In the last installment, we saw that “Mike” and I met “Larry” (our I.P. for Day1), and we eased into the scheduled “3 fun filled days in the box from hell”. Larry was actually quite cool, and put us at ease rather quickly. So after our little hour of remedial Surface tablet instruction, Larry began the briefing concerning all the maneuvers he had planned for us this day (the list is at the end of Part 1). But one must ask the question, had we both NOT done all of these things in the simulator many times before? Yes we had. Had we forgotten how to do them in the last five months off (or in Mike’s case, eight months)? No, BUT….much like a pro athlete, time away from the game can be brutal to your skill sets. For the next hour or so, Larry broke most of them down, and we “chalk board flew” them step by step. It helped.

Many of the things we would be doing this day were things that most ANY instrument, multi-engine rated pilot could do in their respective machines, but we are not just “any” pilots. It sounds a bit narcissistic, but we represent the very pinnacle of our profession. We are Airline Transport Rated, Boeing or Airbus type rated, wide-body international qualified aviators, employed by a giant, world-renown airline, and by-God we better be up to the task.

 

 

The briefing went well, some dust was blown off of our collective brains, and after a few questions, we departed for the simulator itself. Strangely enough, after climbing into these funny little “rooms on stilts” for most of my adult life, I’m still amazed at how cool they really are. In the old days, the crews (from DC-3s to Boeing 707s) had to find a jet that was not being used in line operations; which usually meant in the middle of the night, and spend hours cutting holes in the sky in holding patterns, doing countless approaches (and missed approaches), and heaven knows how many touch and goes. This of course, was not only incredibly cost prohibitive to the airline, but was actually rather dangerous. More than one line lost entire crews in training accidents.

Along came the early simulators, and with them, the associated big-assed map-boards. These things were usually mounted vertically within some massive room, and had many tiny little towns, villages, trees, roads, airports, etc., all arranged as in real life. One of my first tours through the American Airlines pilot training academy way back in the late 70s (while attending college), brought our tour group into the big room where this giant map was held. It sounds crazy, but a camera “flew” around this map, and this was the “visual” that you would see while in the simulator cockpit. Not kidding here, it really worked that way. I often wondered what happened when you “crashed”. Did the tiny little car/village/tree/cow have to be re-glued back onto the map? I would guess the answer was yes…lol.

 

(These things are truly marvels…fun if your career were not on the line.)

 

Firmly in the seat now, tablet all set up, seat belt on (yes, we do wear the belt/harnesses…these things have been known to come down hard off the jacks, and a back injury can stop a career quickly), and it was time to “let the games begin”. Larry had us positioned at a gate in SFO, so we could begin with our respective “flow patterns” associated with each pilot position’s Pre-Flight duties…a great way to get back up on that (simulated) horse as it were. Obviously, we don’t just plop our big butts down, stick the keys in the ignition, crank her up, and away we go! Nope, just doesn’t work that way. We have a VERY specific choreography of where we begin in our pre-flight duties, and where we end. When the myriad of things to check and set are finished, the talking begins in earnest.

We converse liberally, and this is the meat of the check-ride…any check-ride (or any good line flight truth be told). Good, effective communications is a must in my profession. We brief the rest of the cockpit crew on lots of very specific things. I’m usually briefing just one other brain, but ocean crossings require we have at least one “relief” pilot depending on the duration of the flight, so sometimes it’s one or two more included into this verbal huddle. I won’t go into ALL of the things we discuss, rest assured we cover pretty much everything…ordinary or not. In real life, I also spend some quality time briefing the cabin crew. They too need to know about things that will affect their lives for the next several hours…weather (turbulence/delays, etc.), mechanical issues, security concerns, and the like. We talk a lot, and we talk often.

The day in question then became a bit of blur, but, as luck would have it, I kept notes for just this occasion. We pushed back, started one of the engines, taxied to RWY 01, and about ½ way there, the F/O started the second motor. This doesn’t wad my panties into a bunch, for it’s more of an exercise to assess the F/O’s ability to perform a cross-bleed start (and use the correct flow pattern and checklist). I basically taxi the big machine, let him (or her) do all the work, and sit there looking regal and handsome. As it should be.

