Minting a New Captain

Minting a New Captain (Oh Captain, My Captain!)*(see note at bottom)

So here is a little bit on what the process is while I am down here, and kind of a general overview of the making of a new Captain.

Because of my experience level at AE, I am eligible for the Qualified Upgrade Program. What this means is that I have a lot of time in the aircraft I will be Captain in, so instead of running me through the entire 4 weeks of ground school (3 weeks of systems and 1 week of CSI, Duties, etc,) plus 2 weeks of simulator (4 hours sessions a day,) I’ll be doing just 1 week of systems, CSI, Duties, allll put together, taking an FAA Oral on everything that I need to know, and then going right into the sim sessions.

CSI, btw, means “Cockpit Systems Integration.” So we not only go over systems, but we spend some time on how everything functions together, how we actually handle the cockpit, getting the “flows” down correctly, that sort of thing. “Integration,” after all.

So our Quickie course went rocketing through the entire deal. Day 1 was DNR, or Duties and Responsibilities. Not to beat on it, but the basics comes down to this: You are now the Captain, and you are to blame for anything going wrong, including things you have no control over. It was an 8 hour session on How we can get “wrapped around the axels.” FAA Violations, enforcement, Company discipline procedures, advisory letters, suspensions… well, it was interesting. At the end of the class, you’re dominant thought is “Why the hell does anybody do this anyways?”

We dove straight into systems after a day off, and began our speedy tour of the systems. Normally, in the “long term” courses, there are 4 weeks of system info. This includes Safety, Security, CRM, blah blah blah… All of this gets crammed into 5 days. Day 5 also includes a written test, etc. It goes pretty fast, but let’s face it; IF you don’t got it by now, you don’t got it. (especially after 9 years of flying the airplane.)

So instead of 2 days, we spent a total of 4 hours on the electric systems, that’ll give you an idea of the time crunch. We all know (my class of 6) the airplane well, so we were able to zip right along, going over the highlights of all the systems.

Then we had a little time off, and then it was “Oral Time.”

The FAA Type Oral that we have is 3 hours long. The start of it is taken up by paperwork. There is a logbook review to see if you are actually legal and meet the total requirements for the Airline Transport Pilot License, Called the “ATP,” it is required for every Captain operating and aircraft for the “Skeds,” scheduled airline service. I took the written in 2000, and they are only ‘valid’ for 2 years, but as long as you are employed by a “Part 121” carrier (airline,) your written does not expire. The written is a bear… hundreds of questions, performance on the 737, 727, DC-9, navigation, rules and regs… takes a long time to study for properly.

Once we are past the paperwork part, then we get into the nitty-gritty. I suppose an Oral can be broken into 5 parts, some of which are put together. Limitations, Memory Items, Systems, Rules and Regs, and Performance.

Limitations. You gotta know these cold. These are the operating limits of the aircraft and all of it’s systems. Highest altitude for operations, lowest temps, highest temps, speeds, engine parameters, everything, you have to know by memory… 100%.

Memory Items. This is another 100%-er. Thankfully, there are not that many on my aircraft, and the ones that are there are not that complicated. These are the things you need to know in case something happens while you are flying, and you have to respond immediately, because time is of the essence. Little things, like Engine fires… Cabin Depressurization… Fire/Smoke in the cabin/cockpit. You simply do not have time to go to a piece of paper to find out how to handle this.

Systems. Here is where you have a little leeway. The best Oral tests come across as a casual conversation about the aircraft; what it is capable of, and what we do to operate it safely. There are a lot of “What Iffs” during this part of the Oral, and you can take your time and work things out. Sometimes, you get an examiner like the one that I had for my oral, and he is more than happy to let you wander off into the woods on a system, and he’ll even lead you down the wrong path. You have to get yourself back on track.

Rules and Regs. This is usually just on the Captain Oral, particularly initial Upgrade, or the making of a new Captain. All kinds of things we need to know, but are usually computerized, like flying time requirements, weather requirements, for alternates, additional alternates… all kinds of esoterica. This is the hardest part to study for, which seems funny, since they are the same “R&R” I have been flying under for years, but for some reason, they always find something that you don’t know.

