Flying Across Europe (video)

Because pictures speak louder than words!
Watch on Youtube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9MaddCAmX8) for better quality (HD - 1080p 60fps).

Gliders and Lenticular Clouds

With some strong Northerly winds at high altitudes over Europe lately, we got the chance to see those massive clouds forming in mountainous areas.
Their impressive shape is the result from high altitude waves and they are a sign of exceptional soaring conditions for glider pilots.

Two weeks ago, a Belgian pilot took off from an airfield situated at the Belgian/Dutch border to land near the Spanish/French border a few hours later, covering over 1050 km (650 mi) without the use of an engine. A dozen flew circuits of up to 800 km in one go.

I was working around that time but got the chance to do a few flights in thermal soaring conditions (using lifts under Cumulus clouds), do a bit of formation flying and get back to stick-and-rudder flying, quite different from flying a swept-wing jet and probably more pleasant as well. 

I hope you will enjoy the video and the photos.

That's how addictive it gets, flying close to 100 hours per month for a living, flying as a passenger every week to commute back home and flying gliders on my days off.

Career Paths

The beauty of this job is that there are almost as many pilots as there are career paths leading to a pilot job.

In Europe, most people think of famous training organisations such as Oxford Aviation Academy (OAA), or Embry Riddle in the US.
But there are many other schools where you can train the modular way and do each step in a different location, and it is usually some two or three times less expensive.
There are hundreds of options for someone willing to become a commercial pilot.
In Europe, the two main ones are integrated training with an airline sponsorship (CTC with easyJet pilot placement for example), or the less expensive modular training, usually with no airline connection.
Doing an integrated training with a school that doesn't offer any kind of airline placement is, to my mind, a huge waste of money. Those schools know how to sell the "dream" job and a lot of people fall in the trap.

It is difficult to give realistic figures, but in average in Europe, for the past few years less than a third of newly qualified pilots have ended up getting a pilot job. In some schools, this figure can be as low as a few percents.

We see an increasing number of young people suddenly deciding they want to become airline pilots. They usually have no interest in aviation in the first place, didn't take any flying lesson or trial flight before, and blindly listened to the schools' misleading commercial talks.
How many of them get a job in the end? A very tiny amount.

A lot of people enroll in pilot training with no post-highschool degree, no fall-back job and a rather low or inexistant level of awareness towards the job market.
Outside of the English-speaking countries, a lot have a very poor English level, resulting in even worse chances of getting employed.
Worse even, most think they will end up flying a big shiny jet straight out of school and don't even consider anything else. Seems like the love for Aviation is long-time gone for a lot of newbies.

So what's the real story like?

I've listed below a number of career paths from different individual with different stories, all from the French aviation forum Aeronet:

