Bigger and Better

It was mid 2019 and the pilot market is still red hot in the United States. I had no prospect of returning to Australia as things had slowed down and I was faced with two choices.

1. Upgrade to Captain on the CRJ

2. Attempt to move on and leave SkyWest

I was living in Las Vegas and commuting to Dallas, flying the CRJ as an FO when I made the decision to put my application out to a couple of Australian E-3 potential operators that I knew were having difficulty recruiting qualified pilots. I decided against taking the captain upgrade on the CRJ as I was not looking forward to commuting to a Reserve Line, which would have affected my ability to get a good amount of days off.

I applied to Allegiant, Atlas Air and Southern Air. Allegiant interviewed me and I was very hopeful, however informed me that they did not wish to proceed with the E-3 visa process. Southern Air, which is owned by Atlas Air responded the very next day after I submitted my application. Southern Air is an ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) operator who operated aircraft under contract for both DHL and Amazon on the Boeing 777 and 737.

After a successful phone screen I was invited to an interview in Cincinnati, let the study preparation begin, again…. Going online I had a rough idea of what was going to occur in the interview so I created a study guide and prepared for three weeks for my interview.

Interview day came, it was broken into three parts.

1. Company background, history, benefits and pay

2. Technical interview

3. Human Resources panel interview

Parts two and three were fairly challenging however I was prepared and was able to answer all the questions posed to me with the exception of some Meteorology and North Atlantic crossing questions. Once I had finished up with the interview I was told to wait in the next room where I discovered the other two candidates I interviewed with had already left. Moments later the HR representative that interviewed me and the Director of Operations informed me I was successful and they wanted me to become part of the Southern family on the Boeing 777. I was over the moon and accepted their offer. I interviewed in June and opted for an October class date as I had a lot going on between now and then…

Boeing 777 with the DHL tail

Next step, finish my last few months at SkyWest, go home for my best mates wedding, renew my visa and finish the 127 CBT’s (Computer Based Training) modules I was assigned for training.

SkyWest Airlines is the best Regional Airline in the United States that gave me so much opportunity. I was able to fly all over the US in some terrible weather and some of the best flying I have ever done with some great crews. It was also more than that. I was given amazing travel benefits that allowed me to see some great parts of the planet and also return home on a semi regular basis.

A logbook visual of all the routes I operated in the US during my time at SkyWest

I went home to Darwin and Sydney for a week and got to hang out with friends and just relax prior to going back for a new Type Rating with a new airline.

It was the last sunset I would see in Darwin for a while

OK, so I did everything I needed to do in Australia including getting another VISA, finished my CBT’s and now I find myself sitting in Miami in the Atlas Air Training Facility starting my

Ground school including simulator training for the type ride took 80 days. It felt like it was the longest 80 days of my life… I started on October 28 and went through Thanksgiving and Christmas which made it drag out longer. Southern Air has two weeks for General Subjects (indoc) classes which basically teach you what you need to know, background of the operation and where to find appropriate information.

This Airline was unique to me as it was the first time I was dealing with Class II navigation, ETOPS (Extended Operations) and POR (Point of Re dispatch) which is saving variable reserve fuel in order to maximise payload and then add the international component into the mix.

Once General Subjects finished I was given a two week study break in order to prepare for my Oral exam on the B-777. These were long days of study, both self and in groups so we could learn and understand the 777. I definitely lucked out with my Sim partner as he was an ex 777, 767 and 757 FO for a previous airline. Whilst studying for the oral I was spending a lot of time in front of the paper tiger practising flows, callouts and profiles. During our study break we were also completing FTD training.

The oral… My oral exam was scheduled with a Check Airman who had a reputation for being tough. The oral consisted of limitations, memory items, explaining the overhead panel in detail, autoflight, walkaround and systems based questions. It was tough, but again I went in prepared. Having a type rating already completed was a big help as it made me more aware of how to study. As a result I passed my oral and was now ready for simulator training…

Simulator training was a lot of fun. We covered all profiles, emergency procedures and preparation for the Check ride. I received 8 simulator sessions and then was put up for my check ride. The check ride went smoothly and I walked out early with the 777 now printed on my certificate! The checkride had normal take off, landing and go-around profiles in addition to multiple emergency sequences and abnormal scenarios. A checkride normally leaves you with a dead leg as a result of spending a lot of time on the rudder with engine failures dealing with asymmetric thrust. The 777 on the other hand was the nicest airplane in that respect. It has a TAC. (Thrust Asymmetry Compensation) It basically provides all the rudder inputs once airborne unless there is a complete separation of the engine where the computer just has no thrust information to go off in order to make appropriate inputs, luckily for me that didn't occur…

My new B-777 certificate

OK, quick two trips back to Australia before line training, and believe me I needed that… I came back from Australia feeling refreshed and ready to fly. I waited about 6 weeks for OE (Operating Experience or Line Training) my first trip had me primarily operating within the US. I got some landings in and had a great captain where I learned a lot. The minimum requirement to complete OE in a Part 121 operation is 6 legs and 40 hours. I was a little short on the OE so had to complete a second trip. This is where the fun really started. My first international leg I had Class II Navigation/ETOPS and POR procedures to focus on and see for the first time in practice.

