DAY 4…..Simulator
First day in the sim today, boy was I excited! We would however be finished by lunchtime as sessions had been booked by Loganair, Adria and Flybe; who all seem to use the simulator extensively. So after meeting up with our sim instructor, in we went, armed with our Jeppesen plates, Checklists and QRH (Quick Reference Handbook). Many of you may be wondering why we jumped straight into the simulator without any briefing or initial instruction on the aircraft systems etc. Well, for one the MCC is not a type rating course. The simulator is only used as a training platform to demonstrate multi-crew practice. Therefore many people are correct in saying that it doesn’t really matter what type of simulator that the MCC is carried out on. However, one thing that the Saab does permit is the use of automation and therefore helps demonstrate how this can be incorporated into good CRM practices. It also provides the experience of a full motion simulator and allows you to feel and appreciate all that extra inertia. Plus for me it proved to be great in removing that initial feeling of ‘jesus, this is a big aircraft, what do all these buttons and switches do?’ It’s a feeling that I would hate to experience for the first time, say for example on a sim assessment for that all important first airline job. Just being able to sit in the simulator for a few hours listening to the instructor tell us what everything does helps put those early fears to bed. It’s just another aeroplane. It may handle slightly differently, however there’s nothing there that hasn’t been seen before!
Today I was PNF and I sat in the left hand seat. ‘All flying will be done on the right hand seat,’ said our instructor. Obviously we all will hopefully be starting out as First Officers, so unless they alter the Captain’s seat position in the next few years, I can see the reason for it. We were parked at Gate 29 at Manchester Airport. The sim door was closed, the drawbridge retracted and the motion switched on. We could hear ATC speak in the background and could clearly see graphically generated aircraft taxi around the airport concourse. Checklist in hand, I was immediately introduced to the ‘flow pattern’ principle that is used to check a cold and dark aircraft awaiting it’s first flight of the day. You check each part of the flightdeck thoroughly, starting with the overhead panel, the main panel and then the central console. It is usually conducted without the aid of a checklist as the ‘flow pattern’ ensure that each instrument, switch or lever is checked. Something that is extremely important as you don’t know what state the aircraft was left in before you got in. The previous occupants of the sim must have had an engine fire as several switches had been pulled, along with the fire extinguisher bottles! Lesson One learned.
With imaginary ground power connected, all electrics checked and functioning, fictitious Manchester ATIS received and our sim instructor acting as cabin crew, ensuring that all pax were onboard and doors were closed, we were ready for start. My sim partner had called for ‘BEFORE START CHECKLIST’ and we awkwardly ran through the items. PF was to call for ‘push & start’ and our instructor, now playing the role of ATC, dually obliged our request. I would now tell the fictitious ramper that we were ready to ‘turn & burn.’ I would carry out the engine start and called for the list. Again we awkwardly ran through it, being prompted on standard call outs as we observed the engine instruments – ‘STARTING NUMBER 2 – Rotation, Oil pressure rising, EGT rising, fuel flow, Stabilized.’ After 2 good starts we were cleared for push. After start checklist completed, checking left and right sides were clear, taxi light on and transponder on ALT, we were ready to roll. As you can only taxi the Saab 340 from the left hand side, I would be taking her to Manchester’s runway 23R. So advancing the power levers, off we rolled. It was a strange sensation taxing using a nose wheel hand tiller. Initially, I think I was a little excessive with our groundspeed as we were racing along at quite a pace. We managed to conduct the ‘Before Take Off Checks’ and I lined it up on the runway, handing over control. And that was it, session over. We had been in the sim for 2.5 hours and it felt like 2.5 minutes! No flying today, much to the annoyance of my sim partner. Loganair would be putting some of their crew through their paces, so we had to go!