In response to your PM/thread. I will repeat to you (and for the thread), I have NO pax experience at all. 747 freighters and thats it. The very idea of dealing with pax gives me more gray hair
First off David, have confidence in yourself. Not arrogance, confidence. Important difference. Don't be afraid to ask questions, ask them twice or three times until you understand (though that is not an excuse for not listening...)
You say you've been a Red Cap; I would say that is an excellent background. Knowing the practicalities, the "problems", perhaps certain tricks. Knowing your airplane is everything. I spent about 6 months loading and offloading 74Fs (with a qualified Loadmaster) before I did a loadcontrol course. I was told, don't worry about the loadsheet, learn the aircraft. Damned good advice.
The loadsheet is a written expression of what you want to do Experience gained on the airplane will teach you what is "good" and what is "not so good".
Manual loadsheets... well, when I started, that was all we had. It is not something to "worry" about; the mathematics is a bit of + and a bit of - . If and when you get into the formulae behind the math (not really important for a beginner), just follow the formula. This is not a math class in school, use a calculator
Ask the "old farts" who are doing the job for advice, tricks, tips. If nothing else, they'll see that you are interested and will for sure be willing to help you. But listen to what they say. There is nothing worse than the new kid telling the old experienced guys what's what. Even if you're right
(Been there, done that
) If you ask 3 experienced guys about a specific question, you'll probably get 3 different yet valid answers. You'll figure out what works for you and make your choices. That will become the experience you pass on to the next generation.
Always think of the next downline station... make sure you don't give them extra work for nothing. Always think of them.... not so much to be a nice guy, but for ground time purposes. Try not to have them offload "your" bags/cargo to get to "theirs". A lot of airports charge for that... That said, it is occasionally unavoidable, especially when you are working on the edge of what is allowed. If that is the case... do it, don't worry about it. Never "dither", ie waste time because you can't make up your mind. You WILL make some "mistakes" in the beginning (mistakes being experience related), just learn from them. I remember on the 74F a long time ago.... trying to offload a 20ft pallet with a 74 engine on it. I couldn't get it out, couldn't figure out why and finally got the damned thing stuck. Very stuck. If I had calmed down and opened my eyes, I would have seen the system was in "Load" while I was trying to "Offload"... I had to call another guy to help me out. My colleagues made sure I didn't forget that one... We all have our own stories about screwing up... hard lessons learned.
Do some homework, self-study on the aircraft you will be working with. Ask your colleagues to give you "tests"; Ask your colleagues about the most difficult things they had to deal with and how they did it.
Finally, your company has invited you to join their course because they think you'll make it. It costs them money to train you, so they figure its worth it and you have a chance...
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