I just flew what is likely to be my last leg in the MD-11 for at least a while. As with anything in life (especially relating to my work), this is subject to change. But the plan is for me to go to DC-10 Captain school next week. If all goes according to the plan, I’ll be on the DC-10 for a minimum of a year, at which point I’ll be able to bid back to the MD-11 (and hopefully hold it shortly there after).
The last leg was from Frankfurt to Chicago on our contract with Lufthansa Cargo. It certainly wasn’t flawless, but it went okay. We were delayed almost two hours due to the aircraft arriving late in Frankfurt. Interestingly, one of the F/O’s who brought the airplane in is going to class with me next week for DC-10 Captain upgrade, too. That was his last leg in the -11.
Then, still over Canada, we got a giant reroute that took us over Wisconsin (as opposed to our normal arrival over Lake Michigan). We got slowed down way out and had to fly about a 30 mile final at 170 knots, which was almost our final approach speed (162). But the landing went okay, so I guess I should be happy with that.
A lot of things could go wrong from here, but I’ve got a reasonably good feeling about it. I have a hunch this will be the second most challenging airline training experience for me. The most challenging was my first airline course in the EMB-120 Brasilia at Comair. It was a goofy airplane and the training program wasn’t entirely pilot friendly (nor was it really long enough). They expected you to know stuff that would be just about entirely useless in real life. I’m not sure if they do that just to make themselves feel smart, or to make us feel dumb. Maybe it’s both, but that’s a typical ‘old school’ approach to training.
Fortunately, that attitude didn’t carry over into the RJ. That was the easiest airliner I’ve ever learned. My initial course (as a First Officer) was a good quality course, designed to be pilot friendly, and the airplane is amazingly intuitive. My upgrade class on the RJ was actually not as good. The instructor didn’t know the airplane as well. The two of us upgrading Captains had to save the rest of the class (10 new hire F/O’s) from some of the wrong stuff the instructor put out there. Of course, already having a couple thousand hours in the airplane, that was by far the easiest training course I had. Keeping the instructor in line was probably the only thing keeping me awake.
World’s training is not notoriously pilot friendly, but I get a sense that it’s slowly improving. The MD-11 isn’t nearly as intuitive (or simple) as the RJ, but they’re both all glass, highly automated machines. Some of the glass cockpit concepts translated semi-okay and the FMS’s had enough in common that I was able to learn the MD-11 fairly well fairly quickly. Though MD-11 training was more challenging than RJ training, it wasn’t as ‘rough’ as that initial Brasilia course.
Up until recently, I would have thought the DC-10 class at World (in any seat) could take the cake. And it may still. But I have a couple things in my favor now. First, the systems on the DC-10 are significantly similar to the MD-11. I’ve been studying ahead a bit and much of the systems knowledge (though not all of it, of course) will translate. Second, it appears the program has been made more pilot friendly. Apparently some of the more ‘old school’ instructors are going to the 747, and it looks as though the manuals have been rewritten to be simpler.
Now there’s actually a downside to ‘dumbing down’ the training…. errrr making it more pilot friendly. Really, it’s a double edged sword. There is, indeed, a lot of information that isn’t necessary to know, and shouldn’t really be pass/fail testable. However, that information can be nice to know, and certainly helpful to have handy when the inevitable questions arise out on the line. Some of what I expected to be in the big systems book (Flight Crew Operating Manual Volume 3) isn’t there. I suspect it was removed so that overzealous checks wouldn’t test it (probably good), but now it’s not as accessible when you need it (probably not so good).
The cockpit, unlike many of the rest of the systems, is very different from the MD-11. That’s where there will be some challenges for me. I’ve never flown a totally non-glass airliner before. It’ll be like stepping into a time machine. Maybe it’ll make me feel more like a ‘real’ pilot, but in reality, I think it’ll just be a lot more work. I’ve always liked the automation, both systems wise and flight instrument / navigation wise. Statistically, it’s safer, too (though comparing the DC-10 and MD-11 hull loss rates actually leads you to the opposite conclusion… but that’s another story).
I hope with what I expect to be a ‘gentler’ training program (than at times in the past), and a head start on systems knowledge from 7 years on the MD-11, I’ll be able to get through all the training okay. But I’m sure I’ll miss the automation of the MD-11. I enjoyed my last leg on it and I hope I can get back to it soon.
And with the upgrade to Captain, I’m sure I’ll also miss uttering one of my favorite phrases: “I’ll sleep ’til you call me”…
V-