A320 Type Rating

The advanced phase of simulator training consisted more of the same in the intermediate phase but refining the techniques and putting in more complex failures combined with flying short routes like between Leeds and Glasgow. In this short space of time we were given a situation like another bomb on board or smoke to deal with and for those 2 situations you basically need to land ASAP! There isn't much time to really brief a normal approach so you just brief the essentials and get the thing on the ground. Other failures included starting engines using different techniques because the apu was inop or the starter was faulty or even if you are doing a hot start there is a technique used. The advanced phase was also consolidation of the things we had learnt in intermediate phase like flying with single engine and then unusual attitude recoveries preparing us for our licence skills test.

I found the advanced phase the most challenging of all of the training which wasn't helped by a few 0615 starts in the simulator meaning I needed to be out of bed by 4am! I think I ended up having 5 or 6 early's by the time I finished advanced phase.

Before we knew it, our licence skills test was upon us! There were only 10 details before the big test. The licence skills test for the Qatar MPL is carried out by a training captain from Qatar so has no relation to CTC at all. We turned up for the big day not knowing what to expect and had been revising all possible scenarios he could chuck at us. He made us feel at ease a little during the briefing by discussing the main things we will be doing during the flight. I was up first with my sim partner monitoring what I was doing and doing the radio calls. The pressure of knowing it was a test got to me a bit and I thought that throughout my flight, I hadn't done particularly well. I can't even remember what my failure was now as there was so much going on. I had to put that half of the test behind me and do the best job I could do as pilot monitoring for my sim partners turn to fly. I certainly did a better job at monitoring than I did flying. I felt me and my partner worked well together. 5 hours later we had finished our test and shut down the plane. Thankfully we were put out of our misery as soon as we got out of our seats and congratulated us on our flight. 

Our debrief went well, he was very pleased with how our flight went and the main pointers he had for us were basically things that Qatar actually do instead of what we had been taught. This is because there is a slight disconnect between CTC and Qatar, new information is slow to reach CTC so we are left learning old procedures. However, saying that, there is a new training manager at CTC who came from Qatar earlier this year and he is now updating all the procedures to fall inline with current Qatar procedures which will be good for future people coming through. 

On my way home I had organised a test drive in a few new Range Rovers to treat myself and get a feel of what I'd like to get in Qatar. The test drive didn't make my decision any easier because they were both really nice vehicles! Other things that happened over the last few weeks were that the flying Scotsman (steam train for those who don't know) came through town so I, along with thousands of other people stood in the rain to get a glimpse at it going past. Another big event that happened in Southampton was watching the worlds largest cruise ship (Harmony Of The Seas) leave on it's maiden voyage. The ship is huge! I went to Portsmouth with my parents for a couple days to see all the ships 

So that's it for me at CTC, I will be helping out at a couple shows for CTC but other than that, my next blog post will be after I have moved to Qatar on 14th August. Between now and then I will be busy trying to sort all the paperwork, vaccinations, medical renewals, deciding what I would like to take with me and of course catching up with family and friends before the big day.

Supercharged 5.0l sport....dream to drive and the growl is ace!

Real smoke in the flight deck simulation...scary stuff!

My workstation trying to revise all SOP's and possible failures for LST

Worlds largest cruise ship

Wandering at Nash Point with my mum.

A view of the centre console from the upper panel

Flying Scotsman

Portsmouth Dockyard

Intermediate Phase Complete

Sorry it's been a while, there hasn't been much to report. Another milestone has passed, we have now finished the intermediate stage and only have one phase left to complete before flying the real thing.

Before the intermediate stage simulators we had to do 2 and a half weeks of type rating ground school and 2 exams. These exams are the same exams that any pilot wanting to get type rated on the A320 type fleet would have to do. These 2 and a half weeks consisted of a lot of late nights to try and learn all of the content required. The type rating course is self taught using an ipad app which has a lot of different sections and you just work your way through them at your own pace. We then had an instructor on hand to go through questions with us and run through the virtual flight deck simulator sessions with us. It's safe to say that after the ground school, we had all had enough and our brains were bursting with so much knowledge that it was hard to recall small specific details on demand. It was a good job we had a few days off before our first simulator session to be able to consolidate and prepare for it. 

