spoiler alert: 241 easy mode

Do they ever put a truly "no-win" situation in the simulator? (Like the Kobayashi Maru from Star Trek), or is it always a situation you should be able to get down safely?

What's the roughest situation you've had thrown at you in the simulator?

Also want to add my thanks for your updates, I enjoy the details as well.

We're never supposed to be given anything impossible to deal with, but I was once given an unrecoverable windshear on approach. I remember initiating the escape maneuver (full power, pitch up to 20° nose up or all the way to stick shaker, if necessary) and the plane continued to lose altitude, until contacting the ground. The sim indicates a crash by freezing and the windshields cracks. After crashing, the instructor apologized, saying he had accidentally entered an unrecoverable windshear.

And that's why our best defense against windshear is avoidance. If the airport is advertising windshear, we proceed with extreme caution and go around at the first indication of windshear. If other aircraft have actually reported windshear during approach, we will wait (fuel permitting) or divert.

Update #3 on 737 Training - Completion of 200 series

In module 205, we operate in and out of KSNA, the Orange County/John Wayne airport in Santa Ana, CA. This airport has a noise abatement procedure using Quiet Cutback power settings, which are programmed into the FMS. This procedure reduces N1 (fan speed) at 800' agl.

We also performed a bleeds off takeoff, which is a procedure for maximum engine thrust when required. By turning off the engine bleed air, there is more cooling air for the engines, allowing them to be operated at a higher power setting. For this takeoff, we continue to operate the APU, which is normally shut down on the ground after starting both engines, and supply the air conditioning and pressurization packs from the APU. After takeoff, we transition back to engine bleed air and shut down the APU.

Many repeats of various approaches, simply to hammer the crew coordination and checklist flow and normal callouts.

During the module 206 pre-brief, we discuss HAZMAT and the procedures used to carry special cargo. The flight portion of this module is practice for module 241, the progress check, which must be satisfactory to proceed to the 300 series and full motion flight simulators.

There's is really nothing significant to report on these rides. It's all getting routine now and my partner, Alexei, and I are coordinating well as a crew. The 241 ride went fine and it's actually still a training event, as much as a check ride. Thus, the instructor can, if necessary, train and repeat events. We didn't need any "do overs" and after the ride, we went back to the briefing room where we were quizzed on limitations and memory items (for emergency procedures such as engine fire).

Here are some of the limitations that we are required to memorize. There aren't that many of them.

Max operating altitude: 41,000'
Max altitude for use of APU bleed air: 17,000'
Max altitude for use of APU generator and bleed air: 10,000'
Max altitude with flaps extended: 20,000'
Max crosswind: 33 kts, including gusts
Max winds for autoland: 25 kts headwind, 20 kts crosswind, 10 kts tailwind
Max takeoff/landing altitude: 8400', except for 737-700 which is 10,000'

A few of the emergency memory items:

APU FIRE
APU Fire switch (confirm)* - Pull and rotate to the stop, hold for 1 second
APU switch - Off

Engine Fire or Severe Damage
Autothrottle (if engaged) - Disengage
Thrust lever affected engine (confirm) - Close

Airspeed Unreliable
Autopilot (if engaged) - disengage
Autothrottles (if engaged) - disengage
Flight Director switches (both) - Off
If necessary to stabilize aircraft, set following gear-up pitch attitude and thrust:
Flaps extended: 10° nose up and 80% N1
Flaps up: 4° nose up and 75% N1

Loss of Thrust on Both Engines
Engine Start switches (both) - FLT
Engine Start levers (both) - Cutoff
When EGT decreases:
Engine Start levers (both) - Idle detent

*"confirm" means that the crew member doesn't accomplish the action until confirming with the other pilot that he has the correct control

Tomorrow is module 301, our first full motion sim and first use of the HUD. Report time is 0500.

That is an interesting one, did not know that it varies from one type to another in the same (737) family.

The popular LIM-CUZ route is full of A320's. Is that because the 737 would not be able to takeoff/land at CUZ, or would they be able to takeoff/land higher than the limit for such a short flight?

What about maximum temperature, any limit there?

What are the indicators you can see on approach?

My experience with windshear...

I have been remiss in posting updates. I’ve completed the 300 series, which culminated in a simumlator check ride called a Maneuvers Validation. We’ve had three sessions in the 400 series, which gets us back to normal gate-to-gate flying with abnormal and emergency events sprinkled in. I’ll give more details on what was involved later.

At this point, we have two rides left (Saturday and Sunday). The Sunday ride is the LOE (Line Oriented Evaluation) which is the big one. If that goes well, we get our 737 type ratings and it’s on to IOE (first actual trip in the plane, which will be flown with a check airman in the right seat acting as my First Officer).

Just today, my IOE trip was actually placed on my schedule. It’s a five day trip, starting on Tuesday April 3rd:

Day 1
LGA-MSP
MSP-MSY (16 hour layover in the French Quarter)

Day 2
MSY-LAX
LAX-SJD (23 hour layover)

Day 3
SJD-ATL
ATL-DEN (11 hour layover)

Day 4
DEN-JFK
JFK-SJU (12 hour layover)

Day 5
SJU-ATL
ATL-LGA

MSY is New Orleans
SJD is Los Cabos, Mexico, located on the southern end of Baja California
SJU is San Juan, Puerto Rico

Congratulations on the progress!