First leg was Cincinnati to Bahrain over the North Atlantic. This was my first crossing… Unlike any airplane I have flown, the 777 regularly flies outside the range of ground based navigation aids which means it is operating using Class II navigation. Basically what that means is I need to plot tracks, record positions and verify the aircraft is where it is supposed to be as it is unable to use ground based aids to do that for it. This sounds straightforward but takes some getting used to. It is not too dissimilar to flying VFR and recording your position on a VTC or VNC. However if reroutes occur it can get messy and more intense. Whilst we still have an active position using the GPS, gross navigation errors have occurred in the past that has led to jets flying off course.

Anyway long story short, Class II navigation, communicating with dispatch regarding suitability of ETOPS alternates and legality to proceed into ETOPS airspace all went smoothly on this first trip over the pond. We did not fly on a designated North Atlantic Track but did use Point of Re dispatch to reduce our variable reserve. Basically what that means; Dispatch will release us to an initial airport which is short of our final airport and plan us with a variable reserve to get to that initial airport. They pick a point along the route whereby if the weather is suitable we are then re released to our final destination with variable reserve calculated at that point along the route. It basically means our variable reserve is less and we can take more freight. Understand? Don't worry if you don’t, it took me a while to get my head around it too haha.

My Check Airman that completed my training with an additional FO

Yes, as you can work out, me in the new office

OK, the Check Airman says this will be your two line checks. Hong Kong-Anchorage as Pilot Monitoring and then Anchorage-Cincinnati as my Pilot Flying leg. OK, so it all went well and I successfully completed OE and was pushed to the line. This basically meant from training in October I was released to the line in 5 months.

Next… Corona virus, stay tuned to that whole mess...

First Airline - Training Experience

My time in the Top End of Australia came to an end in October 2017 after spending 3 years flying in the best part of the country. I secured employment in the red hot pilot market in the United States with the best regional airline, SkyWest Airlines. I was assigned the Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) in all three variants that the company operated. I was due to start ground school 4 weeks, I had to get cracking as there was a lot of work to be done prior to start.

My time in the Northern Territory comes to an end having accumulating 2005 flying hours

First up, working in the US obviously requires a work visa. I applied for and went to Sydney to attend my E-3 work visa interview at the US consulate. I was in and out within 30 minutes and after a quick trip to see the family and some friends I was back in Darwin the next day. My visa arrived two days later. Next up, submit my resignation, always awkward especially since I did love my job. Did my last two weeks and work put on a BBQ for me and received a gift from them. Chartair, will always hold a special place in my heart... OK, so packed up my stuff, saying goodbye to my friends and next thing I know I was in Sydney sitting on my American Airlines flight looking out onto the ramp prior to push-back.

I am not going to lie, it was definitely a hard decision to make leaving the country that provided me with so much opportunity to seek a new opportunity in the US. I arrived in LA and when I boarded my connecting flight to Salt Lake City, Utah I was upgraded in Business Class and who do I sit next to? A United Airlines Boeing 787 First Officer. Well we hit it off for the 2 hour flight and he was showing me all sorts of cool stuff on his iPad about the route he had just flown from London to Los Angeles over the Polar region. I was taken away. I told him my story and he was just so excited to hear about how excited I was and he recalled to me that where I was in my career was the favorite part of his. Little did I know it but ironically I actually saw this FO again when I was returning from Australia a year later to go back to work. I checked in with the crew up front as I was jumpseating and he recognized me straight away and we chatted for another 10 minutes. What a great guy!

Anyway where was I? OK, so into Salt Lake City I organised the Social Security card, bank account, phone number and whatever else I had to do. It seemed never ending as an expat all the run around you have to go through...

OK, so SkyWest. I showed up to my first day of CTP which is a transition program to allow GA guys like myself to get a feel for the difference between jets and and lower powered airplanes that I was used to flying. It was all about energy management, navigation (children of the magenta line comes to mind), scheduled 121 ops, CRM and of course three sims in the Embraer 175 jet. My sim partner a fellow Australian, Brady had flown in the Northern Territory and also in the High Country in Papua New Guinea, he was a very experienced Check and Trainer and I couldn't have had a better sim partner and friend. During our initial sim brief everything went in one ear and out the other literally... I specifically remember the discussion about Flight Path Vectors (FPV) but that is all I remember. Anyway we did our three sims which consisted of all phases of flight, slow speed events and dual engine loss turn-backs. It was all about getting used to the idea of operating with 2 crew, energy management and the amount of excess thrust available and how you manage that inertia. It was really fun and in the end we got to fly under the Golden Gate Bridge and under the Gondola at Christ The Redeemer. It was a great event and appreciate all the effort that was put into our training from the Sim Instructor Robert for his fantastic instruction and briefings. Completion of the CTP program was the first step into the transition of the FAA ATP Licence.