•  PPL, CPL/IR - MCC training, 5 years doing various ground jobs while flying from time to time as a safety pilot, FI (Flight Instructor) Rating, Beech 1900 type rating with a FO contract, a few years later Captain on the B1900, then moved onto the PC12 as Captain and more recently flying the Be350 with 2400 hrs flight time. 
•  PPL, CPL and IR from 1998 to 2000, dispatcher for three years (until 2003), FI rating, ground handling agent until 2005, flying turboprops from 2006 and flying jets from 2008.
• PPL in France, CPL, IR and MEP in the US, licenses conversion (FAA to JAA) in France, FI in a flying club, FO job in a small regional airline before working as an Air Traffic Information Operator and dispatcher, and later on being hired as a CL604/605 First Officer.
•  Gliding license in 1998, glider instructor in 2003, PPL in 2004, glider towing, ATPL theory - CPL/IR/MCC from 2006 to 2008, glider towing in 2009, volonteering pilot in Africa for Aviation Sans Frontiere (NGO) on the Cessna Caravan in 2010 with 700 hrs total.
• First flight back in 1991, 8 years working in the Air Force, PPL in 1995, commercial pilot training spread over 5 years from 1996 to 2001, MCC in 2003, estate agent for a year, 3 years working in aircraft ground handling, FO Cessna Citation for one year and now on the Global Express.
• Initial pilot training (PPL and ATPL theory) from 2004 to 2006 while working in computer sciences, successful in the Thomsonfly Cadet sponsorship, sponsorship which was later on cancelled due to the economic crisis. First pilot job as of summer 2009 as a skydiving pilot. 
•  PPL in 2001, post-graduate degree in 2004, 2 years working in a cloth shop, emigrate to Canada in 2006, CPL/IR training in 2007, from mid-2007 until mid-2008 working as a ground agent uploading and unloading cargo aircraft in Ontario, and from then on FO on the Embraer 110 (turboprop).
• Graduate degree in 2003, ATPL theory in 2004, 2 years working as a dispatcher, failed Air France pilots' selections, CPL/IR training in 2007, glider towing, moved to the UK and a lot of short-term jobs, first pilot job in 2009 flying the DHC-6 Twin Otter in remote islands.
• Airline pilot training from 2002 to 2004 in Belgium, first job in 2004 working in Senegal flying the Robin HR100 (small 4 seater), mechanical degree in 2005, back in Africa in 2006 flying the Cessna 207, Piper Seneca and Navajo. Back in Belgium in 2007 but no luck with the job-hunting, other than a few safety pilot flights on a Be90 Kingair. Finally got a job in 2008 working for a cartography company, in 2009 same company but flying the Merlin.
•  1998 to 2001 : Cabin Crew based in the UK. PPL in America with IMC and night rating, ATPL theory back in the UK, JAA CPL in South Africa (Johannesburg), IR in Coventry (UK) on the Cessna 310Q. In 2003, MCC on the 737-400. Later on this year : cabin crew (CSS). From 2004 to 2007 : dispatcher in the UK, in 2005 self sponsored Type Rating on the ATR42/72, first FO contract in spring 2007, Captain by late 2011.

I hope this gives you a better overall insight.
If all you want is to fly a shiny jet, you get the wrong idea.
Get interested first.
There is a lot to discover: gliding, skydiving, ultralight, tail-wheel, aerobatics, formation flying...
And as an aspiring pilot, there is quite a fair chance you will end up flying single engine propeller aircraft a few years before getting any kind of pilot job. If you don't like this idea, think again.

(Some) schools like their students to wear shiny uniforms with stripes to fly their PA28 ...
Why not after all, but the fact people are doing CPL/IR training doesn't mean they will all become airline pilots.

One advice I was given a few years back was : If you hesitate between pilot and something else, do something else. A bit harsh but it gives the idea.


If you want to get a job, you need to have not one plan but many of them.
More than that, there is no way you will get a job if you don't act to make things happen.
Quite a lot of people go to the US to get FAA licenses and wonder why they don't get hired back in Europe.
It is already very difficult when you have the proper licenses (JAA)...
(Read : Getting a pilot job in Europe)


Before you take any decison, you should ask yourself whether this is the lifestyle you want and what it would imply.
Some people are very satisfied in this industry but a lot do not fit the lifestyle or find drawbacks overcome the positive aspects. This of course depends a lot on the job you get as a pilot.
A freight dawg (cargo pilot) won't have the same life as a business pilot flying Citations. You don't really get to choose but generally, you can expect years of struggle, unstability, financial difficulties (at the biginning at least) and the reccurent necessity to relocate.
Add to that unhealthy working hours with very long and exhausting working periods (often over 12 hrs of duty in a day and easily more than 50 hrs in a busy week).
Many people don't have the motivation to put up with the struggle to get a job. They will send CVs and wait home for that call which will usually never come.
As you can see from the above-listed career profiles, among the lucky ones who fly for a living, a majority have had lots of varied positions before ending up in that right hand seat, and these intermediate jobs may have played a great role in successfully becoming an airline pilot. Whatever you do in between is up to you, that's the beauty of this career, no two pilots share the same story.

