I'd just like to say a huge thank you to my good friend (no names) for agreeing to write the following interesting account regarding his experiences during his type rating training.
A Long Road From The Start
"Take off thrust set....Indications normal....80kts....V1...Rotate!"
That's a far cry from what I used to be doing in my previous job as a golf pro on tour, but now those words will get said by me at least four times a day on the flight deck.
I thought I would write a little bit about my experiences of going through a Type Rating for a major European airline. I wont mention any names but I hope that it may be of some use to people who are considering a life in aviation or those that are waiting for that first job.
As I mentioned, this is a second choice of career for me. I was originally a golf pro but due to injury I had to leave the sport that I had loved and travelled the world with. It was a choice of work in a golf shop (which I have nothing against as I have some very close friends who do this, it just wasn't for me) or get my head into the books and study to do something that, as far as I was concerned, was only what other people did.
I'm not going to go into all of the details about me going through the training and issue of CPL and IR but I want to share my thoughts and experiences of the Type Rating itself.
The hardest part through all of this was without a doubt trying to get a foot in the door for the interview itself. With so many low hour cadets out there like my self, it's very easy for ones head to drop and start thinking about all the negatives of an industry that one hasn't even managed to get into yet. Couple that to all the forums with people posting who have been out of jobs for so long and you could be forgiven for thinking why have I even bothered to pursue this type of career. All I can say is keep sending off the CV's because it does happen getting interviews, it's just a matter of waiting and there is no way of knowing how long that time will be.
My interview was a good cop bad cop routine. One person asking the questions, the other looking bored and trying to off put you by playing with his phone and taking calls etc etc. I would say though that the best advice I could give would be to read over some ATPL notes, read up on the airline you are having the interview with and learn items about the aircraft you would be flying. After that it's down to you, and hopefully you'll get a little bit of luck.
I was told I had the job two weeks later, then its time for you to prepare for what you are letting yourself in for. I cant stress enough how important it is to read the manuals early before you start any type rating for the aircraft you will be flying and if possible try and get a copy of the SOP's for that airline as this will reduce the work curve dramatically! I had two weeks for my ground school and it was a very very intense two weeks. Yes there is a lot of work to be done but don't be afraid to put the books down one night and have a beer to relax, it will keep you sane, I promise you! One thing that I did find was that the instructors who were serving pilots in the company were fantastic and very approachable. If they didn't know the answer to the question you asked then they would take as long as it was necessary to find it out for you. All the time you are learning the systems for the 737 (oops did I say 737! Well you have a few ideas now who the company is, but telling you would spoil the fun!) you should also be learning the profiles for the aircraft i.e. VNAV PTH apps, ILS, Take off etc etc and learn the SOP's, once these have been learnt the simulator part will go more smoothly.
So the day arrives for the tech exam and if you say you won't be nervous then just wait till you get there, even the best prepared student will feel a slight twinge of anticipation as he/she reads that first question. Generally speaking though if you put the hours in you should do well, it's not rocket science, more a test on how good you can organise your time for studying and how good your memory is!
So hopefully after the tech exam you will have a week or ten days off before the simulator sessions start. Again a good careful mix of study and time off is whats needed! Learn the aircraft profiles so you can say them off the top of your head, learn both sets of calls from right AND left seat as you will be flying from both seats in the sim. Once you have had a few sessions it should start to become more natural and you will start to settle in, but don't start to relax, as soon as you have started to feel comfortable then something new will come along and knock your confidence and believe me this is totally normal. The workload in the sim is more than that of the ground school as things happen much faster and you don't have the luxury of getting the books out and re reading what you should have learnt the night before. Yes it becomes very tough, especially in the run up to LST (License Skills Test) but I can guarantee that the last sim session before this will be used as a confidence building step so that you are fully prepared for the big day of the test.
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| B737-800 NG Simulator |
The LST itself has a stigma attached to it. Yes everyone wants to pass first time but everyone also fears it to a certain degree especially as a cadet. However everything inside this test is what you have seen and done before, the instructors would not put you forward to it without you showing that you can pass it so take that as a big confidence boost. Generally on an LST you can expect single engine work (V1 cut, Engine out ILS etc), non normal situations (loss of hydraulic system A for example) and emergency situations (RTO). I can promise you that the examiner is not looking for genius, brain child flying. He/she is looking to see that you are safe, have a good understanding of the SOP's, know the aircraft systems and that you can cope in a situation and be able to communicate to the person sitting at the side of you so again don't get too nervous about the LST, its what you have been doing up to this stage but only this time it has a name attached to it.
One thing I would say is that if possible try to enjoy the type rating. Yes its a stressful time of your life and I've only really managed to scratch the surface here, but you will meet some interesting people and remember that this is the beginning of the career you have studied hard for! The fun starts after here when you get to fly the aircraft for the first time in base training, but that's another story altogether!
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