Brady sitting in the familiar left seat and me having just finished the CTP program

OK so the fun was done, now time for the serious stuff. CRJ Indoctrination and Ground school. First Indoc, this was a 4 day crash course on company Operations. It went through everything from Ops Specs, Flight and Duty, Instrument Procedures and Jeppesen reviews, Weather procedures, FAA 121 regs and International ops since we flew in to Canada and Mexico. It was an overload of information that had us present for 10 hours a day and then about 4 hours of self study at night. This was a lot of new information especially since I came from Australia with different rules, so adapting to the US system was a big deal. This culminated in a written 100 question exam with a pass mark of 80% which was tough, I scored 90% and was really happy about it. My sim partner scored 94%.

Next Systems, oh lord. This was two weeks of a non stop firehose of material and after the first week I was convinced I was going to fail. Prior to starting the Systems course, we were each required to complete 54 Computer Based Training (CBT's) modules detailing each of the main systems. I had never really completed CBT's before and it was an interesting concept of training material delivery which I really don't like but hey that's the industry we are operating in... This involved clicking through slides and answering questions, it took me 4, 16 hour study days to complete these CBT's and then the Systems ground school started... Systems itself was taught in sequence from Pre-flight all the way through to Post flight. It was an easy to follow method but wow information overload. It probably took me until day 10 for it to really start sinking in and for me to understand the content in some detail. Going through all the various manuals, classroom lecture style teaching, a Synthetic device to practice flows, an FMS computer lab to learn the FMS and then Performance classes... It was so much material in such a short time frame. Inside that two week period we were required to pass a flow validation to ensure we were competent on all our flows in the right seat, in addition to an FMS validation and Performance validation. These were all chicken feed compared to the big one... The Systems validation. Again a written test, 100 questions, pass mark of 80%. How did I go? I scored 92% and was literally over the moon. Needless to say my sim partner beat me again with 94% haha. That night culminated in copious amounts of liquor in a Mormon City, it was interesting but a great night. Next the FTD (Procedural Trainer) and then sims...

Certificate for completing the CRJ Ground School

SkyWest Class of November 15, 2017

My Sim partner, Brady in front of a CRJ 700

We had three FTD sims followed by a validation to see if we were competent enough to go to the Sims. The FTD's were glass panels of all switches, displays, Physical FMS units, Thrust levers and a Yoke and Rudder pedals. This is where we learnt to operate as a crew and be 100% competent on all our flows, checklist usage, CRM and handling minor malfunctions. It was a great training tool and our instructor was fantastic. We went to our validation and both scored a perfect result to progress to the sim sessions. Off to Atlanta we went...

We were scheduled eight sim sessions with a Maneuvers Validation on Sim five and a Type Ride on sim eight. Much like Systems, this required a lot of study so I went in knowing what I needed to do instead of being taught. We went over all in flight sequences, company profiles, Cat II training, emergency procedures, slow flight and the dreaded Cross wind landings. The CRJ's downfall especially the CRJ 200 is that the wing can make contact with the ground if the correct technique isn't followed. Anyway how did I do? It was a lot information to absorb learning the profiles, callouts and then actually performing them. It took me sim 3 to get comfortable with the airplane. It was obviously a lot faster than anything I had ever flown and the first 3 sims I felt behind the airplane. By sim 3 I was comfortable with the profiles, callouts, procedures and now finally the handling of the jet. By the time my validation came around I was ready! We completed 20 maneuvers, we were allowed two do-overs. On the second attempt of a poorly demonstrated maneuver it was deemed unsat and you went into Special Tracking program and had to redo the Validation with more training allocated. Obviously that wasn't something I was willing to comprehend. I came out not having to repeat any maneuvers and got a perfect score.

Our Sim Instructor demonstrating the 30 knot crosswind landing in the CRJ 200

Next up, Line Orientated Flight Training meaning how we fly the line in day to day operations. Our first flight was Denver to Salt Lake City, taxi, fly a complex SID, en route portion, STAR in to SLC, ILS approach, taxi to the gate type stuff. I thought this would be the easy stuff but there was a lot going on. It initially felt as if there was never a second to just take a breath haha. We had two of these sims and then our Type Ride. I had my TR with an Line Check Airman who had a bad reputation among the company pilots. His nickname was Terminator. You can imagine how much I was looking forward to my pivotal moment so far in my short time with SkyWest. It didn't start well, my paperwork was not quite right as I was doing a licence conversion. This actually worked in my favor though, because it gave us less time on the ground to discuss all the theory stuff haha. Anyway I get in the seat, meet my seat support who is a Captain based in SLC. We are ready for push. We taxi, depart, arrive, taxi in. It was all fairly non eventful with only minor failures and holding instructions. It was a walk in the park. I got my ATP! I made a lot of friends and had a great time in the SkyWest Airlines Training program. I am truly grateful to have participated in a high quality training system and credit to those that designed it! Next up line training and flying the line. Stay tuned!!