CDC
Coming in a bit late on this but there is a lot of good stuff here from guys that obviously have felt the pain.
There is one thing that is for sure, the training staff, have seen in all. Anything you do they will have seen before…probably magnified a hundred times.
My initial jet training was on a BAC 1-11 as a young first officer, and a lot of my captains had gone through the war. They were good blokes, but when they were put in a sim, it was as though they were struggling for their PPL s!
I found that I had to compartmentalize and prioritize, which when you come to think of it - apart from a reasonable ability in aircraft handling - is what flying is all about…and easier said than done, but it was the only way to master the dreaded 6monthlys. You have to go in prepared, that’s a given: but then somehow master those nerves. There is no time…repeat, no time…to think emotionally. Fu*k the mortgage, the loss of face etc. etc.. the next item is there waiting to be actioned. The vertical profile comes to mind, and probably comes somewhere near the top of the list.
Don’t self-assess. While you are thinking about the last howler, you will miss the next little clue that the mean sod in the centre throne, throws at you. You are a previously proven captain, let them see this. For instance, don’t assume that the clearances that are given have to be obeyed without question. if you are on one engine, and by some magical process the fog suddenly clears, don’t necessarily be tempted to throw away altitude; it’s money in the bank. To refuse…or I should say request a delay on the decent – subject to other factors of course – may not only put you in a good position as the field clamps again, but let the examiner know that you are thinking ahead. He doesn’t want a puppet, he wants a commander.
It does sound as though you are having some very real reactions. I have made my feeling very clear in the past about popping pills when flying. I just happen to be in a room full of reference data, but my feelings are very simple and based on experience. To really fly with them in your system would be criminal, and the time for them to be purged is often unknown. Having said this, classical musicians have given virtuoso performances having taken Beta blockers and I, some thirty years ago flew a sim ride that had the training staff calling in the boss to watch; it was described as exemplary. I had the lowest hours in the company but nothing seemed to go wrong. I was off sick and had taken Valium to relax a sports injury that was causing a muscle to go into spasm. It was felt that I could get my check out of the way, and I was going on leave immediately after…and this was a prescribed drug. It seemed such a reasonable thing to do, but with modern knowledge, it manifestly was not. The tendency for these drugs to linger is now known about but as I mentioned, not easy to quantify. This “miracle-drug” is a double edged sward, with vicious kick-back reactions in some people. How can you do without this chemical help?
To get away to a good start is always helpful, and a little knowledge of the particular training guy is helpful. If you can get over the first few minutes, you should start to feel a different kind of chemistry take over; stimulating and beneficial. This change is reasonably well understood, but even if a mistake is made, stay focused on the future not the past. You are working towards gaining a feeling of well-being by being a pilot not a candidate. It is a job you know well, just focus on that.
Become a time accountant: if you are not using it efficiently, then odds are, something is being missed. E.g. reasonable guesses at the power-lever positions will liberate your mind while the dials spin to the new setting; there is no time to watch them change.
Another sim technique is to compensate for the absence of g-forces by added attention to basic instruments. I know we are not supposed to fly by our pants, but in rough conditions I just find that I have moved the power before the VSI / ASI shows a change. I don’t remember ever planning to do this, it just happened years ago, and of course is suddenly not there in the box.
By chance, I have just watched a DVD of pilot errors. It was made for psychologists and others, and the main issue was unnoticed mode changes. A wonderful opportunity for the sadistic check-captain. If the basic flying is going wrong, i.e. a rate of decent is wildly removed from the anticipated, then get it right first, and then scan for the reason…not the other way round. Fly the aircraft. It sounds so obvious, but it is part of the sim psychology and should be thought through first.
Some of the humor during these rides, is the stuff of legends. A pal of mine failed to notice that his F/O had died, and went happily on for some time before the (frustrated actor) F/O convulsed again in a rather more dramatic way…the word flailing comes to mind. Still no reaction. The guy in the throne rang the intercom and asked in a falsetto voice if he would like some tea. He, rather surprised, said yes. He was then asked if his F/o would like some. After some seconds and his first look outside his tunnel vision cone, he replied in a most serious voice, “no thanks, he’s dead.” True, I promise, and just an example of other peoples mind-set. You are not alone.