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Today was the “Procedures Validation” which is another phase of the AQP style of flight training. I really have no idea what it stands for and as I’m writing this onboard a flight home, I have no method of looking it up! 
Google is your friend.
Today started with a electrically “cold” aircraft, so we had to do all of the normal “first flight” checks, an electrical power up and prepare the jet for a flight from Atlanta to Orlando.
Fairly standard stuff, includes some wacky ATC commands like cleared direct to the ATL 180 degree radio, 25 DME fix, hold at SINCA, route changes and speed changes, all to test skills with the FMS and the aircraft’s automation. This is good because good FMS skills are important in a highly automated aircraft and if you don’t have the basics down, you’re going to waste a lot of time (read: money) when you go to the full flight simulator.
We also had some systems failures like “pack trips”, generator problems and such which provided the evaluator with an opportunity to see that we have sufficient control of the aircraft and systems when we need to ‘divide’ the cockpit.
Naturally, you never make your destination so the scenario for the captain was that Michelle Burns, former CFO, demanded to be picked up back in Atlanta so flight control had us return to the airport, however the glideslope was out so we were to set up for a ILS LOC OUT approach.
Again, no visuals in the FTD so the approach terminated with a missed approach.
The glideslope mysteriously fixed itself and we conducted a Cat II approach and then a Cat III AUTOLAND approach.
We took a quick break and then it was my leg to fly.
More or less we followed the same profile, except we conducted a VOR approach into JAX and a Category I ILS.
Passing your procedures validation is more or less like graduating from 8th grade. The real work hasn’t begun yet, but in two days, the heat gets turned way up in the full flight simulator.
The first full flight simulator is a 767-200 simulator, which should be interesting.
So, a couple days off at home, then the real fun starts!
The training center was on fire today. Lots of new flight attendants, a new class of 25 and a lot of smiling happy faces, which is a delightful change over the attitude over the past 24 months.
One of the new hires I met was a charter pilot for Millionair out of SLC and the other was a former Continental pilot. According to their first day briefing, the 767 international category is going to open up as a new hire position because the last two bids have gone unfilled and with the international expansion, they don’t have enough warm bodies in seats so hiring is going to continue for the foreseeable future.
Thanks for reading, hopefully you’ll find it helpful. And uhh, sorry for the poor English, I’m a little beat.
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