IOE

Trepidation and apprehension, combined with excitement, anticipation, and a sense of “is this actually for real?” - these were the mixed-up emotions churning inside me as I made my way toward the departure gate. I felt very much like an imposter, walking through the airport dressed in the suit, stripes, and badge of an airline pilot, and yet having never flown a jet for real before. But that was all about to change. Today was Day 1 of IOE - Initial Operating Experience, aka on-the-job training.

It’s pretty amazing, but in the U.S. system, the first time a new airline pilot flies the actual plane will usually be with paying passengers on a regularly scheduled flight. It's been done this way for decades now, as simulator training does a great job in providing the foundational skills to operate the plane. That doesn’t mean there isn’t still a ton to learn about flying the real plane, but that’s why during IOE the other pilot in the cockpit is going to be one of the airline’s specially qualified training captains: a Line Check Airman. These guys are a special breed of pilot who can basically fly the plane by themselves, and they’re experts at showing new pilots the ropes and getting us up to speed.

Today I would be flying my first of three IOE trips. Arriving at the plane, I met my Check Airman who I’d be flying with for the next few days. He gave me a friendly welcome and began by showing me how to do the external inspection. Then it was back up to the cockpit to start getting ready for departure. He explained that for this first leg, he would be the Pilot Flying and I would be Pilot Monitoring. On the next leg I would start doing the flying.

It was a bit of a strange feeling to clamber into the right seat of the cockpit and feel like I was in the simulator, and yet realize this time I wasn’t in a box with projector screens, but in a real, fuel-guzzling jetliner.

The similarities with the simulator quickly ended as my instructor started walking me through the swirl of tasks that needed to be accomplished prior to pushback. There was “the box” - okay, I’d set that up before. But wait - how do I know which runway to load when the ATIS is advertising 2 departure runways? They’d always just put us on the runway in the simulator. And what about this thing called ACARS that we’d always heard about? Oh - that’s how we get our V-speeds? Okay, let me plug those in. Did I manage to input all the takeoff data correctly? Ahh, I forgot to put the flex temp in the box. I’m not used to seeing the takeoff data in this format. 

Now, remind me… Suddenly, the two flight attendants were in the cockpit doorway saying they were ready for a crew briefing. I’d hardly noticed the passengers had already boarded. My Check Airman, of course, was taking it all in stride and keeping the ball rolling. A couple moments later, briefings completed, he was latching the cockpit door, clicking his seatbelt on, and talking to the pushback crew through his headset, all seemingly at the same time. “Engine Start Check,” he directed me. Okay, here we go… 

Now began the process of getting the plane from the gate to the runway. 

First, contact Ramp Control for permission to push back. That was easy enough. Next, request permission to move the plane to the area adjacent to the taxiways. In response, Ramp Control rattled off some phrases I’d never heard before, and my captain repeated back what I needed to reply with. Okay, time to contact Metering, the controller that gets us in the queue of aircraft awaiting taxi instructions from Ground Control. 

I keyed the mic: “Metering, ACME Regional 2345 is ready to taxi, with information Romeo.”

“ACME Regional 2345, information Sierra is now current, monitor Ground.” 

Sierra?! They changed the ATIS already? I was still processing this when Ground Control started talking to us. “ACME Regional 2345, Runway 28R at November 5, taxi via…” I scrambled to write the rapid-fire clearance down and failed miserably. I sputtered as I tried to repeat back the clearance and once again the check airman came to my rescue. 

Then we started moving, joining the ballet of aircraft wending their way across the huge airport.

The check airman taxied the plane and I did my best to keep up with where he was taking us. The fact that it was night-time made it doubly disorienting. And then before I knew it, he was calling for the Before Takeoff Check, Tower was telling us we were cleared for takeoff, and we were lining up on the runway. He pushed the thrust levers forward and then things started to become more familiar again. I felt like I was back in the simulator once more as I made the well-rehearsed callouts. “Thrust set. V1…rotate…V2. Positive rate.”

