First Flight as a First Officer [Landing Pic Included]

My first trip is officially complete! I now have just over 20 hours of actual turbine time.  Whoa! I am absolutely exhausted from the pace of it all. But here's a quick recap...

Aircraft: CRJ700 Taxiing at PHX; Pilot Arm: Mine; Photo Cred: Wifey aka Sara

Preparing

First of all, preparing for the details of the trip was much quicker and easier than I anticipated.  I packed up my suitcase with a couple uniforms, work out clothes, toiletries, a casual outfit, some food (Easy Mac and Uncle Ben's Chicken Rice), my laptop, and a book called The Glass Cage: How Our Computers Are Changing Us (which I did not read at all because I was so rung out by the time I got to the hotel, but I am eager to dig in).  I put all my flight necessities in my lunch bag along with some more snacks for the actual flight, put on my uniform and was ready to head out...until I realized I was wearing my flip flops. (Changed shoes!)

Some items I packed in my bag

Ready, Set, Adrenaline.

Time to go. My stomach immediately shrunk, I couldn't eat any more spaghetti.  Sara and Isaac took me to the airport.  Classic Isaac fell asleep on the way, so our goodbye was a bit anticlimactic. I was grateful to have my wife there to send me off....and she was conscious so that's good. ;)

I went straight through Known Crew-Member security to the crew lounge to print out our trip sheets for each leg of our flights.  The other pilots could immediately tell it was my first day; they offered some advice, and wished me well.

Sara & Me at PHX Airport

Flying

So I know my pilot friends will want some more nitty gritty details. Call me. Otherwise, here's a recap of what my experience was like, Q&A Style.

• Q: Did you actually fly the plane? A: Of course! Why else would they have hired me? But really... a big misconception I've run into is that people assume the Captain does all the flying and the Co-Pilot/First Officer... ???? Twiddles his thumbs? Is there in case the Captain dies? I'm not sure what people assume but often folks are surprised when they learn that yes, both the Captain and First Officer fly the airplane. Usually, you take turns flying different legs.  But ultimately, the Captain has the final authority over the safe operation of the flight.
  
• Q: Ok, but did you land the airplane? A: Yup. Of the 14 legs of our trip, I landed the plane 4 times all on my own; without the Captain's assistance (but always under his supervision!).



Sara picked me up on my last day and snapped this photo of my Captain and I.



• Q: Did you ever takeoff? A: Yep. Of the 14 legs, I was responsible for takeoff 10 times.
  

• Q: Did you make a PA announcement to passengers? A: Every flight it's my job to tell passengers our sequence for departure... and on a couple flights I gave PA announcements in cruise and for our initial descent.  I probably said something like: "Ladies and gentlemen, we're starting our initial descent into Santa Rosa.  We should be on the ground in the next 20 minutes. It's a beautiful day here: calm winds, visibility unrestricted, temperature 68 degrees.  Thank you for flying with us today."
  
• Q: Where'd you sleep? A: My trip basically consisted of flights between Phoenix (PHX), Monterey (MRY), Grand Junction (GJT), Yuma (NYL), and Santa Rosa (STS). I spent two nights in Grand Junction, CO where I enjoyed some Applebee's with the Crew and then one night in Yuma, AZ where the Captain paid for some In and Out Burger.

• Q: What was a typical day like? A: Here's a look at my schedule from Monday.  When there's any time before your report time, it's at your disposal.  Some people exercise or read or what not.  That'll be me someday! Not much time for me to leave the plane during the day so I pack enough snacks to curb the hunger and take a restroom break between flights.
  
• Q: How early do you have to be there before the flight? A: Not as early as the passengers! No really... because of how expedited the security process is for crew members, and rules about pilot rest/duty periods...we're typically required to report 45 minutes before departure.
  
• Q: Were there actual passengers? A: Of course! It's too expensive to take one of these guys up empty for this purpose.  Our CRJ700 can hold up to 70 passengers and all flights were pretty full.
  
• Q: Did the passengers know it was your first flight/trip? A: No, of course not. Does it make you wonder how many times you've been on board with a rookie? No worries... it's safe! Check Airman Captains are specifically qualified to train and teach a new pilot throughout the Initial Operating Experience and prevents anything unsafe from happening.

My wife snapped some pictures of us landing and taxiing from the top floor of Terminal 4 Parking Garage in PHX.  So... here you go... here's me landing a jet.

The start of a new normal has begun and it is exhilarating!

Landing the plane in PHX on Runway 26; Photo Credit: Sara aka Wifey

It's Official: I'm An Airline Pilot! (With a Personal Update)

It's official: as of February 3, 2017--I have become a certified Airline Transport Pilot! After weeks of training in a full-motion simulator, I passed the final check ride that granted me my ATP certificate.

My sim partner, Tony, and I after passing our check rides.

What's that mean?

The ATP is the highest pilot's certificate one can achieve.  It gives you the ability to fly transport category aircraft (think: the plane you take to go visit your brother).

What's next?

The great thing is that my ATP training was paid for by my company, who hired me this fall, so I'm ready to get started.  As a First Officer (aka: Second in Command/Co-Pilot), I will begin my airline career flying the CRJ.  The CRJ is a passenger aircraft that carries anywhere from 50 to 76 passengers. Our company is contracted to operate flights for some of the major airlines like Delta, United, American, and Alaska.  So the paint job on plane I fly will say something like: "Delta Connection" or "United Express."

When is your first flight?

After my sim training and final check ride, I am now  waiting to start flying regularly as I need to complete my Initial Operating Experience (IOE).  Due to the large number of new hires and limited number of check airman, I will probably wait another 6 weeks before my first flight.  After IOE, I will be on reserve in my base until I gain enough seniority to hold a line.

Flight sim where I spent most of January

How long did it take you to become an Airline pilot?

Just a few days ago, Facebook kindly reminded me of a memory from three years ago when I passed my Private Pilot check ride.  It's humbling to reflect on all that has happened since and see how God provided for all our needs to make this possible, including the big decision we made to move to Phoenix to gain the experience I needed to qualify for this new job.  If you are interested in flying, go take a demo flight somewhere! A friend recently told me, 7,000 United Airline Pilots are retiring in the next 5 years... it's a great time to enter the industry... and nothing more beautiful than an office in the sky!

Me & a CRJ200

One final update...

We are planning to move back to the Twin Cities this Spring.  We've loved our time in Phoenix and the friendships we've made during this season of life.  We're looking forward to getting back to the Midwest to be near family, closer to my base, and back to the land of 10,000 Lakes! We're in the hunt for at least a two bedroom rental along the Light Rail for an easy airport commute.  If you have any leads, please let us know!