CBTs

I'm about a quarter of a way through my Computer Based Training, and I'm getting more and more excited. I can't believe that in 6 weeks I'm going to be back flying the line. I haven't forgotten as much as I was afraid of and as little things come back to me I get this thrill of "oh yeah! I remember this! I can't wait to do this with the real airplane again!"

Last night I studied the Electronic Information System (EIS) and the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU). The EIS contains all the screens in the cockpit that we receive information on. In the A320 there are 4 screens.

(http://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/a320/images/A320_cockpit1.jpg)

The pair on the left are the captain's PFD (primary flight display) and ND (navigation display). On the right side are the first officer's PFD and ND. The two screens in the middle are the engine and warning display (E/WD) and the systems display (SD). Almost all the information we need in flight are on these 6 screens. You can use a control panel to change the system you view on the SD. It's one of the reasons I love the Airbus -- everything is presented in such a clear fashion.

The APU is what normally provides power and air conditioning when the engines aren't running. More commonly now we use external power and air for these functions as the APU burns fuel. It's basically a small jet engine mounted in the tail. It's geared into a generator that provides enough power for important systems while on the ground. It also provides the electricity and air needed to start the first engine. If you've ever been on a flight where the crew had to start an engine at the gate, this was probably because the APU was inoperative. I have had this happen a few times. I don't like flying without one because you've effectively lost a backup generator in case you have an engine failure. However, a broken APU isn't a good enough reason to cancel a flight!

Tonight's topics: the electrical, fire detection and GPS navigation systems. I'm so happy that I may do another section tonight. I love learning aircraft systems and I love this airplane! I can't wait to fly one again.

Getting rolling...

I finished all my requirements for my graduate class just before the weekend. The information I've learned in air transportation management are things I can apply in real life, while analyzing my airline and others.

However, now that that's over it's time to start studying in earnest for recurrent. There's a lot to relearn -- with the exception of a few systems such as autoflight, I haven't really looked at most of the information since I was furlough. My game plan consists of the follow:

CBT - This is Computer Based Training. All the systems are presented through the CBT. It's semi-interactive and I've found it's one of the best ways for me to learn. I'll be going through this first.

AOM - Aircraft Operating Manual. There are 2 AOM volumes. VOL 1 is concerned with checklists and flows, which I need to get down before my first sim. AOM VOL 2 talks in-depth about the aircraft systems; it has some information that is not covered on the CBTs. However, it's about 1000 pages. Not exactly light reading! I like to actually read a chapter or two every trip since it's "company approved" reading material. It also helps you keep up with information you don't use every day.

Limitations - Luckily I never threw out my flashcards describing the limitations of the aircraft and systems. These are things like the highest airspeed you can have the windshield wipers on at, the speeds at which you can lower and retract the landing gear, etc. These are critical speeds you MUST have memorized. I hope to give myself a head start and know them before I show up to training May 3rd.

Ok, enough blogging. Time to get to work!

Preparation

I decided to stay another week while my boyfriend hopefully finishes up his captain upgrade. It's taken over a week to just finish up one flight. Why is flying always like that? The weather on the Cape is fascinating. It can go from VFR to solid IFR in (quite literally) the blink of an eye. And no where else have I seen, on such a regular basis, 70 kt winds at 3000 feet. It's a demanding environment!

As for my training, that officially starts May 3rd. I'm currently trying to wrap up my grad school class ASAP so that I can concentrate on studying for recurrent. I have one more small paper to write, then our final exam, then two large papers. I have to see if I can finish up the small paper early and somehow work on the large papers while I'm studying up for the final.

AND in the middle of this I have to somehow fit a ton of A320 studying. EEK!

The important thing to do? Stay calm, make a list. First things first! I need to stop writing here and start writing this paper!

Good news!

So I think that light out there may actually be the light at the end of the tunnel! Earlier this week, after dropping David off at the airport for a training flight (he's doing his Captain upgrade!) I checked my phone and saw 3 emails under the subject "I got just a RECALL phone call!" Needless to say I nearly crashed the car. The 3 emails were from fellow classmates at my airline that had just gotten THE phone call.

Commence the LONGEST hour of my life. And then, FINALLY, the phone rang and the caller ID was Spirit Airlines. Thank you G-d!!!

So, while it's not official-official, I should be back at work May 3rd!

I say it's "not official-official" because I still haven't gotten it in writing. Plus, in typical airline fashion, I never trust anything until it actually happens.

I'm pretty bummed that one of my best friends in the class didn't make the cut. Recall is in order of seniority, and it seems that I was the last one to get a call. Rumor has it that 4 people are still on the fence, so if two of those people bypass my friend will be in, as well.

Bypassing: telling an airline "thanks but not yet." A lot of people do this if they don't want to resign but they'd rather wait until they have a bit more seniority before they go back to flying. For example, if I'm the last person on the list I'm definitely going to be on reserve. Some people would rather wait until they can hold a line.