Is the IOE a series of "regular" flights (i.e., taking passengers and cargo from here to there), or is it just you and the check airman to demonstrate proficiency and procedures before having customers around? Seems like it's got to be the former, right?

Let me know when you're landing/taking off in DEN, I'll go outside and give you the thumbs-up.

wow I hope that was 0500Z

Good Luck!!!

Yes, they are regular flights.

I arrive in Denver at 11 pm on the fifth and depart at 11:35 am the next morning. Flight numbers are shown here:

5 390 SJD 1330 ATL 1916 3.46
2500 ATL 2133 DEN 2300 3.27

6 2427 DEN 1135 JFK 1723 3.48

Doesn't seem like it leaves you people much time for food, rest, travel to/from airport, prep, whatever else needs to be done.

If you don't mind, I'd be interested in what that Denver overnight timeline looks like. (Or any other day of your choosing).

What does it take post-flight to really complete paperwork etc and get to the hotel? How early would you be up the next morning, and what goes into that day's flight preparation?

Yes, sometimes there really isn't much time for anything. We block in at DEN at 11 pm, so our official "duty off" time is 11:30. Our hotel van the next day leaves at 10:35 for our 11:35 flight, so we have 11 hours and 5 minutes between duty periods. For this short layover, we stay right by the airport; for longer layovers, we are farther away and the pickup time would be more than an hour before departure. Too bad it's so short because one of my sisters lives nearby in Longmont, CO. On longer layovers, I get to see her and my nephews.

I'm looking forward to the layover in New Orleans. I've flown in there before but have never stayed overnight. We stay in a Windham hotel in the French Quarter, arriving at 12:40 pm and departing for LAX at 6:10 am the next day. So I can see a bit of the city but I can't stay out late.

Los Cabos is a 23 hour layover and I've never been there either. We stay at a Hyatt so it should be pretty nice.


Unless we are the last flight in to a base that doesn't have company maintenance personnel, we really don't do anything after the flight. After completing the shutdown checklist, we can go. If it's a non-maintenance base and the plane is done for the day, one of us does a post-flight walk-around inspection before leaving, but that only requires an extra 5-10 minutes.

For the next day, we try to arrive at the plane 45-60 minutes before flight time. Pickup times at the layover hotel are set to provide this lead time. So, for a hotel within a couple of miles, we often leave the hotel one hour prior. For longer layovers, we stay in downtown areas and pickup time is earlier.

When I was flying international flights, some places (such as Moscow) required pickup times two and a half hours prior to departure due to long travel times to the airport. São Paulo was this way. We usually departed three hours prior to takeoff time because the traffic was horrendous there. But one night, we left the hotel at our usual time and made it to the airport in just 20 minutes because it was the night of a World Cup game and the roads were practically empty.

As for what goes into the flight preparation, that can vary significantly depending on weather. For a beautiful VFR day with no maintenance issues on the plane, I feel comfortable walking onto the plane 30-40 minutes prior to pushback. If weather is an issue, I spend more time looking over all the various weather information the company provides (winds aloft, turbulence reports, weather systems, freezing levels, etc).

In general, however, earlier is better for getting to the plane. The main reason is that if we find something wrong during our preflight, it gives us more time to have it taken care of by maintenance so we still get out on time. For example, as we walk into the cockpit, the first thing we do is make sure the plane has the required minimum level of engine oil, hydraulic fluid and crew oxygen because we can't pushback if these need servicing. The sooner we notify maintenance of the need to service one of these, the more likely we can still stay on schedule.

Probably been asked and answered, but if you are sick and can't make your scheduled flight do you have to call in a set amount of time prior to departure? I would assume they have a rule, maybe 2 or 4 hours prior so that they can scramble to find a replacement pilot.

It seems pretty ridiculous that passengers are expected to be at the airport an hour before the guy flying the plane even leaves his hotel.

Passengers who, like pilots, don't check bags and can breeze through security (precheck) are fine arriving 30 minutes before, in most cases.

With an exception of Southwest, where you lose your boarding position if you are not present at the boarding time.

I was shocked at how few memory items we have on the 175. Easier to study but I've been a bit slow with the QRH.

LOL! Can't argue with that.

And I think I probably was in error. I think the van pickup is timed to have us arrive at the airport an hour prior, and this begins our duty day. I'll let you know for sure in a couple of days when we leave Denver.

Are you able to chill out and shut your pilot side off when you are deadheading around? Or are you tuned in with the phases of flight, anticipating maneuvers, etc?

Unless it's bad weather, I zone out pretty easily. During thunderstorms or very gusty winds, I find myself being more attuned to the flight.

Ahem.....wasn't today a big day?

QUICK UPDATE: Passed the check ride today and I have to fly up to New York tomorrow afternoon for a 5:00 am report on Tuesday for a five day trip.

Congratulations and thank you for the continuous updates and best of luck for the the test flights. This thread is really marvelous and just keeps on entertaining.

Did you keep your NYC crash pad the whole time you were off?