"Two Week Notice" Podcast with Jerrid Sebesta

This past weekend I had the opportunity to do an interview with TV Personality, Jerrid Sebesta, for his podcast called Two Week Notice.  I got to share my story about leaving my job as a teacher in order to pursue a career in aviation with the former meteorologist.  We found a lot of common ground in how we view finances and our love for Minnesota winters. (Kidding about the last one). I had a great time speaking with Jerrid and hope to take him up on a flight if he's ever back in the Phoenix area.  Check it out!

How to Survive Aircraft Systems Training: 6 Tips

For the past month I was in Salt Lake City, studying CRJ 200 Aircraft Systems.  For four weeks, my class of twenty-two CRJ pilot trainees, spent a majority of our time with our noses in the books--including Christmas and New Years--in order to pass our System Validations test.  Here's six tips for how to survive.

6. Wash Your Hands

This has a lot to do with time of year, I get that, but I think nearly everyone in our class was sick at some point--with either terrible head colds or a stomach bug.  And you cannot miss a day of training.  The week I was sick, I saw my formative assessments scores drop below 80%--which was not a confidence booster when needing to pass the final test with greater than 80% proficiency.  So although in many cases, sickness cannot be avoided, my first suggestion is to wash your hands a lot...don't get sick! And if you do, grab whatever over the counter meds you need to make it through the week.  Read on to find out whether or not I passed and what my score was.

5. Go to Costco

We had a full kitchen in our living arrangement, so instead of spending what little money you do make in training on meals out, I opted to buy the basics in bulk.  My friend Adam and I even split some items up to make it more affordable.  We grilled chicken and brats on the weekend and stored it in the fridge for weekday meals. I bought a bag of rice and some microwavable vegetables from Target and that is pretty much what I ate for four weeks.  Oh, and if I did eat out, we'd just run over to the Costco Food court and grab some hot pizza slices for $1.99.  Go to Costco.

SLC Costco Largest in the World...freezer so big they provide jackets!

4. Know Thyself

Couple things about me: I'm a talker and I like tangents.  Maybe that's a common denominator among pilots...seems to be the stereotype at least.  But what I mean by this is that often times, you're encouraged to study with others and form study groups.  The thought here is: study alone, fail alone... study together, fail together.  However, I know that 90% of the time, group study is not where I learn; it's where I get distracted.  So even though it was encouraged, I often times found myself in the fitness center, reading chapters aloud to myself while walking on the lowest setting the treadmill would allow. I stayed awake, I comprehended what I read, and I didn't get distracted.  I'm NOT saying to avoid study groups... just know how you learn and do what's best for you.

Study session with two breakfasts on the weekends

3. Go Hard and Then Sleep

In order to pass the exam, it does require a rigorous level of study outside of class and alertness in class.  The exam is hard.  As it should be! Even though I had hoped to spend the Christmas holiday with my family, it just wasn't possible due to the volume of content and depth of which you need to understand.  But my advice is this... put in hard work, take notes during class, do as much of your reading as possible, even work on the weekends, but then go to bed.  You will be worthless without your sleep.  Set a boundary for yourself to stop studying at a certain hour so you can get the rest you need for a new day.

2. Expect the Emotional Rollercoaster

Training feels a lot like drinking from the firehose.  At the end of every day you are left feeling overwhelmed and maybe even discouraged.  The helpful thing is to expect it.  Expect fatigue and discouragement. Expect being overwhelmed.  And then go to sleep.  In Lamentations 3:22-23 it says: "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."  I found this reality to be very true.  Each morning I woke up rested, ate a good breakfast, got some caffeine in me, and trusted God for this promise that his mercy is new every morning.  I left for class with a new sense of hope and possibility, eager to grow and learn. I also found it very helpful to call my wife, unload some of my anxieties, and hear some truth in reply.  Have a support system to walk through it with.