Performance. This, while a pain in the pass, is very easy. We get 30 minutes for what we do on the line in under 5. The difference, is on the line we are just looking for answers, and in training, they want to ‘show the work.” (remember that from school?)

Fill out a manifest, weight and balance with pax loading, cargo, fuel, etc… runway performance for landing and takeoff. Piece of Cake, I can do it in my sleep… and I am pretty sure I have, many times over.

And then you are done. Pass/Fair. No middle ground.

So I passed… and one of our toughest, squirreliest check airmen said he was proud of me, although I did have a shakey point for a bit, since I led myself down the wrong road. It happens, but all is well.

So I had a day off of laying by the pool, and starting tomorrow, I start the Simulator work.

Modern Simulator training is amazing. These boxes actually cost more than the airplanes do. They mimic every little quirk the airplane has. I gotta say, though, the airplane flies MUCH better than the Sim. However, the first time a new hire FO walks out to an airplane to fly the real airplane, he or she will be walking out to a bird that has real live passengers on it. Scary?

So, the classes are as such—4 hours sessions, with a 1.5 hour briefing beforehand. So my session runs from 0600-1000, and I have to be there at 0430 for a briefing. Yeek. But then, I am off for the rest of the day.

Sims 1 & 2, are basic flight. Takeoffs, area departures, enroute, arrivals, approaches and landings. The FO that I will be paired with is 24 years old, and as far as I know, he has never flown anything bigger than what he has flown as a Flight Instructor. This is going to be a big leap for him; I know, I’ve been there (although that was quite a while ago!) We’ll polish up our flows, how we organize the cockpit throughout the flight, and how we work as a team. In addition to the basic flying the airplane stuff, he’s going to have to learn how a well trained team works flying, and that is what we are gonna be. I have more than enough time to make his life easier over there. Hopefully, I can guide him in the right direction.

Sims 3 & 4 are where it gets interesting, particularly 3. This is BBQ day… we start lighting things on fire… engines, the APU… anything that burns… after the first 2 sim sessions, you are pretty much done having a fully functioning airplane. Nothing works right again till Sim 9.

Sims 5-8 are more of the same, but combining everything.

Sim 9 is called a “Phase Check.” This is a dress rehearsal for the “PC” which is the big checkride.

Sim 10 is the “PC,” or checkride, In my instance, this will be an “Initial ATP, and Type Ride.” I’ll be going from Commercial Pilot to Airline Transport Pilot. BIG leap. In addition, I will be getting a “Type Rating” on the aircraft I get checked out in… this is a requirement for airline work, and you do it the first time a Captain checks out on an aircraft. I may take more PCs over the years (and I will!,) but this is an “initial type” and it is a NO MISTAKE ride. No retraining, none of that fun stuff…

Following all of that, we head out to a real airplane for IOE! (Initial Operating Experience.) This is exactly what it sounds like. It is at least 25 hours of flying, with a rated Captain on the aircraft who will keep an eye on the new Captain while I do my first number of days of flying. The IOE Captain has a specific plan, and there are a number of things that he has to see, but mostly it comes down to this—Don’t Screw Up. Fly the line professionally and by the book, and nobody gets hurt.

Towards the end of IOE, we get scheduled for a “Fed Ride.” This is where an FAA Rep or designee rides in the jumpseat, and signs me off as safe to fly the airplane as a Captain in Airline service. The Fed Ride is another big deal.

After that, a line check from the airline, and they turn me loose. That should happen around Halloween; it all depends on when they can get someone from the FAA to go flying with the group from my class, one at a time.

That, my friends, is how you make a Captain.

*O Captain, My Captain, is actually not about the Captain of a ship, nor an airplane. Walt Whitman wrote that poem on the death of Abraham Lincoln. Here is the first verse, from Poetry Online:

O Captain my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.