We launched off of 01R, and shortly after that, we were instructed that we would be diverting back into SFO (don’t remember why…out of Colombian coffee maybe?). “ATC” slowed us down below flap extension speed, and guess what? When attempting to extend the flaps, we experienced a trailing-edge flap malfunction. We proceeded to do the checklists involved, briefed and accomplished a visual approach to RWY 28L, all without incident.

Larry then pushed a button and we were “snap-shotted” back into take-off position on RWY 28R for an IFR take-off. Weather was now at 100’ overcast, RVR of 1600’ with a 10KT left crosswind…just a lovely day in the “city by the Bay”. We made sure all the boxes were checked when doing something like this (engine anti-ice on, take-off alternate, etc), and off we went. Larry then gave us vectors to accomplish the VOR RWY 19L approach. We (again) went through all the checklists and briefings, configured the machine correctly, flew the approach, and landed (again) without incident.

Back into position on RWY 28R, WX now 100’ overcast, 500’ RVR and that same pesky 10 KT left crosswind. Another “yawner” of a take-off…but…when in the box (and in real life), professional pilots live by the following credo: “every take-off will end in an abort, and every approach will end in a go-around”. What? It’s all about mental preparedness. Be mentally ready on EVERY take-off to perform an abort at a whisker under V1, and you’ll never be caught napping on the take-off roll. Also, be prepared (and brief) to do a go-around at 50’ on every landing and (again) you won’t be caught with your pilot skills around your ankles when you need them most. I’ve done more go-arounds in the last 30 years on clear, beautiful days while flying a visual approach, then I’ve ever done in IFR weather.

 

(A rainy day in Narita, Japan. I had just stepped out of this machine, and was headed toward the Customs/Immigration line…)

 

Speaking of IFR. Larry now gave us vectors around to do the “ILS RWY 28R, Glideslope Inop” approach. Not much of an event nowadays with the advent of VNAV. It’s fairly simple to set up the machine to fly a faux glideslope down to your MDA, but you DO need an understanding of how/what/where/why. A certain B777 carrier boned this up a couple of years ago into this very airport, with disastrous consequences. Oh, and speaking of go-arounds, Larry (acting as ATC) told us to go-around at approximately 50’ AGL on this approach (too bad too, for I had it wired…or so I thought). Bastard…lol…but I was ready for him!

Back around for another “ILS RWY 28R”, with the big difference being that the glideslope was now magically fixed, and the WX had deteriorated whereby we would be working under Category II minimums. The worse the weather gets, the better the big Boeing likes it (I know, she told me). CAT II ILS approaches have much lower minimums than your normal CAT I ILS, and that means you MUST have certain equipment (airborne and ground based) working, and the crew must be CAT II qualified (and that young Jedi, is why we do these on every checkride…it helps keep us “current” in the eyes of the FAA in regards to these type approaches).

The other big difference is that we let the jet do the lion’s share of the work…meaning we use all 3 autopilots, and let Mr.s Boeing and Sperry do their magic and the jet lands itself. It’s a tad bit weird the first time or two you do it in real life, but it does all the MANY things it’s supposed to do (when it’s supposed to do them…which is nice), you watch all that taking place (it’s mostly annunciated) with your hands lightly on the controls (to take over and go-around if necessary), and “VIOLA!” you land in the touchdown zone on the center-line as if put there by the good Lord himself. The auto-brakes begin doing their thing, you add a touch of engine reverse, and to leave the runway, you must physically turn the autopilot off so it will stop tracking the localizer beam. Does it always work so perfectly? Well, most of the time it does. We are required to do a certain number of “autolands” on a regular basis (usually in VFR weather) to keep the machine (and our skills) tweaked. We log each one in the aircraft maintenance logbook, and if it was ugly (I had one bounce back up into the sky about 20’ once in Denver many years ago), we let the maintenance wizards know and they get it back into shape post haste.