Why didn't I choose the "integrated" training? I wanted to get UK licenses, fly in the US, build my hours at my own pace and have a bit of adventure. An integrated school plans everything from your first introduction flight to graduation.
I was told the wait between training completion and flying a commercial aircraft would be demotivating, I certainly was lucky and worked hard to ensure I would enjoy my time and in fact I loved every second of it.

I was inspired by many people and this helped me make up my own career path.
Among them, Danny, a fellow French pilot who made it to the US and now flies for Delta. Two easyJet pilots who shared their adventures on blogspot, Captain Dave ( flightlevel390.blogspot.com ) flying the A320 for Delta. Shaun Lunt, a young American bush-flying in Alaska in his Piper Super Cub and taking the best pictures one could find on the internet ( shaunlunt.typepad.com ), sadly he tragically died while flying his Super Cub. Three French PPL pilots flying for a couple of months in the US sharing their wonderful pictures online ( thebarteam.blogspot.com ). Olivier, another friend who completed a JAA training in the UK and now flies the Be200 ( lj35.blogspot.com ) ...
Those last two greatly influenced my choice of building my hours in the US and do a CPL/IR training in the UK.

That's your career and you get to choose every step, if you want to.
When you take a decision, make sure this is the right thing for you.

 

Thunderstorms

The mixed orange and blue sky is slowly being replaced by darkness as night sets in.

Straight ahead, the lights of Manchester illuminate the surrounding CBs (Cumulo-nimbus, typical thunderstorm clouds).

We temporarily level off at 16000 feet, just above the clouds tops. This evening view is amazing. The shape of the clouds contrasts with the redness of the dusk sky.

Quick fuel check, we will have over 3 tonnes of fuel upon landing, an extra 800 kg on top of the reserves, enough to hold 20 minutes if we need before we have to divert to Liverpool.

Descending into the tops of the frosty clouds, engine anti-ice ON, we enter the turbulent air of the upper layers.

Both the windshield and wipers are already showing signs of severe icing.

I ask the Captain to turn the wings anti-ice ON.

I get a hit of adrenaline from the speed feeling as we punch through the clouds, brightened by our landing lights. We’re doing 280 knots indicated, 350 knots true airspeed.

The whole airframe is shaking under the pressure of the storm.

We constantly request new headings to avoid the worst of the weather, depicted as red on the weather radar.

I notice that the winds are increasing as we descent, this is quite unusual. Add to that the sound of the hail which resonates through the length of the plane, this is really getting exciting!

I ask the Captain to update the FMC by re-entering the next waypoint and putting it on top again. It refreshes the vertical profile with the current wind.

The new VNAV (Vertical Navigation, calculating an ideal descent profile) deviation pointer shows a fly-down indication, direct consequence from stronger tailwinds.

We’re going to get high and fast. My left hand reaches the MCP and engages LVL CHG (Level Change), bring back the thrust levers to idle and pull out the spoilers to the flight detent position. They disrupt the airflow around the wings and help increase the rate of descent.

In a jet, it is very hard to loose altitude and decelerate at the same time. A tailwind makes it worse and the last thing we want is to be too high or too fast on the approach.

ATC asks if we can accept a left turn to establish onto the localizer, I shake my head and the Captain informs them we would like radar vectors for a 10 miles final instead.

We’re still high and fast, I bring back the speed to flaps-up speed and ask for flaps 1. Seconds later, flaps 5 and 190 knots in the speed window with spoilers extended, the aircraft dive to catch up with the descent profile. 

A flashing glow attracts my attention and for the first time, I get to witness St Elmo's Fires. Those are in fact electric arcs across the windshield caused by charged air around the airframe, creating an electric field. I am too busy to grab my camera but this is quite fascinating!

Out of the clouds, we can barely see the airport in our 9 o’clock.

