attend UCF Engineering when he is released from the Army this Spring, and Cathy and I are excited for him to start down this new path. Jamie is concerned because she works for her fiance's family flooring business, and with the economy the way it is, business is down. Like many others in America, all who work with her are concerned about their jobs and their future.

My Mom and Dennis in Lacey Washington had a non-Traditional Christmas, in that my Sister Lisa and her husband Scott were not able to come up. Normally Mom is praying for a white Christmas, and this year she got her wish, so much so that her and Dennis were pretty much snowed in. They tried to get out of the house for a drive, but almost got stuck. Thankfully neighbors helped get them back in the driveway. Lisa and Scott live in Oregon, and they were thinking of driving down to spend the day with Scott's family. Unfortunately, more snow and ice put the kibosh on that idea, and because Scott's son Sean is spending Christmas with his Mom in California, Lisa and Scott spent a quiet Christmas at home, watching movies and enjoying each other's company, and likely worrying way too much about things they can't control, like the economy, and bad weather that keeps them from family, friends and work.

As for the Fledgling Flyer, I spent the day recovering from the effects of eating a Christmas Eve Chinese dinner. There were about a dozen of my fellow class mates who were spending Christmas here in the hotel, and I thought it would be a good idea to get together with some friends and go out and eat a nice dinner somewhere last night. Unfortunately, I found that almost every restaurant closed around 4:00, so we ended up in the only place open, a Mom and Pop Chinese place. Unfortunately, within an hour of eating I ended up with the "green apple quick steps", or more correctly, the "hot and sour soup quick steps". Melly Cleesmas!

So, today I emptied the stocking Cathy sent me, tearfully read her Christmas card, studied flight controls, hydraulics, navigation, and FMS, talked on the phone with loved ones and friends (thanks for calling Gord, it was GREAT to hear from you!), and swore off Chinese food. I also reflected a lot, and decided that even though we say that Christmas is about being with family, it is not. Christmas is about Christ, and his birth, and all of the things that Christianity is. Yes, Christianity is usually thought of as a family affair, but being a good person can be a solo affair too. Not being with Cathy, my children, or the others in my life that I love does not in any way diminish the importance of the day; yes we can be sad for being apart, but Christmas is still Christmas, and even though apart, we each had a day that was in our own way blessed. Hopefully you did too.

Merry Christmas, God Bless, and remember the ones less fortunate than we!

Cool Systems and Alphabet Soup

This week was all about EICAS, Bitch'en Bob, and all the things Bob will talk to us about. Things like APU's, ECU's, SOV's, TRU's, CSD's, IDG's, FIDEEX, LCV's SOV's (please don't confuse with PRSOV's) and AILC, which is pretty smart, making it a Smart AILC (sorry, couldn't resist).

Did I mention coffee? We learned a lot about that too. Here's what a typical day was this past week:
0500-0530 Get up, shower, start studying lessons for that day.
0630 Hotel breakfast is served. Start coffee infusion.
0710 Go scrape snow off of the truck. Warm hands with coffee.
0725 Leave for training center. Dark and snowy outside.
0800-1700 Training. All day. No early days off, since the FAA would disapprove.
1710 Leave for hotel. Dark outside...did the sun ever come up?
1710-1740 Fight snow and traffic back to hotel.
1741-2100 Scratch head, mumble to myself, cuss, dig through five different books, and complete homework assignments. Occasional augment with group study where more experienced and younger classmates do their best not to laugh at my lack of experience with "advanced aircraft".
2200-2230 Sleep. Reset and start over.

Speaking of advanced aircraft, there is not one student in class that is not completely blown away by the CRJ-900, even those with prior experience with the CRJ-200. With each system we are introduced to we gain a deeper understanding of the entire aircraft, and exactly how advanced and well thought out it really is. Interestingly enough the nature of the airplane has led to me having some difficulty, not in understanding the material, but accepting from the instructors the often-spoken "you don't need or want to understand that". It is a function of having an engineering and electrical/electronic background, but I really DO want to know more, and I have to constantly push the mental "let go" button and prod my mind to quit trying to figure out some engineering aspect of the system and keep up with the instructor. I find that this occupies some of my evenings during homework, when I can use the internet to find out things that the instructors don't know or won't share. Example:
Instructor - "Proximity Sensing Electronic Units (PSEU's) are used to sense door position."
Me - "How do they work?"
Instructor - "You don't want or need to know that. Probably magnetic"
Me- "I can't imagine them being magnetic, since aircraft manufacturers typically avoid putting magnetic material in aircraft".
Instructor - "Push your Let Go button Gary. Next topic...."

In case you were wondering, PSEU's used in the CRJ are all metal sealed units that measure a change in inductive reactance when brought in proximity to a metal target. As suspected, they are completely non-magnetic, and therefore meet the FAA's HIRF (High Intensity Radiated Field) rejection requirements. They are built by Crane Aerospace and Technology. So, although I am happy that I've learned this nugget of information, I will never use the knowledge, nor be asked about it on my oral or written exam. Pure and simple, this is one of my character flaws that Cathy knows well!

