What's it like being Captain of a jet aircraft for the very first time???

[P1 Forever]

Hi everyone,

I would like to address this question to SFO's who are likely to get their command within 12-18 months or guys who have just recently gained their command on a airbus/boeing type aircraft.

Well, what's it like?

We all remember going solo for the first time so can you share some experience of your first flight as Captain...were you nervous...or did it come naturally with good training...is there much of a difference from the RHS...more pressure perhaps and what sort of training is involved before being Captain?

Look forward to your replies,

Cheers!

P1.

[Half a Mexican]

Hi P1 Forever,

This (http://pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=45299) link might be of interest to you.

Cheers,
HaM

[Justbelowcap]

The first time you step on an airliner in command is a lonely feeling. Anybody who tells you different is lying. I'd done almost 8000 hrs and god knows how many years with all the training that could be thrown at me. As an SFO I'd thought I'd seen it all. Certainly I could fly the aeroplane (Trident..don't start) as well as any skipper I had flown with. I'd seen the worst examples of Captains and some that I idolised. Funny how that view changed over the years. So here is a few thoughts.

1. No matter how many years you have flown as an SFO you are not a proper pilot till you have sat in the left hand seat. I would have disputed this till I was blue in the face as an SFO but it is true. Ask any Skipper. Not that those in the RHS are not capable, totally the opposite but you have to sit LHS to understand. End of story.

2. You don't have to do everything! Let the FO and CAbin Crew and ground crew make all the deicisions. A good skipper never makes a decision he lets all those around him make the calls. The trick is to make those around you make the calls you would have made. No way you can learn that in the manuals. You don't even have to be good at everything. This takes time to grasp. As an FO you think that flying the aircraft is the most important thing. Only when you sit in the LHS will you realise that most of the time this isn't the case.

3. Most of important of all learn when flying the aircraft is the most important job of all. NOTHING MUST GET IN THE WAY. Sounds so simple but can be tough when you are used to thinking about the whole operation.

4. Your mate in the RHS is your best friend. He will save your life. ALWAYS CREATE AN ENVIROMENT WHERE HE WILL TELL YOU HOW HE SEES IT. Doesn't matter if you see him as a fool. He is your best defence. Never do anything without his imput. If there ain't enough time for his imput you are going to quick. SLOW DOWN.

5. Same applies to ground crew and cabin crew. They do respect you, you don't have to re-enforce this. Treat them as part of the flight crew. They may not save your life but they will make your day go better if they are onside. Plus they MAY save your life.

6. When things go wrong in the air yu might find that the ultra confident SFO has gone very quiet. His bucket is full. Create a relaxed atmosphere. As soon as you relieve his stress he will be a star and possible save the day. The best way you can do this is by sliding your seat back and slowly talking about the problem. Sounds weird and all your natural instincts say grab the controls. Trust me this is a winner. It slows you down and the FO is going to fly the aircraft in almost every serious failure anyway.

7. Never rush over an MEL. Take your time. If the aircraft goes late..who cares. No manager is ever going to second guess a tech problem.

8. Set your own bottom lines. These may well be less than the FO's. He may well have been flying the aircraft for years more than you. He may just be a better pilot. Who cares you set the limits. End of story. Be honest. You will get much respect by admitting your limitations. You will be laughed at by trying to be soemthimg you are not. It's in our nature. Pilots respect those who know their own limits.

9. Be nice to everybody. But it isn't a popularity competition. Sometimes being the boss means you upset people. Live with it.

[411A]

Very well put, Justbelowcap, and so true.

Just would add...
If you are totally new to the type, for your first jet command, ask and listen carefully to the old Commanders who have been on the equipment for years. They have lived thru the trials and pitfalls, and their advice can be priceless.
Found this especially true with the B707...trained on the advanced types, then went on to fly the earlier models...world of difference.

[Fat Dog]

Very interesting Justbelowcap. Good post.

Hopefully will be in this situation pretty soon so this kinda stuff is very useful.

Cheers

[Right Way Up]

Good post justbelowcap,
The only thing I can add from my experience and also advice from many training captains, is to expect your own flying skills to dip for a short time. A conscientious SFO will not have their flying distracted by managing a flight, but when you are first in the LHS the fact that the buck really does stop with you can mean that you exert much more energy into safe flight management. And that can be to the detriment of the flying. Also you have changed seat so it takes a short while to get used to flying from a different side. It is not something to be worried about as it will very soon disappear.

[GTP]

gentlemen or women. well written. i agree to the above. As a f/o i new it all. Only when i became a captain did i realise what a prick of an f/o i was. Being capt is much more than flying, so much more. And it is always the capt that has to answer for any incident or whatever......

[B737NG]

Well expressed!. It is nice on the left side but you are the first one who will questioned and responsible if something goeas wrong. Let the right mand on the right side be your partner and help tp protect both of you!. Good luck during the training.

