Recurrent Check Ride Passed!!

[RitterKreuz]

Its miller time gentlemen!

today i passed my recurrent check ride. It is difficult to get into those big simulators and do all of those abnormal and unusual procedures after nearly a year of doing normal routine stuff every day!

started off with an hour long oral exam covering Emergency memory items, aircraft limitations, and systems. Then we sat in the cockpit mockup and went over what all the little lights mean on the overhead panel and what each little switch does etc... only missed a couple of minor ones (3 or 4 At what duct temp does this light come on? type questions)

after that we got in the sim for a 4 hour sim session - 2 hours as pilot flying 2 hours as pilot not flying.

aborted takeoff
normal takeoff
"zero zero" takeoff
stalls
en route TCAS alert and respons to resolution advisories
holding pattern
2 engine ILS to minimums with a missed approach
2 engine VOR approach to mins wth a missed approach
visual approach to landing
angine failure at V1 - secured the dead engine only to have it burst into flames - what fun!
Single engine ILS to minimums with a single eng missed!
single engine VOR to about a 600 foot cieling to a landing
left main gear collapse on thelanding
aircraft evacuation

thats about all i can recall right now - i lost about 8 lbs through sweating alone! hahaha but im glad its over with!

[Mobius]

Congratulations, I hear those can be rather stressful.

What do you fly?

[RitterKreuz]

SAAB 340B

[beaky]

Congrats and well-done... but jeez, Miller? An occasion like that calls for champagne!  ;D

[RitterKreuz]

lol. im on a beer budget  ;D

[beaky]

lol. im on a beer budget  ;D

Right... airline pilot; I forgot.

[beefhole]

So what's the big deal?  You get to keep being an airline pilot, woop-de-freekin dooh!

[RitterKreuz]

get to keep doing it is the key phrase...

i was pretty nervous... appearantly at some companies (mine included) if you dont pass the first recurrent they can terminate you without a grievance from the union as long as it is done inside of the first 12 months of employment... something like that anyway.

I have heard that if not passed, you are scheduled for a meeting with the CP office, during the meeting your records are reviewed with particular attention paid to personal off days, sick days, late shows or missed assignments, it is then up to the chief pilot to determine if you are to be allowed a second chance at the recurrent ride.

there was one such ride scheduled to end right before mine started. i saw the check airman walk out of the sim while the crew was still in there getting their stuff together. he looked at the check airman i was standing there with and shook his head and said and said "didnt make it" as he walked by. one guy walked out of the sim looking pretty bummed out. Not the pressure i was looking for going into this thing lol

[DaveSims]

Was that in the training center in DFW?  I had been there about a decade ago and was allowed to fly the ATR-42 and MD-11 sims.

[RitterKreuz]

yep, and we're hiring like crazy right now too so if anyone qualifies go to airline apps.net  ;)

AA announced recalls starting in January - so we might end up needing about 400 to 500 captains in '07-'08 alone - maybe more depending on the next 24 months

[beefhole]

yep, and we're hiring like crazy right now too so if anyone qualifies go to airline apps.net  ;)

AA announced recalls starting in January - so we might end up needing about 400 to 500 captains in '07-'08 alone - maybe more depending on the next 24 months

I dunnp Ritter... without going into details, suffice to say I've heard a few things about American Eagle from my CFI (a former Continental Express first officer).  Any of it true?

[RitterKreuz]

hey beef... i sent you a detailed private message as to what the goings on are with us right now. Exciting things are about to happen. our union, american's union and managment have been to the table several times in recent weeks... several agreements have been made that are benificial to us.

more details in the message i sent you

 ;D  ;D

[beefhole]

Thanks again, very informative

For everyone else, the long and short of it is things are looking up for the pilots of AA