Let's talk about EICAS and Bitch'en Bob. EICAS is the Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting System, which is basically some serious computing and monitoring systems that display on two CRT screens on the instrument panel between the two pilots. EICAS tells you darn near everything you could possibly want to know about what's happening behind the scenes and more. EICAS is also smart enough to know when you don't want to see certain things (EICAS does not use a lot of space showing Aux Power Unit RPM/EGT when the APU is not running). So, unlike the Falcon 10 that uses up a lot of instrument panel real estate displaying LRT's (Little Round Things, or "steam gages"), the CRJ can display a LOT of information in a very little space by determining when the pilot might want to see some particular data based on flight conditions. EICAS also uses colors to help you digest the information; Warning information is bad, and is displayed in red, and the message is announced via a triple chime sound. Caution information could be serious, so it is displayed in yellow and sounds a single chime. Advisory messages tell you about aircraft systems configurations and test and are displayed in green. Finally, there's status messages which are low-priority failures or loss of automatic operation of a system. Status messages are in white. Just in case the bright red warning message in front of you does not grab your attention, there's Bitch'en Bob. Bob is a synthetic voice that announces the presence of a warning EICAS message. Say for instance a smoke detector senses smoke in the aft cargo bay. In addition to the red "SMOKE AFT CARGO" EICAS message, the pilots hear "ding-ding-ding", SMOKE! SMOKE! SMOKE!......." until they push the red flashing warning push button to tell Bob to hush. Pretty straight forward, but considering that EICAS has a library of 36 warning, 207 caution, 31 advisory, and 149 status messages, all of which we need to understand, there's a lot to digest. In addition to finally completing General Subjects on Tuesday, we have covered the following systems: Aircraft General, Doors, EICAS, FMS intro, APU, Electrical, Powerplant, Fuel, Fire and Overheat, Pneumatics, and Environmental Control Systems.

We are being trained using a computer-based system which is really great. During the lessons, the instructors use an interactive presentation that is displayed in front of the class and on two computer screens on your desk. Every afternoon we have "CSI" which is cockpit systems integration, which is class where we use our interactive computers at our desk to try to put together what we learned in that day's lessons. Learn APU in the morning, learn how to start and monitor the AUP from the cockpit in the afternoon. Great stuff. As of the end of the day Friday, we all know how to enter a cold dark cockpit, do power initialization checks, start the APU and power up the airplane, initialize and program the Flight Management System, and God forbid...start the engines! God forbid because engine starting is something that us lowly First Officers are now allowed to do. However, we did get to go to the airport fire station this week and learn how to put out fires, just in case the Captain's engine starting leads to disaster!

The highlight of my week came after school yesterday, when I opened a Care Package Cathy sent me. Beef jerky, candy, pistachios, LOTS of goodies. Also included were my darts, so I went out with some friends last night to see if I can still remember how to toss a dart. I do, but Justin and Rich held their own for a couple of rookies. Cathy also sent me a Christmas stocking, and a card, neither of which I have opened. Cathy is going to Alberta to be with her brother Randy and his family for Christmas, and I'll be here in Minnie. I'll open my card and unload the stocking on Thursday, and will share my goodies with my fellow classmates that are not going to be with their families either. Like with the military, being separated from loved ones is a part of the price of admission to the airline pilot club. We, fellow pilots, are quick to accept that price, because co-shared hardships like working on Christmas and being separated from loved ones actually bonds us closer together in professional fellowship. However, the ones we leave behind don't experience our absence the same way, instead enduring the separation and hardship because they know that we are doing what we love. They are in fact agreeing to "share" us with another lover, our chosen career. Cathy does not like being separated nor missing holidays together, but she not only accepts it, she goes the extra mile to do extra things for me like sending me a special package. One of my fellow classmates received a "Dear John" letter this week, his relationship falling victim to his love of aviation and the separation it entails. I am so fortunate to have Cathy in my life, who not only loves me, but is willing to share me with Mesaba, Bitch'en Bob and the CRJ. In this season of miracles, she is my Christmas Star. I love you Babe.

To all, Merry Christmas, God Bless, and safe flying.

Week Two - The Fun Meter is Pegged!

Week #2 of ground school is now behind me, and I'm having the pleasure of writing this post from home. Not hotel room home, but REAL home, home with Cathy, Nikki, a real kitchen, and real toilet paper instead of 100 grit sandpaper on a roll. There's no place like home! Going home is not recommended during ground school (for risk of not returning on time and being washed out of class), but since very few of us will be able to be home for Christmas, many of us are taking advantage of our "non-rev" flying privileges and are going home this weekend. Daredevils all.

Speaking of flying privileges, I had my first experience with non-reving on this trip, and I have to admit that I felt like an impostor. I've seen it a thousand times...a flight crew member flashes a badge instead of a boarding pass to get through security, then up to the gate podium to kindly ask if there is a seat available. That was me yesterday, and I was nervous for being afraid of violating some protocol that I was not aware of. I asked my classmates a thousand questions beforehand, and the system worked just as advertised. I was even offered a First Class upgrade by the lead flight attendant once aboard, which I declined. I was safely sitting in a free seat, heading home to see Cathy, and I was afraid that should I get up to head up to First Class, the magic would evaporate and I would wake up from the dream. Best to stay put and enjoy the ride from seat 7D.