The actual flight was short, and thankfully much easier than the taxi out had been. As we neared the airport, I did my job of performing the checklists and setting the flaps and gear at the check airman’s direction, all the while watching how he flew the approach. Of course, he made the landing look easy as he greased the wheels onto the runway.

We taxied up to the terminal, he debriefed me on the things I’d learned, and then it was time to call it a night and head to the hotel. Our trip would resume the trip the next day. My mind was still spinning from all the new things I'd seen and experienced, so I was thankful for a chance to sleep on it. Tomorrow would be my turn to fly.

Airline Transport Pilot

When I finally found myself back in ground school, it was with a much smaller cohort of trainees. Class sizes had been reduced in an attempt to shorten the extreme wait times that newly qualified First Officers have been experiencing between simulator training and Initial Operating Experience (IOE). As such, I'd had 2 entire months off after Indoc while fellow classmates were slowly placed into classes every two weeks. 

The break had given me plenty of time to memorize the flows and study the standard operating procedures, and that really helped me keep my head above the water for the next two weeks since there was so much material to master each day. In the mornings we practiced a set of procedures and checklists on a touchscreen trainer and also spent a considerable amount of time learning how to operate the Flight Management System (aka "the box"). After lunch there was a four-hour lecture, and then the rest of the evening was spent in our hotel rooms "chair-flying" for the next lesson and studying material that we needed to memorize for the test. It was an intense two weeks, but it was a really satisfying feeling to pass the exams at the end and realize how much I'd learned.

Next up was the part everyone had been waiting for: simulator training. But though I'd been working hard to prepare for it, I wasn't sure I would even have the opportunity to start, much less complete it. We all needed to complete one last class session before starting sims and this class was scheduled for a Sabbath. There didn't seem to any way to receive the training on a different day; I finally had to make my choice and let the company know that I couldn't in good conscience attend the class on Sabbath. I was prepared to have to turn in my badge and materials and say goodbye. But God had different plans.

After several days of waiting in uncertainty, I got a call from the company. They had worked something out; I would be able to take the class on a different day! Though I had to wait another week and a half to be able to take the class, the delay was also a blessing; my simulator schedule, which previously had included multiple Sabbath sessions in it, now had to be rebuilt from scratch and they were able to also ensure that none of the training sessions occurred during Sabbath hours. I was amazed and it felt almost too good to be true; but it was really happening.

Soon after completing the last ground school class I was learning how to fly the CRJ 200 in the full motion simulators. The learning curve was steep, the sessions were long, and I often felt like I was making more than my share of mistakes. But every now and then I reminded myself that in spite of the challenges, I was getting to do something really, really cool - something I had only dreamed about. And as the we approached the final sessions, somehow it all began to come together, thanks to the efficient training program and the top-notch instructors we had the privilege of learning from.

I will never forget one in particular. Not only did he know the airplane like the back of his hand and know how to share techniques that helped us immensely, but he had a way of giving encouragement that amazed me. He knew just how to zero in on the most important aspects of a lesson and how to give just the right amount of practice to get a maneuver to proficiency, praising the good elements of a performance and showing us how to fix the deficient areas. Even when we were doubting our abilities after a particularly grueling session, he could confidently tell us how well we actually did and that we were great pilots. To me as a perfectionist, it felt undeserved, and yet this was coming from an instructor who had been teaching this stuff for decades, literally. I had to believe him, and his confidence was infectious.

During the sessions we had with him, I'd seen him pull out all the stops and give all he had to make sure we would be confident and ready for the maneuvers validation. As we finished debriefing our last lesson with him, I took the opportunity to express my gratitude. "I know I speak for both my sim partner and I when I say that I think you're a really awesome instructor. Thank you so much!" 

His response was like a final puzzle piece that completed the picture of the kind of person he was. "I wish I could take the glory, but I'm a big believer in Jesus Christ," he smiled. 

Wow. That was neat.

