-What can North American CRJ/ERJ/A320 pilots do to better prepare themselves before joining EK?
-What are the consistently "weak" areas you (current EK pilots) see when flying with North American pilots?
-Fill in questions/answers here.....and lets keep the conversation productive.
klavoll
just by asking your question you have jumped the biggest hurdle already. As has been said before, it is the mindset.
To be more specific:
Even the most vast NA experience is not covering all of what is going on in aviation worldwide. Accepting this puts you in a learning mode, rather than expecting everybody doing it the American way. Which by the way is very proficient, but, again, it's been done slightly differently in other places. And it works fine as well.
- From the first moment try to listen to the specific terms used and adopt them. Americanisms, allthough not wrong, sometimes generate a more hostile environement.
- Same goes for ATC. Listen to the mainstream in this region/s. you will quickly discern the hard to understand and the mostly standard and well to grasp. Talk with a distinct, clear English and slowly, you will be better understood by the Asians and you will understand them better in return.
- Accept somewhat different SOPs (!) just as Australians, Europeans, South Africans and Asians have done it before. You will learn to work with them, even I did, and it's not so bad....
- A CRJ background has one big issue, a daily topic at EK, that's energy management. As proficient as an aviator you might be, a heavy A330 or a heavy B777-300 are more slippery than you can imagine. The most difficult part is recovery when messed up. The slot is very small and leaves little space for Chuck Yeagers, if any. Unstable approaches are a constant pain for EK and the training guys pinpointed more problems with the light jet drivers, which is quite logical. Accept this small weakness, learn and you'll be fine.
- Finally you have to accept very rapidly that the support throughout the company and Dubai/Abu Dhabi is set at an Asian standard. Not more and not less. We could not change it and you will not be able to do so. The faster you try to work with it, the lesser you will get annoyed and the lesser you stick out as the arrogant Westener.
All the best and see you around.
GMDS