So we do our CAT II approach to a landing, and Larry once again, re-positions us back into take-off position for RWY 28R. Right about now, I’m starting to wonder…”when is it going to go to hell with engines failing and stuff?” Guess what #2? Yep, ol’ Lare was back at the I.P. console brewing up some “fun” for this retread pilot at the exact same time I was doing my wondering. WX now 600’ overcast, 2 SM vis and that buggered 10 Kt left crosswind mocking me. Usually, when the WX starts to get just a “schoshie” better, it’s time to play “V1 cut” and let’s see if BBall’s reputed strong leg muscles are what he says they are (honestly, hours on the elliptical and BowFlex doing those horrid leg exercises weren’t just for looks…I hope).

Mr. Boeing’s amazing 757 (and the 767) are modern marvels…well, OLD, but marvels nonetheless. In the 80’s the geniuses up in Seattle had abandoned the old concept of “build it like a tank, use plenty of steel, slap tons of engines on it, and send it flying”, to the more economical, and eco-friendly way of building a jet. They used fancy things like computers, composite materials, and new whiz-bang avionics. The brilliant folks at Pratt and Whitney, G.E. and Rolls Royce got on the band wagon and gave birth to the high by-pass fan engines that flew sipping Jet-A like it was made out of gold (and if you remember the uber long lines at the gas pumps in the 1970s, then you know why). These machines became the closest things to a perfectly matched airfoil and engine that aviation had seen in a long time. The two monstrous Pratt and Whitney PW2037s that hang below that 757 wing are bigger than my first apartment after college (not quite as loud though…lol). Rest assured, when one of these babies is at take-off thrust and the other gives up the ghost, it can turn into a wrestling match quicker than a Kardashian can take a selfie!

 

 

Larry gave us some generic clearance…”Fly the SFO 8 Departure, maintain 5000’, cleared for take-off 28R”. Away we went….and “boom” just about the time I was lifting the nose, the right engine became useless. Whoopeee! I did my thing, kept on the correct heading (LOTS of left rudder pressure…”come on BowFlex…don’t fail me now!”), managed to keep the airspeed within the limits just north of V2, called for the gear up, called for all the correct mode control panel inputs from “Mike”, and after getting her cleaned up and settled down, called for an autopilot and the appropriate checklist. I had mentally “chair flown” this maneuver a zillion times back when the realization started to sink in that I would indeed be going back onto the line. I knew that this is one of those “make it or break it” maneuvers that one MUST perform well before moving on to the next phase of getting back into the cockpit for real. Much like the Navy pilots that can’t put the jet back on the boat, or the USAF guys that simply can’t hook up to the re-fueling boom, if you can’t fly an engine-out take-off (and landing) in a transport category jet, then the airline doesn’t need (or want) you. Find employment elsewhere…

Now the problem becomes getting the thing back on the ground. Larry has now raised the weather to be 250’ overcast, with an RVR of 1800’ (just barely above CAT I ILS minimums). In the real world, a smart pilot would engage an autopilot and let “George” do the work (assuming the jet is trimmed correctly), but in this little scenario, the FAA requires that I hand fly the machine on the ILS down to minimums. Is this a big deal? Not really, but it DOES require an instrument scan that is sharp, and it also requires knowing the machine and its trim proclivities. Once you know the thrust/flap settings, and can keep your scan going, it’s a matter of VERY small adjustments, and the next thing you know, you’re at 250’ looking at the approach lights, and making ready to land the beast on one engine. One important thing to remember is to STAY on the gauges even after you acquire the runway visually, for in the simulator (at night), the tendency to “duck under” and go low on the glideslope is always there. Stay cool, stay focused, stay on the gauges, and it’ll work out fine. One other thing, be prepared to “go around” on that one remaining engine. We get that regularly in the simulator, but this time Larry was kind and we met the runway in a timely manner.

Down, stopped on the center-line, and again Larry chats to us what he wants (in terms of flap settings, stab trim settings, airspeed numbers, etc.) while he re-positions us back into take-off position for another jaunt into the wild blue. He also utters…”Oh, and Mike, this will be your take-off.” My brain is working overtime now….”let’s see, several IFR approaches, IFR take-offs, engine failure at V1…what’s left?” Remember, the old “every take-off ends in an abort”? Plus…and this comes from the brain of an ex-sim instructor… if you’re sitting in the left seat (meaning, YOU make all the “go/no-go” decisions on take-off, and YOU perform the abort maneuver), then I know that 99% of all “first take-offs” for the F/O will end in an abort for the Captain. They need to see how the “hand off” of control of the jet during a hugely critical maneuver will be accomplished. Remember when I mentioned the briefings we do while sitting at the gate all warm and fuzzy? Needless to say, this event (and how we will handle it) is one of the most important briefings we do.

