Confessions Of A 757 Trainee

This is my third type rating in about as many years so I have been pretty lucky so far. I first flew the Fokker F27 turboprop freighter but then quickly moved to the Boeing 737-300 when my company began operating passenger services out of Leeds and Bradford in Yorkshire. Having spent almost two years on the 737 and amassed a little under 1200 hours on the aircraft the chance to convert to the 757 fleet came up and I am not one to turn down an opportunity to fly such a cool aircraft.

This article will be my journal of events throughout the type rating and will hopefully give you a little insight into what you need to go through in order to actually add an aircraft to a commercial pilot's license. The course lasts over four weeks so I have decided to split it into three parts, the written course and fixed base simulator first, the full motion sim second and finally the line training on the actual aircraft which will al hopefully culminate in me being signed off to the line to fly relatively unsupervised...Enjoy.

Day 1 - 28th November 2005

The type rating is being done by ALTEON, formerly Flight Safety Boeing, at London Gatwick initially but moving after the first few days to take up residence at the British Airways training centre at Heathrow. The ALTEON building is new and would look impressive were it not for the Virgin Atlantic palatial head office situated across the road. Once through the pleasantries of meeting our instructors and being weighed down by yet more tomes of Boeing technical manuals we are led upstairs to the CBT (Computer Based Training) room where we are to take up residence for the next few days while our full time pad at Heathrow is prepared.

The CBT is becoming the mainstay of type rating training nowadays with the obvious financial benefits coming from the lower amount of full time instructors on staff being reaped by training establishments worldwide. The idea is that you learn at your own pace with an instructor periodically poking their head round the door to answer any questions that you come up with... you did write them down didn't you, oh that's why the pad of paper was in the bag!

The work stations are helpfully setup so that a captain and first officer sit side by side around a mock-up of the flight-deck commonly referred to as the 'cardboard bomber' with a screen in the centre of each station. This setup offers the benefit of being able to locate and become accustomed to each control and system as they are discussed and become more familiar with the layout of the 'office' prior to going into the real simulator.

CBT seems to have the same format the world over regardless of whether you are learning a Boeing 757 or doing a Microsoft MCSE course. A monotonous and dull American accented narrator guides you through each section allowing you to interact at certain phases of each section for example turning the battery switch on and configuring the electrical systems ready for engine start. A further summary and then an end of module exercise session to allow you to demonstrate your new found skills.

This so far seems a little derogatory of CBT but in reality for this type of training course it really does work well. We get to interact with a simulated system and see what happens in each scenario and as a result gain a working knowledge of the system before setting foot in an expensive level D sim. A far cry from my first type rating on the F27 when an instructor taught us what was needed classroom style and we were required to 'take his word for it' when it came to abnormal situations. Not that his word wasn't bang on but a picture is worth a thousand words!

As a whole day 1 and 2 are basic understanding sessions where we are getting a feel for the aircraft and the systems. The plan for most courses involves the introduction to a fixed base training device, a non moving simulator, fairly early on in the CBT phase to get us accustomed to the basics of aircraft setup and system use and to back up each phase of the CBT with real experience of the aircraft. So the countdown commences to day 3 and our first real experience in the simulator.

Day 3 - 20th November

It always staggers me how the world can slow down when you are waiting for the appointed hour to do something exciting and as expected the world has slowed to a similar tempo to that of the slow drawling CBT voice over. Finally midday arrives and it's time to get our first sim briefing and our first taste of our new office. Rod Holdridge, our instructor, runs through what we aim to do and checks we have done the pre-requisite reading so we are as prepared as we can be. What staggers us both is that it is not expected that we get airborne in this session although with both Simon and myself having a large number of hours in the 737 he is optimistic that we may breech the surly bonds of earth and clatter skywards into our simulated skies.

