The Troll under the Ground School Bridge

Sunday was just like any other weekend morning since arriving in town 6 weeks ago.  I awoke around 7 AM and stayed in bed until the nagging voice in the back of my mind reminded me of what I was scheduled to do on the next day.  I reluctantly rolled out of bed to get ready for the day.  Walking out the door of the room, I grabbed a peanut butter toasted bagel and my 25 pound kit of mental goodies en route to a Starbucks.

Early on during my training, I started venturing further and further from the hotel to various coffee shops.  I figured if I was going to be living in this area, I might as well use this as a chance to get to know the city. The particular area that I enjoyed the most was an area called the Central West End. Centrally located on, well, the west end of the city, the CWE is a young, vibrant community in the heart of the city's university and medical district.  The sidewalks on one of the main streets are packed with tables from the various restaurants and coffee shops and have a small town feel of Main Street.

So, on Sunday I found myself in the CWE with my books.  Over the previous 6 weeks, we had gone over everything and more.  Now, I had to prepare for the final exam, only this final exam would be unlike any college final.  There would be no multiple choice, no short answer.  If a weakness was detected, the exam would rewrite itself to expose the lack of knowledge.  So, I had to make sure I knew everything I could.

With the exception of the few weekends I went home, every single day was filled with me at a coffee shop for a minimum of 3 hours reviewing what we had learned during the day.  On weekends, I easily doubled this effort.  On this particular weekend, my nerves were beginning to kick in.  I felt relatively prepared but I didn't want any uncertainty to set in during the oral.  Second guessing myself would lead me down a road I didn't want to go down.  I knew I had to put every ounce of effort into ensuring I knew everything.

After arriving a little after 9 AM, I finally decided to call it quits at 5 PM.  Like a time-lapse movie, hundreds of people had entered and left during my stay.  Each time I would look up from my books, the landscape of people at the tables around me changed.  Two pretty girls sat down across from me and I made a mental note to say something.  The next time I looked up, they had turned into an old man talking to himself.  Oh well, I'm too busy for that now anyways, I thought to myself as a consolation.

After lunch, I figured it had warmed up enough outside to sit on the sidewalk.  I packed my goodies and moved my work station to the small table outside. It was a pleasant 70 degrees in St Louis and I took a few minutes to take in the warm weather while watching the bustling activity on the street.  Every few minutes, someone would come jogging or riding by and have to avoid large clumps of people standing around talking; the brunch crowd was beginning their migration out of the restaurants.  Many mindlessly walked along the sidewalks stopping briefly to examine the newly changing leaves of the oak trees.  It was so peaceful.

At the end of my stay, I found myself staring off at nothing.  I had answered every question I had, memorized every number associated with the airplane, redrawn schematics in my notes.  After 6 weeks, I finally felt as prepared as I could be.  As I drove home, I turned my radio off and listened to the hum of my tires on the road to calm my increasingly active nerves.  I wasn't ready.  I couldn't be ready.  I'm not ready.

That night, I tossed at turned for hours before falling asleep.  My dreams, not to be outdone by my conscious mind's activities from the day filled my sleep with numbers and drawings.  After staring at the ceiling for an hour the next morning, I prepared for the big 2-hour exam.  I attempted to study but could no longer concentrate.  I would look over my note cards and, instead of saying the number associated with the various limitations of the airplane, would say in rapid succession, "I know it, I know it, I know it."  At that point, I'd far exceeded the point of diminishing returns.  If I didn't know it now, I wasn't going to know it.

At 10 am, I walked to the room where my examiner was filling out paperwork while waiting for me.  "Fill this out.  Write LEGIBLY.  I'll be back in 5 minutes." When he returned, he sat next to me and reviewed my paperwork, licenses, passport, and medical.  While he was writing down my passport number, he asked, "what is the maximum ITT on APU start?"  Well, I guess we're starting.  He must not be in the mood for small talk.  I quickly answered after I realized he was asking me a question.  He reached for my licence and while he was reviewing it, he asked another question, "What is the maximum rotor speed of the APU?"  Again, I answered quickly and confidently.  "Okay, what's your employee number and where are you based?"

After answering the question, I said, "I like those questions.  They were easy."  He never looked up but I saw him smirk when he responded, "Well, I can make them harder if you'd like."  I nervously laughed aloud and wasn't sure if my attempt to cut the tension was received well or not.

Then the rapid fire questions started.  He asked memorized procedures and expected perfection.  He pointed at this button and then that switch.  "What does this do?  When is its automatic logic?  Does it turn off on its own?  How about this?  What makes this work?"  He jumped around the entire cockpit and after almost every single question, I had a quick and correct answer.  He never acknowledged whether it was correct but simply moved onto the next question.  Every so often, I would stop to think.  I was pretty sure I knew the answer but wanted to make sure I had the correct one.

He paused.  I saw him just staring at the cockpit layout presented on the graphic flight simulator.  I peeked at my watch and noticed that only 35 minutes elapsed.  Not looking at me still, he asked another question, "what does that red button there do?"  The answer was easy.  Red buttons I spent extra time learning what they did.  They were red for a reason.  After another brief pause, he said, "Okay, well, I guess you know your stuff.  Great job.  Any questions for me?"  I felt perplexed.  That was it?  It's over?  Was it that easy or was I just that prepared?  The examiner had a reputation for being the toughest one in the company.  I guess I was prepared.

