Astreaus Cadet Group - Reality vs. Expectations....

[Lavdumperer]

Just curious about our Astraeus cadet group flying the beautiful 737NGs and 300s. Yes, I have scrolled back and viewed past Astraeus-related posts - I Have read them.

I just have a few questions for the pilots involved:

1. How does flying the line (day and late night) compare with your expectations prior to "landing" the job?

2. What is most INTERESTING destination thusfar? Favourite and LEAST favourite destination and why?

3. How do you like the 737-300 vs the 737NG?



Cheers

[pjdj777]

Hard to say at the moment, still learning, and learning a lot daily, I'll have a go though:

1: It's kinda how I expected, to me the most difficult thing is sleeping during the day before a night flight. I can't get the hang of it, no problems sleeping the day after mind ;) The hours are long, the work hard and I guess the biggest change is going from flying an aircraft to managing a flight, there's a big difference and it's all to do with the "big picture"

2: Interesting destination? Lisbon, it just looked beautiful, I want to spend more time there. Least favourite is Zakinthos, only beent here once but hated it, can't really go any further than that. Fave? Either Athens (I'm getting to know that place quite well) Or LGW at the end of a night flight - it means bed isn't far away!!!!!

3: Not flown much on the -300, only a couple of sectors. I love the NG, nice office, powerful machine and excellent performance, what more could you want?

[Lavdumperer]

pjdj777,

Sounds like you are having a great experience. It also sounds like you are getting a good look at the "charter" lifestyle. I know a number of pilots who have switched from charter to scheduled because of the difficult hours involved. Fortunately, charter does provide tremendous variety of routes - and that can sometimes compensate for the difficult hours.


Any other Astraeus cadets out there want to share their perspectives? Sounds like a great time!


Cheers

[no sponsor]

I used to work nights. Obtaining and hanging bin bags around the windows is a must, as is getting into the habit of sleeping as soon as you get home, rather than waiting up until midday/early afternoon.

[featherman]

Just saw this post......so I'll put down a few thoughts regarding the questions raised.....

On a day-to-day basis the job still holds great excitement for me. Although I am constantly reminded of how much there is to learn on each flight and what a humbling experience it cam be when the pressure is put on. It is a steep curve as there is so much to take in especially flying in and around the London TMA. Things can get pretty intense.

The best place so far for me is Tel Aviv. Did a three night stopover...great beach, great bars and great night life.....!!

Don't have a worse place really. Night trips can be tough. It's really a preparation game...Sleep before and right attitude to get though the trip. I try to get as much out of the flights at this early stage so as to keep on top of things.

Flying the NG is a delight. It's a marvelous aircraft. The 300 is great as well although a little different to handle. If pushed for a choice between the two then the NG gets the vote!

[Lavdumperer]

Sounds like you guys are having a great time. What a great experience - especially on new equipment like the 737NG.

I'd love to hear about more experience from the other cadets... wish I had had this type of experience... What other cool destinations have you visited?

Any of the other cadets out there?


Cheers

[Lavdumperer]

Quick questions for the cadets out there:

What is it like to fly the 737NG on the longer routes (e.g., Gatwick to Tel Aviv)? Is the flight deck comfortable or is it cramped (not a rhetorical question)? How long can you last before it starts to become a bit uncomfortable?

Also, what is the best feature of the automated cockpit on the 737NG in your opinion (maybe something you didn't expect before training on these new airplanes)?


Thanks

[featherman]

Hi Lavdumperer,

Good questions!

Well, as far as comfort goes… the NG is very comfortable….I think that Mr. Boeing gave a lot of thought into the design of the seat and cockpit arrangement. It seems that there is a map light or air vent just in the right place. The chair reclines and is well suited to long flights. As I’m fairly new to this type of environment all I can say is that after five and half hours to Taba - Egypt, then a 45 minute turn-around and five hours back you had better have a decent seat to sit on or you’ve had it! I wouldn’t say its cramped but I guess after a while you’d need to get up and stretch your legs no matter what kind of cockpit you were in. Generally though it’s an ergonomic layout and well thought out.

The FMC is the brains of the aircraft and it is learning how to use this piece of equipment effectively that is the real challenge of operating the aircraft. The large glass displays, particularly the HSI in MAP mode give an excellent representation of Departure, Enroute and Arrival. The ways in which you can interact with the picture you see on the screen and the information contained in the FMC is at first a little daunting to consider doing in actual flight. After a while though things become clearer and you soon begin to realize what an awesome set of tools you have at your disposal!

(Hope that answers some of your questions. Not sure what the other guys think.)

[calypso]

The job is definitely living up to my expectations before. The biggest change to the previous flying that I have done is that here good handling is taken for granted; the emphasis is on management of the flight. An ontime departure takes a whole team of people working in sync and it often feels like a race against the clock. The descent is possibly the hardest thing to judge accurately. An ideal descent pattern is worked out by the FMC but this is always thrown into disarray by unpredictable winds and ATC. It is very easy to get high on the descent if you get a late descent clearance or a very direct routing. The NG has a very efficient wing and it just wants to fly, and fly, and fly....

The most interesting destination so far has been SSH by the Red Sea in Egypt. It is about a 5-hour flight but you overfly some amazing desert scenery and get vectored around some fairly high terrain to an approach over the coast. We landed at dusk and the temperature on the ground was a whopping 44 C.

The NG is an amazing bit of Kit but for pure handling I prefer the 300, I find it more responsive. I think that it has a higher wing loading. I find the NG a bit funny in pitch and even the autopilot seems to struggle with it at times. But, hey, I only have 100 hrs on type and no experience of other jets. I know nothin...

As far as the comfort of the cockpit, I find it adequate although to be fair it is a lot more cramped than the A320 and you have to eat your meals out of your lap. I would not change it though. The seat is quite comfortable and very adjustable. The best part is those flat screens with lots of information really well presented. It is full of small details that make life easier. For example you can preselect a QNH and then change from 1013 to QNH at the touch of a button. You can see a map display of your departure or approach with other traffic superimposed and terrain or weather. This really helps with situational awareness.

I hope this answers most of the questions


Cal