First impressions of the fixed base sim are somewhat disappointing, tucked away beneath a 737-400 level D sim in the corner of the sim hall is a small caravan type construction. The only barrier to the outside world is a heavy duty curtain divider. Inside however is a different world of Boeing beige. The fixed base trainer is a complete working replica of a 757 / 767 flight deck albeit with blanked out windows. To say that I feel out of my depth is an understatement. I have moved from the very familiar surroundings of the 737 to the rather different six TV screen world of a big Boeing. While the philosophy of the flight deck is initially very different it doesn't take long to see where the similarities between our new toy and the venerable 737 are.

Once the sim is slowly powered up by our rather cautious fingers we start to recognise the familiar EADI (Electonic Attitude Direction Indicator) and EHSI (Electronic Horizontal Situation Indicator) which are exactly the same as the 737. The flight instruments while a different colour also have a reassuring familiarity and while the overhead switches have been replaced with push buttons we can start to see the parallels.

As Rod helps us out we slowly become happier with our surroundings and feel less like fishes out of water. The panel scans take up a majority of the 2 hour lesson but we manage to get the myriad of buttons and switches correctly positioned with enough time remaining to get a couple of take offs in before being chased out by the next crew. The actual flying side of the FBS (Fixed Base Sim) is academic as there is no visual or motion system and so no external cues to help us but as a procedural trainer its value is clear. Far better to learn the standard calls and phraseology here in cheaper sim than in its expensive level D counterpart. Despite the lack of visuals we manage to get airborne and at least get to see the subtle differences in the 757 EADI and EHSI which gives us something to talk about over our beers this evening.

Day 5 - 2nd December

The briefing for the sim brings in a little LOFT (Line Oriented Flight Training) exercise in which we plan to fly a flight from start to finish in real time. During the flight we aim to have a look at the various autoflight modes and the FMC differences between the 737 and 757 and work out the old habits. Simon is planned to be the pilot flying but it would appear that Boeing have pandered to young First Officer's desires to push buttons and left a majority of the panel set up to the F/O so I don't find myself too bored. The flight takes us from Gatwick to Manchester via a full Standard Instrument Departure (SID) and Standard Arrival (STAR) and completes in a full CAT IIIB autoland. Hopefully we will have a little time left over to get me some stick time and perhaps a quick look at an abnormal situation.

As expected we both manage to get 90% of the pre-flight setup steps in the bag with Rod helping out with the remaining 10%. Inevitably we have the odd brain fart; even our previous Boeing experience cannot make up for the fact that we have only four hours of experience playing with the beast so far. Finally we are ready for takeoff so we 'hit the tit' (a slang for the button used to initiate the takeoff modes in the flight director and autothrottle) and clatter off into the wild blue yonder. Because of the inherent difficulties in flying a sim not designed to be hand flown we are encouraged to get the autopilot engaged quickly. This has the added bonus of freeing up the flying pilot to take instruction and participate in the lesson rather than having his attention filled by the task of flying the aircraft. Rod gives us various simulated clearances which demonstrate the neat new modes of the auto flight system such as the speed intervention mode allowing us to override the FMC speed commands if needed by simply pushing a button. Other modes and features are played with and discussed as we traverse the UK and soon we are setting up for the approach to Manchester and beginning our descent.

Simon gets comfortable prior to another sim detail

Rod helps us out as we try to navigate the various different panels and set up the navigational aids, bugs and systems needed to make a successful autoland. The next task is to get our heads around the flap schedule which we are both finding a little strange in comparison to our old canned speed system which we knew verbatim from the 737. As we configure we are vectored to the ILS and in turn the autopilots are all engaged. In no time at all we are on final approach with 85 tonnes of simulated metal, flesh and bones doing 150 mph completely under the control of three computers all the way to the end of the landing roll. The 737 was capable of autoland but we were required to make a landing decision at 50 feet. The 757 however is a much more sophisticated aircraft and is cleared for Cat 3B rather than the 737's CAT 3A. The 757 not only flies the approach and landing automatically but also steers the aircraft using the rudder and nose wheel steering all the way down the runway until the aircraft has come to a halt. The only positive input the pilots are required to make is to deploy the thrust reversers. I have to say that as a pilot who three years ago was flying an ancient turboprop that kind of automation takes some getting used to.