The first of our 10 simulator session began and it was clear to see that both me and my new sim partner hadn't been in a simulator for a while, for me it was about a month since I was in one. Overall we both learnt a lot and progress was made. The intermediate phase is similar to the basic phase of flying the aircraft except you start using the automatics more and more. We also start programming the Airbus computer to tell it where we want to go and all the little bits of information you need to get from A to B like optimum altitudes. We also get full motion on for all of our flights from now on. For me, I initially took a while to trust the automatic systems as I am so used to flying manually and trusting my own ability. When you start to see that the automatic systems are not there to try and kill you, it does alleviate some pressure when you are in a high pressure situation. That's not to say you put the automatics on and forget about them, they need constant monitoring to make sure they are doing what you want them to do. Also, an issue could arise and the automatics drop out at which point you need to know what is going on so that you can quickly take control. Just as you start getting familiar with the Airbus automatics, the instructors start failing systems and putting the aircraft in different configurations to demonstrate scenarios. By our test flight we had a bomb on board and dual hydraulic failures to deal with. 

The next phase is more of the same where we fly routes and then we get given more severe failures. I'm quite looking forward to the smoke in the flight deck sim session where the flight deck will actually fill up with smoke to the extent that you will barely be able to see the instruments in front of you. Scary to think that we have 10 sim sessions left to be able to become competent enough to fly the aircraft for real and to iron out any procedures that we haven't quite learnt properly before out skills test on the 11th and final simulator session. The skills test is carried out by a training captain from Qatar Airways and has no relation to CTC, so the only feedback we get is from the previous courses ahead of us. 

On the exploring front a have done a little bit more exploring back at home with some friends around the Brecon Beacons. Other than that not much has happened. The next blog instalment will be after my skills test hopefully with some good news that we have all been working so hard at over the last year and half.

Visit to Warwick

Epic ride at Thorpe Park

Visit to Big Pit

Trek up Pen-Y-Fan

Basic Phase Complete

Time is going so fast in Southampton! The basic phase is complete already after 21 simulator flights. It also marks my mid point through my training in Southampton. 

Continuing on from my last post where we had just completed upset recovery, we then continued to fly from different airports around the UK like Leeds, Prestwick, Manchester and Heathrow to name a few. We were then introduced to single engine operations. First of all we had a flame out during cruise and then we had to return to the airfield and land safely. Having one engine creates a larger yawing moment which we then have to correct using rudder and then to relieve some pressure from our legs you can use rudder trim. Quite a lot of force is required when you make a large change in thrust, quite a few times my leg was shaking trying to keep the rudder steady. The trick on the approach is to try and get the aircraft stable and trim set and only make minor adjustments, otherwise large changes require changes in thrust which requires changes in trim and has a knock-on effect and you are constantly chasing the aircraft. We were then given engine failure during take off which is interesting because you are at full power setting and then one engine quickly cuts out creating a huge yawing moment. 

After the single engine operations we had a high altitude upset recovery and then we were introduced to LOFT (line orientation flight training) which is basically short routes from one airport to another. We then practised the different entries into each airfield like we were doing at the start of training. Then we had to couple that with engine failures. Up until now the fuel quantities had been frozen on 5 tons but the last few flights the fuel was flowing so that we had to manage the fuel quantities left and make sure we landed with the legal requirement still remaining. It's not so easy when you have a lot of things being thrown at you all at once. It is a very busy process for both pilots! 

Then the test came and thankfully it went well. Me and Jack had different routes. I was up first going from Liverpool to Birmingham. A very busy route and everything felt like it rushed up on us! Jack had Birmingham to Leeds which felt a lot less rushed for both of us. Overall the flights were good but not our best performance to date. We had both passed and we have both earnt our first stripe on our epaulettes. The key word that came out of basic phase which we will have to practice in the next 2 phases is ANTICIPATION! Everything moves so fast that you literally have to think that much further ahead. 

The next phases are the intermediate and advance phases. The intermediate consists of 10 sim sessions where we will be practising more failures and emergency situations. I am also paired with Alex for the final phases. The advance phase is then more LOFT flights with the emergency procedures and only consists of 11 sim sessions with the last session being our final licence skills test. Then we will have roughly a month off before heading to the desert to fly the real thing. Scary to think that we are so close!

We have done a little bit of exploring around the Hampshire area. We went to Winchester and explored a bit of the traditional town. We also went to the New Forest for a bit of a walk with the wild horses. Also went to Portsmouth to check out the boat yard.

Next post will probably be after my intermediate test in a few weeks time. If you put your email address in the box to the right it will email you to tell you when I update with a post rather than you check back all the time.

More upset recovery

Basic Simulator Phase

Happy New Year to you all.

We have just passed the halfway point in the first of 3 phases in Southampton. To be honest there isn't really a lot to talk about during this simulator phase as we are basically just learning how the Airbus A320 works. So far we have been learning how to fly the various different approaches and departures using standard instrument procedures out of UK airports.