As mentioned in last week's post, this week our class was combined with some seasoned Captains who are all Saab 340 Captains, now upgrading to the CRJ-900. Their presence has added some new dynamics to the class, some good and some not so good. Don't get me wrong, all of us Newbies are glad to have them, but we can tell that a few of the Captains are not taking the material as seriously as we are, and tend to be somewhat disruptive in class. I guess it is natural for us to feel more pressure in class and want to absorb every morsel of information presented, since we are literally at the bottom of the airline pilot food chain. Most of the Captains don't seem to feel this pressure, and seem to be more interested in having some fun in class and afterwards. Fun has not been on menu for me and my fellow Fledgling Fliers, hence the fun meter. Having the "fun meter pegged" is a phrase that goes way back to my Navy days; when you are not having much fun, we sarcastically say the fun meter is pegged, though not necessarily pegged on the fun side!

This week we covered some material that we were first introduced to last week, but now in more detail. We also saw a lot of new material such as security, transportation of dangerous goods, and Cat 2 approaches. For those of you not familiar with the magic lingo of airline approaches, normal Category 1 or Cat 1 approaches allow an aircraft to fly toward a runway for landing, completely in the clouds/fog, down to an altitude of 200 feet above the ground. At 200 feet of altitude the pilot must decide whether or not he or she sees the runway environment which allows them to continue the approach and land. If they can't clearly see the runway environment they must execute the go-around, which means that they abort the landing attempt and either try again or more likely, divert to someplace where they are more likely to make a successful approach. Well, since Cat 1 approaches are for mere mortal pilots, and we are destined to be super duper airline pilots, we must be trained to fly Cat 2 approaches, meaning that we get ease our aircraft down to 100 feet before making that go/no-go decision. As you can probably imagine, it requires a lot of coordination and precision from the flight crew, and has very little margin for error. I'm looking forward to honing my skills to this level.

We were also introduced to pre-departure paper work. You've seen it before...the flight crew all arrives at the gate, and the gate agent hands the pilot or first officer this long roll of paper, which they then commence to tearing into individual sheets on the edge of the counter. Interesting analogy that pre-departure paperwork and toilet paper both come in a roll. Seriously, we can build CRJ aircraft that are marvels of technology, but the paperwork that the flight crew relies on comes off a dot-matrix printer out of the 70's. Oh well. In any case, this paperwork includes weather, aircraft information, departure and destination information, etc., but as with most everything else in the airline pilot's world, the information is presented in a not so easy to understand code. "43" Means "143" (drop the 1), "73,74" means "73,740" (drop the last zero), and "84,400" meaning "84,400" (don't drop anything, since being consistent would make ground school must less interesting!).

We also spent all day Friday discussing Crew Resource Management, or CRM. Most folks laugh when I try to explain that CRM involves concepts like the First Officer taking control of the aircraft should the Captain become incapacitated in some manner, or worse, willfully decide to do something unsafe. That concept sounds so unbelievably common sense that it is hard to understand why you would have to train on it. Well, we train on it because it was not too long ago that the airlines were full of mostly ex-military pilots who believed that they did not need, nor did they want, any help from any other crew members of the aircraft. These "gear up, flaps up, shut up" Captains established such a frightful, hostile working environment that many First and Second Officers, along with the unsuspecting passengers and Flight Attendants strapped in behind them, died in horrible crashes because no one was willing to speak up and tell the Captain that he was doing something wrong, or that the airplane was about to run out of fuel. Airline crews today are trained and retrained on the necessity of working together as a team, being alert to subtle signs that another crew member may have some issue that makes them less than effective, and on safe decision making. Although I enjoyed the training, I was given vibes from my more experiences classmates that there are still plenty of Captains out there who have zero respect for First Officers. Call me naive, but I'm from the old school where I believe that only a small portion of respect is given due to positional authority, and that the majority of respect must be earned through your actions. I don't expect any Captain to instantly respect me simply because I am a First Officer, but if they think they're going to fly into some cumulo-granite or through a thunderstorm without me stepping in, they are wrong.

Well, I'd better wrap this up and get ready for my return flight to MSP. I enjoyed my very short visit with Cathy, and we both enjoyed attending two Christmas parties last evening with some friends (thanks Tom/Sue and Jill/Mark), and it was really nice to see our neighbors again, even if it was for a very short time. I would like to stay a little longer today, but the weather back in Minnie is going to turn crappy later this afternoon, making it harder to get in. Current weather back in Minneapolis is 08011KT 1 1/2 SM -RA BR OVC005 03/01, which means that the winds are from the east, visibility is a mile and a half, there is light rain and mist at the airport, the clouds are at 500 feet (Cat 1 approaches!), and that it is cold. It looks must more impressive written in code on a long sheet of toilet paper!

Until next time, safe flying and God Speed. Do something nice for a stranger today.