As the aircraft rolls to a halt at the end of a successful autoland we have some time left and as expected control is passed to me to complete a normal take off and then a vectored circuit to another autoland. As we get airborne Rod decides to introduce the first piece of abnormal experience and the aircraft responds to his input with a friendly but firm chirp alerting us to the generator drive warning light on the overhead and the accompanying message on the EICAS (Engine Instrument and Crew Alerting System pronounced Eye-Cas) screen in the centre of the panel. As I am flying Simon pulls out the Quick Reference Handbook (QRH) and as a crew we check and confirm each part of the checklist and secure the rogue generator. As the end of our sim looms and our emergency dealt with we are vectored to another autoland and then it is time to vacate the sim and allow the next crew to get in. It's amazing how time flies when you're enjoying yourself.

Day 11 - 11th December

The CBT really is the dullest part of this course but unfortunately something that we simply must work through. The interactivity of the system and the joviality of our little group (myself, Simon and instructor Rod) seems to have staved off the inevitable disinterest and kept the learning going in the most part anyway. The main problem has been the similarity to the 737 ironically. We already know how a majority of the core systems work, a case in point being the FMC and EFIS systems. As a result of this familiarity we are finding ourselves tempted into flicking through the sections and trying to pick out the differences as we skim read. The danger of this is that you miss a key piece of information and embarrass yourself in the exam over something you have obviously overlooked. Rod thankfully flew both the 737 and 757 himself and is helping us marry the two types nicely while pointing out the real gotchas.

The fixed base sim on the other hand is far more exciting despite its quite common temper tantrums. While BA are obviously keen on investing in this very useful training aid unfortunately their 'development' (for development read tinkering) does cause some very interesting errors such as the yokes turning in opposite directions on rotation and the like. Faults aside the FBS is allowing us to become familiar not just with the layout and operation of the new beast but also allowing us to play with systems and as a result add at least some finesse to our overall operation prior to learning to actually fly the aircraft in the level D sim.

The touch screen instructor station in the FBS which is used to raise the students blood pressure a little

Over the last few days Rod has fed us more and more complex failures to see how both the aircraft and its crew deal with the intricacies of each failure and emergency. As we move through the syllabus we encounter engine fires, hydraulic failures, electrical 'glitches' which turn out to be more than just 'glitches' and so on. Our ability to efficiently use the QRH is coming on leaps and bounds and our grasp of the design philosophy is slowly becoming evident. All told the FBS has helped us immensely and with one more session to go before we hit the level D sim I feel confident that we won't look too silly as we strap in and learn how to fly the 757 for real.

Day 13 - 13th December

The first part of the day was a few last minute questions from Rod before we were issued with our exam papers and it was time to get down to the grind. The exam contains 120 multiple choice questions to be completed in two hours. 60 of the questions are of a technical nature relating to the systems on the aircraft. The remaining 60 are split between performance, FMC, auto-flight, EFIS and the dreaded recall items. The pass mark is 75% which in itself is high but then comes the sucker punch, you must also get 75% in each section which makes it much more difficult when some sections have less than 10 questions leaving very little room for error.

Against all the odds we waded through the obvious and not so obvious questions and then retired to the coffee room for a rather nervous cup of tea (terribly British). About 30 minutes later Rod called us back to put us out of our misery; we had both passed well above the pass mark. All that remained was to debrief the questions that we got wrong and then wait for our final fixed base sim slot.

During the debrief I have to say I was surprised how many of the FMC / auto-flight questions we had both been unsure of. On discussion it was clear we were guilty of a common aviation problem known as 'reversion to type'. Reversion to type is a phenomenon which usually occurs in high stress situations such as emergencies or, in this case, exams. Put simply your brain reverts to something it knows and you take that option. For example, for those that drive how many times have you been seconds from a possible accident and gone for the horn only to find it's moved! Your brain needs to honk the horn and chances are the place that you went for the horn is where it was on a previous vehicle. In the same respect Simon and I had put answers that were perfectly correct for the B737 but incorrect for the B757. Not to worry we both correctly identified where we had gone wrong and I am fairly sure we'll remember from here on in.

