Sim session: take 2

View from the right hand seat

Hello again! It's been a busy week this week, as we have started RNav, which lasts for two weeks and also includes some simulator sessions. The subject itself is really quite interesting and has a rather heavy overlap with instrumentation from module 1.

The model of aircraft we were "flying" 

On Thursday me and three other people from my CP were in the fixed base Boeing 737 700 simulator for around five hours. Initially our instructor Nic showed us the basics as well as what all of the buttons do, as we haven't been able to get in the sims before to reinforce our knowledge from the first set of subjects. After this we took off from Gatwick before doing a bit of general aircraft handling. This included various manoeuvres to demonstrate various types of stability, as well as extreme attitudes and bank angles and how speed affects stick force (how hard you need to push/pull on the column). This was great for me and has helped me understand an awful lot for my Principles of Flight re-sit. These simulators are incredible and are identical to the flight decks of the actual aircraft - so real that you can go straight from one of these to flying the airplane. They are programmed with the same flight characteristics of the specific aircraft type, to the extent where you sometimes forget you're only flying a simulator!

There's quite a few buttons and switches!!!!

After this, the other guys all had a go before we did some navigation exercises. We were using NDBs, which we have been learning about this week to come in to the hold at Bristol airport from a nearby airway following the procedures to land there in such a way. This turned out to be a lot more challenging than expected, as you have to have your wits about you at all times, making various corrections and checks as you descend and follow the pattern. We had zero visibility until 400 feet above the runway and we somehow managed to actually successfully land on the runway at the airport.

After we had all had a go of this exercise, we were given the chance of an ILS approach into Gatwick airport. ILS is another piece of equipment we have been learning about this week; it is basically various beams shot into the sky, which the aircraft then picks up on and is guided down on the glidepath to safely land on the runway. This was great fun, especially landing at Gatwick which is my "local" airport.

This was a fantastic evening and am so pleased Nic managed to get us in the sim to do all of this. It massively helps to reinforce what we learn in the classroom, and see everything in action first hand. I'm not sure if we will be in the sims again before New Zealand, so I definitely made the most of sitting in this rather expensive toy and cannot wait until I get to fly the real thing.

Captain McGill (pft he wishes) and myself

Module 2 - so far!

Well I'm a few weeks into module 2 now where I am studying for the next seven exams. So far, we have completed Performance and Mass & Balance and are almost done with GNav, leaving RNav, Human Performance, Operations and Flight Planning. These subjects are a lot more practical than those we did in the first module and there are a lot more 'pilot-y' things to do. GNav is a massive subject and each question takes a fair amount of time to work out. Mass & Balance questions can also be quite lengthy, although it is only a small subject which lasted for two days. I'm looking forward to RNav, as we have been told there is a good chance we spend the afternoons in the simulators in pairs and also Flight Planning, as again, it is a very practical and useful subject.

I received my Mod 1 results on Tuesday and overall am very happy with them! Unfortunately I failed POF with 70%, so will retake that in July, just before I do my Mod 2 exams. With just several more weeks to go of ground school, the time really is flying by very fast!

Some familiar sights from GNav