A Day in the life of a Long-ish Haul Pilot Part 2
I hand fly the first part of the DVR 4G and decide to limit the acceleration to Flap 5 speed and Flaps to 5 to ensure we make the first turn without straying from the SIDs track. We level off at 6000 ft just above a cloud layer and enjoy the view. The SID and climb works out satisfactorily for us as we out climb then eventually overtake the noted aircraft. Routing takes us east across Europe before approaching Bahrain from the north. We take part in the CPDLC (datalink) trial with Maastricht ATC whilst in the relevant airspace before settling down to a routine of monitoring, communicating and planning climbs. I discover that the Captain has been on the aircraft for less time than me and I only started flying it Oct last year. A nice lunch is taken somewhere over Turkey and we are treated to great views of the Black Sea and Turkey itself. The weather remains CAVOK throughout the rest of the flight down to the Persian Gulf.
Handily we are able to check the D-ATIS (datalink ATIS) for arrival and plan on an ILS approach to RW30R at BAH. I brief the Captain and then he takes control to fly the descent and approach. We seem to be vectored behind a few locally based aircraft before being cleared for the approach. I take control at 1000ft agl and managed to squeeze a satisfactory and pleasing landing out of the Captain’s approach, deserving of a refreshing drink (don’t assume its alcohol). After a short taxi I park the aircraft on stand using a clever guidance system that gives precise information and instructions and wish that we had these at LHR. At the stand we say good bye to the cabin crew who are continuing to DOH, handover to a fresh team of pilots and make our way to the hotel. Just under 6hrs flying in nice weather, with a good crew and well looked after by the team in the front galley. It is now 1700 BST and 1900L in BAH. At this moment we have just over 24 hrs before we are due to fly again, our next task is BAH-DOH-BAH, no more than 20-30 mins each way.