My sim partner and I passed our maneuvers validation a few days later and then the following week we each took our final Line Oriented Evaluation and earned the highest grade of FAA pilot license: the Airline Transport Pilot certificate. It was an incredible feeling to look at that piece of paper and think of the threshold I'd just crossed. The scheduling obstacles had been perplexing, and even when I thought my Sabbath schedule conflicts had been sorted out, a last-minute change had abruptly bumped my maneuvers validation to a Friday night. Yet God worked that problem out too, and I could see how it was all because of Him that I had reached this milestone.

What lies ahead? Once again, more time off as I wait for a while to get assigned for IOE. And then the uncertainty of trying to bid and trade for a Sabbath-free work schedule during the first few months as a junior first officer. Yet despite the uncertainty of how it will play out, I have the peace and assurance that as long as God has a plan for me to be in this job, He will keep opening up those doors. And I pray that I can fulfill His purpose to bless to others and then, like my instructor, be able to tell them it was a gift from their loving Saviour.

Paper Tiger

Learning procedures at zero miles per hour

Three and a half weeks and counting of waiting for ground school now. I didn’t realize that starting life as an airline pilot would be this easy on the front end, haha! The airline industry is currently in unprecedented times, and the pilot shortage that was being felt in 2019 is back with a vengeance. It’s creating some problems for the regional airlines, though, because it’s not just a lack of pilots, but the fact that they’re losing check airmen and captains faster than they can upgrade and train new ones in, as the major airlines snap them up. Unfortunately, for the regionals, hiring new first officers like me doesn’t immediately solve the pilot shortage problem, because they need check airmen to train us in, and captains to pair us with.

Walking at Windsor Great Park - the castle is in the distance

So for the meantime, there’s a bit of a bottleneck, and I get what essentially amounts to paid vacation time. I know, some things just aren’t fair are they! I was able to take advantage of the time off and start using my non-revenue travel benefits and visit my family in the UK. That was a first-time experience—flying standby, and doing it internationally as well. I started to get the basic hang of it though, and managed to pick routes that had enough open seats on the planes. The 5 flights all went off without a hitch and I was able to keep from getting stuck anywhere, so that was a nice relief. I know my turn’s coming someday though; it’s just the nature of non-rev travel. I’ve stepped into a different world.

Saying Hi to the Queen's swans on the Thames

Now as I wait for another likely 3-5 weeks, there’s plenty to keep me busy. The ground school chief gave us some ideas on ways to get ahead prior to returning, and I’ve gotten started on that: reading through the SOPM (Standard Operating Procedures Manual), memorizing procedure flows and tasks for the CRJ-200 from start-up to shut-down, memorizing the aircraft limitations, memorizing the boxed sections of the emergency procedures checklists—I think you get the point there’s a lot of memorizing to do. So I’m actually quite thankful for this extended break. And if I get bored studying those areas, there’s always the stuff from Indoc that needs reviewing and re-memorizing, plus the perusal of the myriad manuals on the company-issued Electronic Flight Bag (essentially an iPad with pilot manuals and apps on it). In a lot of ways, pilots are essentially information managers.

I’m really thankful for my previous flight school job because I feel like it helped me know what to expect. The school was airline-oriented, and all the manuals, SOPs, checklist usage philosophy, and callouts are taken straight out of the airline environment. Even the training pattern is modeled, and so now I’m back to the now-familiar first step of learning how to fly a particular plane: sitting in front of a cockpit poster and pointing at different switches and knobs while going through a memorized flow. They call it the paper tiger; later on, at ground school we’ll get to work with procedures training devices that have touchscreens that simulate the cockpit. After mastering the procedures with these simplified methods it will be time for the simulator training. All in all, about a 2-month intensive training period to look forward to. And after that…the real thing.

Bring on the Fire Hose

My classmates and I just wrapped up week 1 of airline training: Basic Indoctrination, or Indoc for short. It’s an amusing term that tends to conjure up mental images of brainwashing sessions. Rest assured, though, it’s simply a course for new-hires to make sure we’re well-versed in company procedures and policies, as well as the FAA regulations that govern Part 121 flying. And there were plenty of those regulations and policies to learn!

