jb, It seems like you did a thorough apprenticeship on the 747 to get to the left seat. What was your thoughts when you first stood underneath the big girl as a junior SO on your first flight?
I presume your initial flight training for the 747 was in the simulator? Did you get any hands on actual flight training before going on the line as SO?
The initial training was about 4 months long. Looks like a month of ground school, then about 60 hours in the sim. Then 3 flights. I didn't actually touch the aircraft until the first flight after I'd come on line. Remember that I had a pretty solid background, so the systems weren't alien to me. There were just more of them. The operation itself was what you really need to learn. At that point in time, the minimum hours for them to even answer an application letter was 1,000.
The promotion course to FO was longer overall. Only a couple of weeks of ground school (same aircraft after all), and then about the same number of hours in the sim. This time though, we actually flew the aircraft. I did 4 hours (over 5 trips) flying circuits at Avalon. And then 150 hours of line sectors. They actually count the sectors (30), not the hours, so the hours could vary quite dramatically.
The -400 training was quite different, as the aircraft was brand new, and there was basically nobody already flying it. This time the training was only a month. A week of ground school, then 8 sim sessions (32 hours). Then an observation sector Sydney-Melbourne-Sydney. That was it. Next time I set foot in the aircraft, I was the FO. In the early days, they spent more time showing you how to covert it back into a -300 than they did worrying about the fancy features. Worked quite well, as it was really only a 747 after all.
Command training and the 767 conversion were combined. They also exist as separate courses. 16 sims this time, though a couple occurred during the line flying. Another hour of circuits, this time at Amberley....so the introduction the the 767 is very light weight, doing circuits...fun. 3-4 sectors with a safety FO, then about 20 more sectors with normal crewing. At the end of that group of about 25 (about 100 hours), you did two checks, each of 6 sectors and totalling about 60 hours (of checks!). Then they let you loose...but another check would be scheduled 90 days down the road. At the end of all of that, you were pretty relaxed with the aircraft/operation. Second trip was to San Francisco! The 767 was a demanding aircraft. It was a delight if you were flying it well, but not everyone loved it.
When you converted over to the 767 as Captain, how did it feel to be there as your first captaincy?
Good.
With low on type flight hours compared with your FO, who would probably had more hours on type than you. Did you find yourself listening to their greater on type experience when thinking about a flight plan?
The FOs you flew with for the first couple of trips were restricted to 'experienced', though that only meant that they had a least a few months more time on the aircraft than you. You were also not permitted to allow FO take offs or landings for about 10 sectors. Basically you would have more experience than them at pretty well everything, bar the aircraft itself. Of course that still exists when you fly any type that's new to you. Ask questions as you need, and listen if they say something isn't normally done.
A quote I recall from the bloke who did my final check..."All this does is show that we think you are safe, and heading in the right direction. You'll need to go out and teach yourself how to be a Captain."
Just adding up some of the numbers from my log...I've done about 560 flying hours of designated training in QF alone. And across every course...just under 1,100 hours.
) as to how long the delay will be. Also in a case like this would one of the pilots do a walk around to check the plane ?
