What to prep study for 738 rating? [Archive]

Gnirren

27th Dec 2005, 21:55

I'm starting the course in five weeks and I'm interested in any tips from you guys flying that aircraft. If you had five weeks time and some online resources, possibly even the boeing cbt to use, what would you focus on to make the actual training easier to do? Is there anything that in retrospect you would have wanted to know better prior to course start? Is it more important to know the systems intricately, or to know the practical side of things like the autopilot and FMC programming?

The short and sweet answer is "learn it all" but it's a lot of information...

Empty Cruise

27th Dec 2005, 22:22

Look @ it this way - what is most likely to make your day miserable (or downright kill you)?

Prolly a lot of ground instructors out there more qualified to answer your q, but my suggestion would be:

1) Hydraulics - when one system is lost (in different phases of flight), what do you have left?

2) What flight control QRH goes with what flight control symptom?

3) Electrics - know 1 component (that you use/look at often) as identifier for loss of each bus (e.g. a failure of both N1 indicators = prolly lost the BAT BUS :( )

4) Find out an easy to remember way of emergency smoke removal - or you won't be able to read the QRH. Remember, this one needs to be done "blindfolded", so find out & learn it. The 737 QRH does not have this stated as recall items, but it could save your life (and impress your sim instructor).

5) Buy Pat Boones "B737 Management Reference Guide" & study that alongside your technical stuff. Your CBT will tell you how it works - mr. Boone will tell you what to do about it (or how to think going about doing it, if you prefer...).

6) Get hold of an FMC simulator & learn that FMC backwards. If you have to spend time thinking about it in the sim, it's in all likelihood too late.

7) Get an idea about when to say - "Fcuk the FMC/CDU" - fly HDG SEL & use raw data - then when things are under control put the finishing touches to it. E.g. 3 miles from holding fix, ATC suddenly throws a holding at you. What are you gonna do - ask you PM to set up an FMC solding for you, or get the beacon tuned, identified & the EHSI displayed and fly the initial turn in HDG SEL, then worry about the FMC later?

8) Know what each of the vertical modes of the FD/AP system does for you with regard to thrust, IAS, VS & FMC path. E.g. "VNAV descend mode give me thrust idle, follows the VNAV path by varying the VS, and aims to fly the FMC programmed speed. If going high on profile, the aircraft speed will increase, if going below the profile & speed thus decreasing, thrust is added".

Otherwise, just enjoy it - it's good fun, but remember - the systems part is just the introduction, so think "How can I use this in the sim & on the aircraft?" - never fall into the trap of doing systems for systems' sake. You sometimes see people studying 24/7 for their systems part, only to arrive in the sim with no idea how to put that knowledge to use (although they did score 100% on the written tests) :rolleyes:

Best of luck with it! :) Lycka till,
Empty