They say that airline training is like drinking from a fire-hose, and this last week I got to experience that first-hand: 8 hours a day of classroom lecture on regulations, homework in the evenings, and an exam to round it all out.  With so much material to learn, everyone was a bit nervous going into the exam on Monday. I had managed to fall behind in my homework during the week and I was acutely aware that I had one less day to prepare than my classmates since I take Saturday off. But as the sun set on Friday night, I gratefully put my books and EFB away and thanked God for the rest period He was giving me.

Sabbath was just the thing I needed. I found my way to one of the local Adventist churches and soaked in the heartfelt worship service. A young couple in Sabbath School turned out to have gone to school with some of my college friends. They invited me over to their place for Sabbath afternoon, and it was a great time getting to know these new friends. After the week of being in a group of high-powered and sometimes-crude guys, it was really nice to be with likeminded people again who weren’t just looking to get to the next rung in the career ladder but who were “looking for the city…whose architect and builder is God.” Hebrews 11:10. The day was entirely stress-free and when sunset finally came, I could say I was truly refreshed, both spiritually and mentally.

I think the test ended up being a bit easier than we were expecting. The instructor had been right - the homework and quizzes were really helpful in preparing for the multiple-choice exam. People finished fairly quickly and one-by-one left for the break room to breathe a sigh of relief and then start eagerly comparing their scores with each other. I took my time and then finally pressed Submit. I was a bit surprised by the score - I’d only missed one! I happily left the classroom and headed to the break room. I tried to unobtrusively slip into the room, but to no avail.

“How’d you do?” a cluster of guys asked as they caught sight of me. “It went well,” I smiled. They weren’t satisfied. “No, what score did you get?” After some pestering, I shared my score. A few humorously-intended expletives rang out from the group - it turns out I’d scored one point higher than the highest in the group. They eagerly pried at each person who filtered into the room after me and by the end of the test, they concluded I was the winner. To me, the high score was just a neat reminder from God that His method really does work; honor Him and He will honor you. I just hope that I can be faithful in reflecting that honor back to Him.

With Indoc behind us, we would normally begin aircraft systems ground school right away, but because the airline is getting backlogged in their training department, my classmates and I are being sent home for a short break now. The airline will fly us back to the training center as soon as the schedule opens up, probably a couple weeks from now.

This upcoming course is going to present the next obstacle for being able to have Sabbath off. Ground school is typically a Monday-Friday schedule, but this course is going to have a Saturday session at the end of the second week. I talked with the ground school instructor to find out who I should contact to request an accommodation, and he referred me to a couple people in management. I wrote them an email yesterday and now I’m waiting for a reply. I don’t know which direction it’s going to go, but I’m praying for wisdom on how to navigate this latest bend in the road and that I can represent God and His kingdom to the best of my ability. I’m encouraged by the way God has been blessing the journey so far and I’m interested to see what He has in store next. If He helps me past this obstacle, it looks like He might have already been paving the way for me to be able to get a Sabbath-free sim schedule - but more on that later!

“This is the world you’re going to”

For $10 million, you too could have a simulator

For many of us who have recently been hired by a regional airline, step one in the training process is to attend a CTP (Certification Training Program). Pilots who don't yet have an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate have to go through this particular course in order to be able to take the ATP written test. Ironically, the course has little to do with the questions that are on the written test, but rather is a way to expose aspiring airline pilots to safety-related concepts that they will be dealing with in their careers.

This last week my airline sent me and 30+ of my new classmates to a 7-day CTP course where we went through 4 days of classroom followed by 2-3 days of simulator training. It was a bit long and tedious, sitting in class for 8 hours a day, but as it turned out we got really lucky with the ground instructor we were assigned.

A retired captain for a major airline, he had a wealth of experience and wisdom to share. The really neat thing was that it wasn’t just technical knowledge; he often would bring a moral lesson into the stories he told, and sometimes there was even something about God. When introducing himself, he had explained he had nearly decided to become a priest, but instead ended up in aviation.