There are a lot of things I have to work out, but in general I'm very excited! It will be really nice to be flying again. David and I can afford an apartment closer to Baltimore to make his commute easier (although we don't know where he's based just yet). And I don't have to feel guilty about moving to Maryland as I'll be able to jumpseat home to visit my parents now!

And last but not least - I can actually do something with this blog again! I'm going to be writing much more, taking you through my preps for training, training and then the line. I'm hoping this blog will be a (hopefully not boring) insight into the average airline pilot's life.

Be back soon!!

Filing Taxes, Aviation Style

I have an accountant. I know it sounds silly for someone who doesn’t belong in a high-income bracket to have an accountant. The $100 I pay him, however, usually results in a beautiful tax refund. Most people can easily file their taxes themselves and get a great refund. Pilots, on the other hand, should consider getting some extra help.

Airline and corporate pilots have a lot of business expenses that can add up over time. Obviously expenses such as hotel rooms the night before a trip (or crashpad rent) can be written off as a business expense, but have you thought about all the other incidentals that add up over time? Here’s a short list of the things I’ve learned over time I should keep receipts and records of. It’s not all-inclusive, obviously, but maybe it will get you some extra money back on your taxes this year!

- Uniforms: all those pilot shirts, metal shank-less shoes, trenchcoats, etc. can amount to a huge deduction.
- Van driver tips: on an average 4 day trip you could pay $7-10 to the driver taking you to the hotel and airport. 4 or 5 trips a month starts to add up! You don’t need a receipt from the van driver. I have a flight crew log (seen here) that I use to write down my OOOI (out-off-on-in, or your block/flight times) and also has spots for recording tips/meals.
- Speaking of meals: eating on the road is EXPENSIVE. You’re basically going to drop $20-30 on food every night, depending on where you’re staying that night. Keep those receipts, plus the ones from buying soda and snacks at the airport.
- Those Rx Serengeti’s? They’re expensive. And you probably wouldn’t have them if you weren’t flying 80 hours a month.
- Checkrides. My CFI checkride cost $300. CFII: $400. Get a receipt from your designated examiner.
- Last but not least – mileage. All those miles you spend driving to the airport add up to wear and tear on your car, not to mention gas. Keep track of those trips to and from the airport. Also if you’re paying for employee parking at the airport, keep the receipts from buying your parking passes. I have paid anywhere from $35-50 a month for employee parking.

I hope this gives you some ideas on getting the most back on your taxes. Just stay organized, I keep my receipts in a small file folder until tax time. Pilots spend a lot of time away from home and a lot of their own money in that time. There’s no reason to sacrifice more than you have to.

Interview!

So I had an interview with a flight school today! It went very well, I went flying with the boss and he liked me. I have the job if I want it, which is great news!

I have to decide whether or not I can afford to move out of state to take the job. Apartment hunting will commence, but as well as trying to find a cheap place, the boyfriend and I have to figure out WHERE. That will depend on where he's based as a captain, which we won't know for about a month. If he gets either HGR or LNS we'll have to live close to one of those airports. If he's based somewhere like ALB, it won't matter because he'll just commute.

I like the flight school; they have nice, new airplanes and keep up on their maintenance. Every airplane's book has a sheet w/ the due dates for its annual, 100-hr, transponder and VOR checks. They should have lots of business in a few months -- I just have to figure out how to afford to eat until then.

Tomorrow would've started my 3rd year with Spirit. *sigh* It stinks being furloughed but I've kind of reached a happy medium, finally. I'm in a zen state, you could say. I can't just sit and wait to be recalled - I need to be productive and forget about them until I get that phone call.

On a funny note: today is my bear's 2nd birthday. Dave Bear -- he was a present from my boyfriend, David, the day I left for Spirit new hire training. I love this bear. It seems silly to be in my 20s and have a stuffed animal that I take on all my trips, but I like to say that he's a well traveled bear. He was there when I was practicing my flows, he helped keep me company when I was lonely. So I don't care if anyone thinks I'm silly; they're just jealous. :)

refocusing...or attempting to

As I continually have issues trying to find a focus for my blog, I've run into yet another problem. I realize that everything I have to say will, by the time I write something, already have been said. Thanks, Twitter, for ruining my buzz.

I could talk about the American Airlines Jamaica runway incident, or the attack on NWA253, or all the silliness the TSA has been involved in. Unfortunately, those are all horses that have been beaten to death.

I fear that until I'm back at work, I won't have anything interesting to write about. Hopefully when I'm recalled I can continue with what I originally planned to do here, and talk about day to day life of an airline pilot. I still plan to, but recall could still be months or even a year away.

I'm finding that my true passion in aviation is safety. So I'd like to start focusing on that subject here. Unfortunately, there are already a few other blogs on the subject, and I'm having a hard time finding original information to cover.

So there. A few more excuses as to why the blog hasn't taken off yet. I remain, truly, your resident Airbus A320 semi-expert and aviation nut,

Mikel.