NG

[Old Smokey]

Justbelowcap, take a bow, that's the best submission on all of Pprune's pages. Thank you for putting into words the things that we knew, but could not express quite so eloquently as you.

May I add my 2 cents worth?

(1) By the time an SFO has made Captain, his/her flying skills are taken for granted. It's a dramatic increase in MANAGEMENT skills that are now of paramount importance. The only way to refine and hone one's management skills is through hands on management with no instructor, captain etc. to fall back upon.

(2) Total situational awareness is absolutely necessary - as an F/O I believed that I had good situational awareness, but was able to 'tunnel vision' in on making a perfect approach for my captain when required, releasing him to stay mentally aware of all of the other 'what ifs'. A captain does not enjoy the luxury of giving all of his/her attention to one single task, that's why F/Os fly much better than we do - good!

(3) SFOs and Command trainees only begin to really blossom when all of the management problems are dropped in their lap. Some of the techniques which I use with my Command trainees - (i) On the ground, head for the toilet with the newspaper until he/she has solved the problem, (ii) In flight, order my lunch and put up the "DO NOT DISTURB" sign, or (iii) Say to him/her - "Here, I'll do that flying stuff whilst you sort it out".

For my own first trip in command? - Much more scary and exhilerating than my first solo. Now, 26 years later, I'm only scared when I'm rostered to be F/O to another captain.

[Miles Magister]

This has to be one of the best treads I have read on Prune.

As a SFO working for HMG, Light Blue, I often wondered why so many Captains always carried so much fuel when all figures and experience showed we always landed fat for fuel. On my first trip in charge I added some extra fuel! Same thing happened on my first jet command flight in the real world as well!

I have always advised young crew to expect a dip in capacity and skill when moving to the left seat. The FOs need to be aware of this as well so they support new captains properly.

As a new Captain I found the hardest thing to deal with was a SFO who new best or a new FO who wanted to be given some lea way and learn from his mistakes.

Good luck and enjoy it.

[woftam]

Yes Miles,I agree, a very good thread.
For a seat only about three feet to the left it is a world away.
Flying the A/C (i.e. that all important landing "greaser)" is paramount to an F/O where it is very much secondary to a Captain (can't do them anyway!)
There is much more going on over here than I ever realised as an F/O. And a good F/O is worth his weight in gold!
Enjoy the ride,the time spent in the R/H seat is not wasted (it just seems that way).
And the end result is worth it.
;)

[CPTVOR]

Justbelowcap,

Great post and worth its weight in gold to all of us im sure. Having read your post twice, I now feel more anxious than I did previously, but not for any wrong reasons, I hope.
I fly RHS in a high performance executive jet. The captain and I are the only crew and not only is he the captain, he is also the Ops Dir, Chief Pilot, HR dept, PR Dept etc etc etc. Apart from him being a total control freek, he also never, ever lets me fly so I have resigned myself to a life of RT and checklists. I have no reason to believe this due to ability as I have recieved glowing reports from Sim instructors and a training captain whilst on line training.
As a relative newbie, this used to upset me but lately I have adopted a more pragmatic approach and just let him get on with it whilst I sit there doing as much as he will allow me do.
Having read your post this style now strikes me as not only frustrating but also bordering on dangerous?
Id welcome any advise/comments that you, or anyone else wishes to make
Thanks

[Fragman88]

CPTVOR ,

I hope you manage to get yourself out of that particular Dinosaur's cave before he gets you both into strife-- fortunately you'll be unable to find many more like him as you move on.

Magnificent post, full of wisdom. Old Smokey's comment about 'Tunneling' on the approach remind me of a study done a long time ago by BA. They measured the pulse rates of the Capt and F/O during the approach. The results were: Capt flying. (Say) Capt 120, F/O 90, F/O flying, Capt still 120, F/O 120.


My first 'Solo', on a 747---- WONDERFUL.

And I still gratefully remember the F/O and F/E who gave me the support and confidence to enable me to handle my first real challenge a couple of weeks later.

The other thing I noticed, with gratitude, when I became more senior, (on the principle that there is only so much cr@p to go around), is that he new commanders seem to get much more than their share of it in their first three months or so. This is stuff completely beyond anyone's control such as birdstrikes, engine failures, tech failures etc. More for them, less left for me! Plus they are fresh from the conversion machine and can probably handle it better anyway!


The LHS is a different game, but one to look forward to with all your heart.

GOOD LUCK.



:ok:

[Hay Ewe]

JustBelowCap,

Great Post and words well put.

I am in Technical Services part of a small outfit (10 Aircraft) and recently found my self managing one other person. It wasnt until he quit due to other reasons that I discovered how bad I had been at managing him and his part of the job.

I read your words of wisdom and was blown away,

I hope you dont mind but I have put them up on the office wall, So my new off sider knows where we are coming from (I hope) and remember too.

Thanks for the insight,

Hay Ewe - Learning on the hoof