We had him for 3 out of the 4 days and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing his fascinating stories, which had been collected over a long career of flying everything from military helicopters to wide-body international airliners. The stories ranged from the hair-raising to the hilarious. Many of them were cautionary tales, designed to give the student something serious to ponder or some important advice to put into use at some point in the future. Many of the stories highlighted how much he had loved his job and what an amazing career his younger listeners were entering into.

After finishing our classroom sessions, we each received 10 hours of simulator training to round out the course. This was going to be a tricky one for me. Months beforehand, I’d been wondering if I’d be able to make it through this course without having a Sabbath conflict, since the course was going to be 7 straight days with no official break. I’d called various people, sent emails, and done my best to get an accommodation worked out in advance, but to no avail; the best answer I could get was to show up to class and make the request when I arrived.

So that’s what I did. The one slight hope I had that it might be feasible was the fact that my course started on a Monday rotation, which meant that my classroom sessions would be done by the end of Thursday and I would be doing simulator sessions over the weekend. Since they run the sims 24/7, it would actually work if I did a daytime session on Friday, a nighttime session on Saturday after sunset, and whatever remained anytime on Sunday. If I’d been in an earlier class date, I would have been sent to a course starting on a Wednesday rotation, which would definitely have been a problem, since there would have been no way to get out of the final 8-hour classroom session that would have been on a Saturday. I took the Monday start date to be my cue from God to go ahead and give it a shot.

The first day of class I was doing my best to figure out who I needed to talk to to make my scheduling request. Unfortunately, the schedulers happened to be in a different building, and when I logged into my school profile, I saw to my dismay that my simulator sessions were already starting to be scheduled, and one was for Friday night. I quickly sent an email to scheduling, making my request to be able to do sims anytime Friday ending by 1730 (to give me an hour buffer before sunset) and after 1930 on Saturday.

A few minutes later I saw my schedule update - the night-time slot had morphed into an afternoon session, with the simulator activity ending at 1700. Still of concern was the debrief time: 1900-1930. However, someone had written in the notes: “Will be able to debrief at 1700”. I smiled.

A few minutes later I received an email from someone in scheduling: “Good afternoon Michael, unfortunately, we are unable to take requests for any particular SIM Times or Devices. You should receive your SIM schedule by end of day tomorrow.” Was my schedule going to change again? I kept a close eye on it, and despite the somewhat disconcerting email, by a couple hours later all my sim lessons had been scheduled: Friday daytime, and Sunday. Nothing on Sabbath! I breathed a sigh of relief and praised God for giving me a sympathetic scheduler.

The sim training was a blast. I had no idea they could create such a convincing illusion of motion inside those things. The first time I pushed the thrust levers forward for takeoff, I was surprised to actually feel myself being pushed back into my seat, as if the plane was really accelerating down the runway! I had the chance to fly the Airbus A320 full-motion simulator and after that experience, I'm starting to have aspirations to eventually get behind the controls of one of those birds for real.

Welcoming the Sabbath

I was still holding my breath a bit as Friday afternoon came around, as I'd heard that sometimes sim schedules could change at a moment's notice. But there were no surprises, and we finished the sim lesson on time, the instructor gave a quick debrief right at 1700 and I was free! I gave a heartfelt thanksgiving to God as I watched a beautiful sunset from my hotel window and welcomed the Sabbath.

After a full week of training, Sabbath was just the refreshing break I needed, and I enjoyed it with a new sense of appreciation. As it turns out, my Adventist airline pilot friend happens to live in the city where I was training, and so I got the fun chance to meet him in person for the first time and go to church with him and his wife. That’s one of the things that I think is so neat about being an Adventist - no matter where you go in the world, you’re going to find a church family and you have an immediate connection with like-minded people.

I completed my final sim sessions on Sunday, took my ATP written this morning, and now I’m on the plane with my classmates to the airline’s training facility to start the formal airline training for real. I don’t know what the next Sabbath conflict will be, though I’m sure it’s coming. But something that I’m also sure about is that if it’s God plan for me to get through training, He will open the door - or the window, or whatever it happens to be. I just have to be prepared for Him to do things a bit last-minute, because that’s the way He seems to operate. And I need to remember to enjoy the ride, as a good friend was reminding me this weekend.

