Monday, January 24, 2011

Becoming an airline pilot


First postcard from the flight deck ;-)

After the simulator training and the Operational Proficiency Check 2 weeks ago I arrived at the last station before flying as a First Officer. Yesterday I got the chance to do an observation flight, meaning I flew along as a third pilot and watched how the operation works. Around 1100UTC we got pushed back from the gate at Schiphol for a 3,5 hour flight to Kayseri, Turkey. After a short stop we would then continue with a short flight to Ankara before flying back to Amsterdam. Knowing how to fly the Airbus A320, I now discovered how much more there is to it than just operating the aircraft. Things like ATC, changing weather and all sorts of operational considerations make every flight another challenge. Thanks to the captain and first officer I learned a whole lot this day and have a good idea how much more there is to learn! Next up, first flight from the right hand seat on the 25th of June. No more watching from then on ;-)

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