Photo Courtesy: SkyWest Airlines

1. Enjoy the Reward

At the end of your systems training, you will be faced with the exam.  I approached this the same way I did a track meet as a collegiate athlete.  I trusted my training and hard work put in during the "season" and then tapered.  The two nights before the exam I reviewed a few areas I needed to brush up on, but other than that I was intentional to rest and not cram.  I took a hot tub, had a good dinner, made myself a cup of Sleepy Time tea and went to bed. The next morning came, along with the exam and I passed with 95% proficiency.  It was fun to receive my uniform and wings...and stop home for a weekend to celebrate with my family before flying out to Atlanta for sim training.

Subscribe to Gym Teacher Gone Pilot by Email

Got my Wings!

Isaac and Sara surprised me with a cake

HIRED: My First Airline Job!

Recap of Past Few Months

It's been a while since I've shared about my flight hour progress toward becoming eligible to work for an airline... but I'm happy to say that over the past couple months it's happened:

• Reached the minimum hour requirement to be an airline pilot
• Interviewed with SkyWest
• Accepted an offer to become a First Officer
• Completed an official Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program (ATP CTP)
• Passed the written ATP knowledge exam
• Leave tomorrow for 6-8 weeks of ground school in Salt Lake City. Whew!

Reflections on Flight Instructing

There's so much to be grateful for as I reflect on my experience as a flight instructor at Westwind School of Aeronautics.  It's been a wonderful way for me to transition into aviation, as a former school teacher.  The relationships I've built with my co-workers and students have been so rewarding and fun.  Here is a short video about two of my students from South Korea, Seoung Hee and Donghyeok.  They are married and it was a blast to train them both.  Watch this 60 second video about them becoming Private Pilots, from first solo to check ride:

First Full Motion Simulator Experience

I currently have just under 1300 flight hours logged (needed 1250 for the airlines).  The past month has been full of travel to and from Salt Lake City for CTP training in which I was able to log 10 hours in a full motion E175 simulator.  My brother in law Dave (who reviews videogames and technology for Forbes), referred to it as "the most expensive video game ever." Ha! You could even feel bumps on the taxiway. 

Me in the E175 Full Motion Sim

Me and my Sim Partner

What's Next?

So the next phase is ground school.  I just completed my last day of work at Westwind and tomorrow I depart for SLC for training with SkyWest.  SkyWest is a regional airline contracted by major airlines such as Delta, United, American and Alaska.  Here's what's next:

• Complete ground school & sim training over the next 6-8 weeks
• Pass a check ride in the aircraft I was hired to fly (CRJ)
• Complete my Initial Operating Experience (IOE)
• Be placed on reserve: filling in for First Officers who can't make their scheduled flight
• Fly the Line...aka be a real pilot!

So when I do begin to fly, my aircraft could look something like this:

Type of Aircraft I will fly: CRJ 200

I am looking forward to being a student again and in a time and place to focus my energies on learning.  In all of my initial flight training, I was always multi-tasking... working as a Phy Ed teacher and Residence Life Coordinator at a University.  So I'm looking forward to being able to focus solely on jet training.

One of the hardest parts about this all will be saying goodbye to my family for 6-8 weeks.  Sara and Isaac will be staying in Phoenix while I complete the ground school.  We are hopeful to see each other on Christmas weekend, but it will depend on whether or not I can fly standby and make it back to training on Monday.  Please pray it works out! Our 6th wedding anniversary also falls in that time frame--so it will be our first one a part.  We are grateful for the local friends who are reaching out to Sara during my time away, and friends and family from Minnesota who plan to visit.

We snuck in one last date this week and enjoyed some ice cream together.  So grateful for my family.

Thanks for following, and I hope to update more as I process what I learn in training over the next 6-8 weeks.  For now I must say goodbye as I need to re-learn how to dress and pack for winter weather in Salt Lake. 

Subscribe to my blog and have new posts delivered to your inbox!