The fixed base was not available till later today so we had a few hours to kill which we did drinking tea in the crew room and gassing to any poor BA pilots that were unfortunate enough to encounter us, sorry guys! 5:00 PM rolled around eventually and after a quick debrief from the departing El Al crew about the sims repair status we were in and doing our thing. Today was my sector from Manchester to London Gatwick with a diversion after the first approach to Gatwick.

Rod had planned to get the last of the items out of the way which included a cabin depressurisation and subsequent emergency descent and a cargo fire amongst other things. We briefed about what each of our roles would be prior to entering the sim and this thankfully was very similar to the 737 but as we have found already today you can be led up the garden path with old knowledge so a thorough brief was a good idea.

I was amazed at the now quite fluid cockpit setup routine we had adopted with both of us feeling much more comfortable in the pointy end of our new toy. We were no longer umming and ahhing at each stage. Our motions were deliberate but fluid and comfortable. Everything was setup and we were airborne in record time just goes to show that practice makes perfect. As discussed we had a myriad of little snags in the climb such as window heat failures and generator failures eventually culminating in the main events. As is now the case in most emergencies the cargo fire really is a non-event. Yes you get bells and lights but there is no immediate danger. We ran the checklist slowly to ensure we get it right and the fire was soon dealt with but no sooner we had the red lights extinguished and the checklists stowed and we were faced with yet another RED EICAS message regarding the cabin alt.

Cabin altitude problems are one of the few things that do require some fairly quick actions mainly to allow the flight crew to get on to oxygen. The time of useful consciousness at 36,000 feet is measured in seconds so we need to be pretty swift to ensure the safety of the aircraft. Once we are on oxygen we can then deal with the rest of the problem, firstly ensuring the supply of oxygen to the rest of those on the flight by deploying the passenger oxygen even though it should have automatically deployed, then beginning our descent. It is a common misconception that there is a magic system that will give limitless oxygen to all on board but that is not the case. Passenger oxygen lasts about 12 minutes so we need to be down to a breathable atmosphere quickly which is one thing Boeing aircraft do very well.

The drill calls for an emergency descent which is done at Vmo/Mmo (maximum speed), the drag from the airframe plus the added drag from the spoilers generally means we can peg the vertical speed indicator at 6000 feet / minute and keep it there. Put simply we can go from 36,000 feet down to 10,000 feet in a little over four minutes which means you guys down the back still have plenty of oxygen if you need it. The down side to the fixed base sim is that we get no motion but just looking at the instruments we both know that this is going to be pretty exciting in the full motion sim.

A reminder of what is yet to come, the B737-400 sim situated in the same sim hall as the 757 fixed base sim

The remaining flight to Gatwick is uneventful, Rod having reset all the faults. We set up to shoot the approach and due to the sim having a 'senior moment' inadvertently end up doing a Cat 3a approach as one of the autopilots will not engage. The approach is still perfectly fine thanks to the redundancy of having three autopilots but we end up being told to go around which we do still somewhat tickled by the fact that the autopilot will even go around for us, isn't technology wonderful. ATC then tell us Gatwick is closed and we must divert to Stansted. With me in control of the aircraft and being at fairly low altitude it becomes Simon's job to set up the FMC for the approach while I monitor the aircraft and keep my beady eyes peeled although that is a moot point in a sim with no visuals. We eventually manage to get the route into the FMC and fly the LOREL arrival to Stansted on to a landing on runway 23. As the autopilot and auto brakes bring us to a screeching halt our time is pretty much up in the FBS and all that remains is to shut down and turn the lights out on our way out. In two days time we have to do it all again but in the full flight sim.

Kris Heslop
boxjockey99@hotmail.com