The basic phase is mostly fixed base. We only do 2 flights with the full motion switched on in the basic phase, these are for upset recovery. This means putting the plane into unusual angles of bank and pitch and then recovering before the plane falls out of the sky due to slow speed or breaks up due to overspeed. The first of the upset recovery was good fun. The instructor put the plane into unusual nose high and nose low attitudes and then we had to recover back to level flight. This was quite fun with the full motion switched on as it felt a bit more realistic. We also did a landing with the full motion on which went better than expected with a smooth landing. 

We have also started flights with an engine failure. We did one flight with the engine failing in flight and another with it failing on taking off. This is quite tricky the first time we did it as an engine out creates a massive yaw (if you could imagine a see-saw with 2 people in balance and then one person jumping off, that is the effect you get when one engine fails but left and right as oppose to up and down on a see-saw). The way to counteract the yaw is to use the rudder and then use the trim to release the pressure off your legs. I was surprised at how much force was needed and my leg started to shake the first time. Every time you adjust the thrust, you need to adjust the amount of rudder input, so the trick is to get into balance and be stable as quick as possible so you don't need to adjust the thrust setting.

The next thing for us is to start learning more and more emergency procedures and high altitude upset recovery. Koffin corner is a term often used in high altitude which is where the overspeed and the stall speed meet meaning you can't go faster and and you can't go slower, not a nice place to be!

I wont be updating the blog as often as NZ as there isn't much to report about and there aren't any mountains to take pictures from down here. Here are some pictures of our training since our return to Southampton, I wont put a description as they are pretty self explanatory.

How Time Flies By...

I have made a fair bit of progress since my last update. I am now more than half way through my flying stage of the course and I only have 6 more flights until my first competency test. The competency test will see off my foundation visual flying stage and mark the start of my instrument flying where I will be flying under a hood/in cloud relying just on instruments to navigate.

The past 2 weeks have been a mixture of solo and dual navigation flights to various locations around the North Island. I was lucky enough to fly North to Waiheke island and then through the controlled airspace past the famous Skytower in Auckland. The pictures from the journey there do not do it enough justice! Flying at 1,500ft above the city and then over Auckland International airport was just amazing. These flights are basically refining our visual navigation skills with arrival and departure of controlled aerodrome procedures which at times can get tricky. I am definitely more confident making radio calls now and there are no aerodromes that I get nervous of joining now.

Yesterdays flight was a good flight. I did a route which took me to Tauranga, Whakatane, Rotorua and back to Hamilton. I did touch and go's (touch the wheels on the runway and then take off again) at Tauranga and Rotorua. Tauranga is a pretty tricky aerodrome to get to because it is controlled and you have specified procedures for arrival and again for departure. The trick to a good arrival and departure is to make sure you brief yourself and fully understand what you are about to do. The extra challenge was that the wind was gusting 30Kts which it quite a lot in a small plane. The landing was perfect and I departed as planned. I then flew overhead Whakatane to intercept my next track to Rotorua. Rotorua is a big challenge too. The aerodrome is surrounded by mountains which adds the turbulent aspect. It is also a controlled aerodrome but does not have a specified arrival and departure procedure so they can ask you to arrive at different visual reporting points...some of which are hard to pronounce, I'm sure they have a laugh at us trying to pronounce some of the names. The trick to Rotorua is to be familiar with the surrounding visual reference points before you get there. The landing at Rotorua was going to be a challenge as when I was on the final approach the wind was directly across the runway at 20kts which is very high in a light aircraft. I have always loved the challenge of a crosswind landing and it went perfectly. I landed without flaps to make it easier as with flaps down, it makes it easier for the wind to push you off the centreline. Then it was back to Hamilton to finish with another crosswind landing which was well executed again. Lets hope I keep landing like that for my tests!

Travelling wise, I have only done 2 trips and that was climbing a mountain called Maungatautari. There is a track that goes from the North nature reserve to the South nature reserve but with 2 summits. It takes 5hours to go the whole length so we only did the a peak each time. On the first walk 3 of us went up the North side to be disappointed with the view at the summit. It was covered with trees! So I decided that I'd climb the summit tower and get a view from the top which was a bit better. The South track which was another challenging walk but it was rewarding with great views from the top.

Time here is going too fast, my departure date is zooming upon us and I wish I could stay here longer! It's definitely a place I will be visiting on a regular basis as I have barely seen any of the best bits and doubt I will get to see the best bits on this visit.

Until next time, you know the drill.......

From the top of the summit tower.

Pan of the views from the N summit Maungatautari (979m)

The night sky is quite spectacular, after playing with camera settings I have finally managed to picture it.

Waiheke, probably one of the most beautiful places to fly over in NZ

Waiheke again.

Harbour bridge

Almost level with the Skytower

Mt Eden crater

One Tree Hill

Flying over the international terminal

Rotorua

Pan of from the Peak on the S track at Maungatautari

Mokau on the way back from New Plymouth

A lake next to Rotorua.