I knew he was going to be my simulator examiner as well, so I made sure to ask him what he saw people mess up mostly in the sim and what some of the biggest weaknesses were.  He spent 20 minutes venting on the things that frustrated him.  Well played Chris.  He just gave you some of his emphasized items.

I walked out of the building at 11, an hour earlier than I had anticipated.  I couldn't believe that the culmination of all the studying I'd done was already over.  It wasn't painful.  It was just another test among the dozens that I'd taken in the past.  So, to reward myself, I drove back to my room, changed into something comfortable and headed out to watch a movie.  A $5 matinee?  Yes please.

Fire hoses are not for drinking

Well,  I am happy to report that after 5 long weeks, classroom training is just about complete.  In one respect, it is hard to believe that I arrived here over a month ago.  I think back to the day I decided to jump ship and drive out to St Louis.  In another respect, my brain is tired.  

As new hires, you show up and do a lot of paperwork and basic information lessons.  After a few days, it was time to dive into company documents and procedures.  We learned all types of policies regarding daily operations and de-icing procedures.  We dove into the SOP to learn about what can and can't do based on the document issued by the FAA.  It was a tad dry but my mind was fresh.  After over a year of teaching the same basic things over and over, it was a refreshing change.  

After the first test, it was time to start getting specific.  We started talking about the EMB-145 specifically and were introduced to the Graphic Flight Simulator.  During normal operations, checklists are not used as a document to "see it then do it," but merely a check to ensure that it was done properly.  That means I had to start memorizing, on top of the various limitations of the airplane and emergency procedures, normal checklists.  How do we start the airplane up, how do you do a proper preflight, what configuration is the airplane in during take-off or taxi.  Each of those times are addressed with a particular flow (a particular way you wave your hand over the controls to ensure that you touch or verify every button you are required to.  For example, before take-off, I draw a very large 8 with my left hand.  For the after landing flow, I draw a backwards C on the overhead panel.  Simply stated, it's just a way to make sure you don't forget anything.  If you do, the checklist catches you.  

You might be asking yourself, as I did, why we just don't run the checklists to take care of the various configurations.  Well, as I found out in the graphic simulator, things move entirely too fast to take the time to, as we said in missiles, "read a step, do a step, eat a banana."  

Above you'll see the graphic flight simulator.  With everything in this airplane being computer based, this training tool has been invaluable.  It is one thing to sit in my room with the poster on the wall pretending to push buttons during my flow.  It is a completely different thing to do it here and see what the buttons do or the computers say.  Here you see one of the instructors showing a classmate how to program the speed tape.  

After a few days of playing around in one of the coolest touch screen flight simulators ever, it was time to learn about how it all works.  We had two full weeks of "systems" class.  Here I got to learn more than I've ever wanted to know about fuel systems, hydraulics, jet engines, electrical systems, and computer logic.  On Monday, I have a test.  I am taking this tim to write a blog as a mental break because, boy, I need one.  

My schedule for the past 5 weeks has been relatively uneventful.  I wake up at 630 and go to class from 8 until around 5.  After class, I come home, grab a quick bite and head back out.  I've been tasting the various Starbucks in the Greater St Louis Metro area to study.  After 9, I head back to the hotel where I lay down, doodle on the internet a bit and then go to sleep.  Wash, rinse, repeat.  

One of the coolest days we had was Monday.  FINALLY, after a month, we went down to the hanger to do some hands on training in the airplane.  Don't get too excited, it didn't go anywhere, but it was cool to finally get experience with what we were seeing.  Below are a few pictures of airplane.

As we stood outside, the instructor hopped up and started up the Auxiliary Power Unit.  The APU is a tiny jet engine in the tail of the airplane which provides power and air conditioning when it is at the gate.  If you've ever had to board an airplane from the ground, you've probably heard the loud screaming sound coming from somewhere near the airplane.  That is the combined sound of this generator and the air conditioning. 

Our class walked up into the airplane.  We sat down in the seats and waited for our instructor to start the lesson.  Today, each one of us had to open every single door and exit.  We also received a familiarization of where all the emergency equipment was stowed and worked with a flight attendant to see what she would do in an emergency.  It was weird to be sitting on a commercial airplane and not actually be going anywhere.  

Finally, at the end of the day, we all got to go up into the cockpit to learn about the emergency equipment there.  We adjusted out seats and looked out over the nose.  It was stunning to see exactly how high that thing sat compared to every other airplane I've flown.  It felt weird to be sitting in the right seat, looking at all the buttons and even more weird to know what they all did.  After a few quick minutes, the lesson was over and we had to go.  The next time I'm there, I'll be sitting at a gate in St Louis, Chicago, or Houston, going on my first ever flight.  That next time will most likely be mid-November.  It's so close I can taste it.

Over the past week, it has become harder and harder to concentrate.  At first, it felt like my brain was a sponge.  I heard, I read, and I easily remembered.  After 4 weeks, it wasn't so easy but I continue to push through.  

Fear not though, I am taking time during the weekend to explore my new home.  A lot of people I talked to before I left for St Louis made weird faces and odd sounds when I told them where I was headed.  I must say, so far, I have nothing at all negative to say about the city. I've taken the light rail downtown every weekend and found great places to sit and study. There is an incredible park in the center of town and some really neat, artsy, younger areas spread out around the city.  

I've decided that I'm okay with being here for the time being.  I would have loved to have ended up in D.C., but this is a much much cheaper version of bigger city life.  There are several million people in the Metro area and some really cool things to see and do.  I'm excited about the opportunities ahead!