One of the things the ground instructor was fond of saying as he would share inspiring and neat things about the airline pilot career was, “Guys, this is the world you’re going to - and it’s really, really cool.” After a week of hearing him repeat that, it’s actually starting to feel like it might really happen.
 

Tell Your Heart

It's almost time. Just finishing up some last-minute packing before I get a bit of shut-eye and then wake up to start the next chapter of life.

I used to love packing for trips. Lately, though, packing is bringing up more than just physical baggage. I'll be honest; this week I had a really hard time facing my suitcase again. The last time I brought it out I had been so excited. The last time I put it away, that excitement had turned into bitter disappointment. I should have been excited about this upcoming trip, but the sad ending of the last one was all I could think of as I slowly filled the suitcase up this week.

On Thursday night I sat at the table trying to work on some particularly dry ATP test questions. I just couldn't focus, as my mind kept running through the same thoughts over and over. But, like an impression here, a verse there, that God has been almost daily sprinkling across my path that last few weeks, the title of a song I'd heard before by Danny Gokey surfaced in my mind. I found it online and started to play it. My eyes misted up and more.

Tell your heart to beat again
Close your eyes and breathe it in
Let the shadows fall away
Step into the light of grace
Yesterday's a closing door
You don't live there anymore
Say goodbye to where you've been
And tell your heart to beat again

A few posts back I wrote about belief vs. trust. I've been experiencing that conflict for real lately, and now it's time for the rubber to meet the road. I believe God can do amazing things. It's time to trust Him to do them now. And that means looking forward. Choosing the joy that God still has in store.

The song really says it all. I'm ready to do that.

Time to Start Packing

After 13 years as a GA pilot, I'm finally on the cusp of something I'd only dreamed of doing. Next week, I leave to join a regional airline. It still doesn't feel real. I think part of it is because I interviewed and got the job offer over 6 months ago already - so for half a year it's just been an idea.

The other reason it doesn't feel real is because I never thought I'd have a serious shot at being an airline pilot. Since I'm a Seventh-day Adventist Christian and keep the biblical Sabbath from sundown Friday until sundown Saturday, it's pretty tough to work in an industry that runs 24/7. But being able to keep the Sabbath as an airline pilot is not entirely out of the realm of possibility, as my friend found out. He gave it a shot, and God opened the doors for him. So, with the airline industry in the state of severe pilot shortage that that it's in right now, I figured now is the best time to take the plunge and see if God wants to open those doors for me too.

There will be several hurdles to get through, with the most challenging ones probably occurring during training. Then it will be on to reserve, junior line-holder, and then by about six months in, my seniority should have developed to the point where I'm able to consistently get the days off that I bid for. Until then, it will be a lot of praying and a lot of trading. I think the last time I experienced this much uncertainty was when my family and I left the U.S. 18 years ago and came face-to-face with the real possibility that we wouldn't be able to go back home. God worked a miracle for us, and that's another special story for another time. That was a family thing, though. I'm ready to see God work some miracles for me personally now.

Why am I taking this risk? I've asked myself that question quite a few times over the past half year. It basically boils down to the passion for flying God has given me, the skill set He helped me acquire, and the desire to use those for Him. I believe God gives us passions for a reason and that reason is for us to use them in His service. I believe that the airline industry needs committed Adventist Christians in it who can be a blessing, just as much as any other part of the world does. Of course, I could still discover the airlines are not the place for me. Some things you only find out when you try. Some things are perhaps meant to be for a short season, before God turns the page to a new chapter. Either way, I'm looking forward to finding out what God has in store. If He opens up the doors, it's going to be really obvious, and it's going to be really neat to know I'm right in the place where He wants me to be. And so far, the doors have been cracking open ever so slightly. It's going to be an interesting journey.

"With nations, with families, and with individuals, He has often permitted matters to come to a crisis that His interference might become marked." - Christ's Object Lesson, p. 178.