Yep…me thinks good ol’ libertine Larry is cooking up something to make the next take-off a bit more interesting than usual. Sure enough, at about Vr minus a few knots, a lovely little bell announces that we have a cargo fire. I kick into gear, announce “Abort! I have the aircraft!”, take control of the jet from Mike, and safely get the hurtling mass of metal and flesh stopped before the pavement gives way to dirt. Larry seems to be satisfied, so he asks for me to set the brakes, and “badda boom, badda bing”, he magically puts us back into take-off position.

We then took a well deserved break, and for the next two hours, Mike did essentially everything that I just did, with slight variations of course (sans the Aborted Take-off). This means that I have to mentally change hats and switch over to the “PM” (pilot monitoring) mode. Not a big deal, but I now would be responsible for all the radio traffic, the checklists, setting up the FMS computer, and just generally being the “manager” of the projectile. Oh, and like any good commander (or F/O), I would be tasked with adding suggestions and/or differing opinions toward Mike when I deemed it necessary. Not much of that was needed, for Mike did an outstanding job.

The only thing left to do was some windshear stuff. On departure and during a visual approach. Sounds ominous, right? It essentially calls for managing pitch and thrust (the difference between full thrust and fire-walled thrust levers), and flying out of the shear. Obviously in real life, the best way to recover from windshear is to avoid it like a Far East rash, but Larry wasn’t going to play that game, so we had to fly into it, recover, and fly out of it. Just like in life, if you don’t die, then you win. We did the deed (both of us did both types), and the entire day culminated with yours truly doing a gratis visual approach to a landing on RWY 28R, taxiing to the gate, and performing our Shutdown flows and checklist. Of course, Larry being the dedicated person that he seemed to be, asked if there was anything…ANYTHING…we wanted to do again, or practice more.

“NO THANKS LARRY….but thanks for asking!” (which is pilot-speak for “Are you kidding me? Let my ass outta here!”)

The following were my notes regarding my performance:
– (First take-off): Pitch limit is V2 + 15-25 knots…right at limit… a bit too high.
– (TE FLAP DISAGREE): went well
– (landing with flap/slat malfunction): good
– (instrument take-off): better rotation rate this time, V2 + 15
– (ILS GS out): “LAVS” on go-around pitch got a bit too high
– (CAT II): went well
– (V1 cut): nailed it
– (engine out ILS CAT I): hand flown, went well
– (rejected take-off): did well, pulled APU fire handle (oops)
– (windshear): both went well

So, all in all, Day 1 of the scheduled three round “thrilla in the simulata” went well all things considered. It had been over a year since my last time in the box, and after about 30 minutes, I felt like I was back to about 80% of my fighting form. By the end of the day, I think both Mike and myself felt like we were ready for Days 2 and 3, the actual “real deal” Maneuvers Validation Checkride and the LOE.

Part 3 coming soon…

 

Oh, and just a small “spoiler alert”. Both Mike and I did indeed make it back to flying the line. In fact, here are a few shots from the last few months:

 

(Yours truly sitting in a restaurant in Bangkok a few months ago. I seem to be excited by the beer menu…go figure.)

 

(Headed back to Tokyo from Bangkok. We are looking down on DaNang, Vietnam.)

 

(Sunrise on a leg from Japan back to the USA.)

 

(Sunset on a leg Guam back to Tokyo. This is the (in)famous Surface tablet we now use for ALL of our charts/manuals, etc. The little pink waypoint I added on the right side of the screen is a typhoon that we’re routed around. IIRC, this was a rather bumpy 3+ hour flight back north…lol.)

 

(How can ANYONE ever tire of seeing things like this from FL390? Sunset over the western Pacific.)

 
And finally…

 

(Climbing out of Honolulu on my last trip, headed back to KLAX…”say goodbye to paradise Junior!”)

 

‘till next time…