We are all over the place and the turbulences don’t stop whatsoever.

Quick distance versus altitude check, we have 12 track miles to run and 4000ft to loose. It is coming together nicely. I stow the speedbrakes as ATC clears us to establish on the ILS for runway 23R. I arm the approach mode as the Captain tells me to give it a go and fly manually.

Quick check at the instant wind, the MFD is showing 160 at 52 knots. He certainly can see my hesitation here but after all, this is what flying is all about. “Go for it” are the calm words he addresses me once again.

Double-click on the auto-throttle disconnect button, and seconds later I disengage the autopilot, ready to fight against the wind.

The speed trend arrow is varying so quickly that it is pointless to chase it. I try to keep the average around my speed bug and it works out nicely.

I further slow down as the tailwind is going to push us through the centreline.

“Localizer capture” and left turn to establish onto final.

The Captain announces “runway in sight”. I look straight ahead, common mistake for new copilots I guess, the runway is in our one O’clock due to the strong crosswind.

This is going to be good!

I do my best to keep the vertical speed between 700 and 800 feet per minute, speed is averaging at 170 knots indicated and we are on the (extended) centreline.

I can clearly feel the turbulences through the controls.

"1000ft".

Crosswind is now down to 38 knots from the left. ATC confirms a ground wind of 160 at 19 gusting 26 knots. We still experience moderate turbulences on short final.

The threshold slides beneath us. Right rudder and left aileron to de-crabe the aircraft and line it up with the runway, I gently pull the yoke to start the flare, the nose pitches a few degrees and the main gear touches down surprisingly smoothly. I immediately deploy the reverses as the spoilers automatically extend.

Second detent activated, the reverse thrust kicks in and the plane decelerates quickly. At 80 knots, I override the autobrake by applying a greater pressure on the brakes pedals. The Captain calls “autobrake disarms”. 60 knots, reverses back to idle and I hand over controls to the Captain.

The taxi to the gate is eventless but my head is 5 minutes behind, still on the approach. One of those things from which it is hard to move on.

There is probably nothing more rewarding than flying a good manual approach in difficult weather conditions and strong wind gusts, the kind of approaches you don’t forget. What a feeling!

The passengers disembark the aircraft and as the flight deck door is slightly opened, a few of them pop up at the cockpit’s entry and compliment us.

All the paperwork for the next leg sorted out, it is time to fly back home.

Airborne life at its best!

Winter Operations

Transition from Type Rating to line operations wasn't quite smooth.
The weather we have at the moment is really winterly (if I can say), de-icing on most sectors, freezing conditions (and special checklists for those), CAT II and III approaches, Low vis take-off (LVPs), diversions, ...
However, this environment makes the learning experience very useful.

The worst we had so far was 50 meters reported visibility (and 150m RVR) on take-off, 50 meters VIS / 250 meters RVR on a CAT III approach, 50 kts crosswind on the final approach (but "only" 20 kts on the ground), ...
To give an idea, 50 meters visibility is the equivalent of standing in front of the aircraft and not being able to see the fin or the horizontal stabilizer.

Flying days are very interesting, that's for sure.
I cannot give specific details but I got to fly long sectors (5 hours), short ones (1 hour), I really like the diversity in the flying itself.

On the other hand, the flights can be quite stressful, there is a lot to do especially as I'm learning and very little time to actually enjoy the view or set back, even on longer trips.
Overall, the job is quite a bit different from what I expected, not to say it is not as good as I imagined it but you realise what it is like only when you're actually on the line.
The greatest surprise was the crew-environment, obviously very different from single-pilot flying. The atmosphere in the cockpit does depend a lot on the other pilot, someone you seat next to for 5 to 10 hours on a regular day.
Some flights go by very smoothly and as planned, some other flights don't. Last minute clearance change from ATC, delays, various passenger issues, diversions, anything that doesn't work as expected makes it a lot more stressful and difficult to deal with.
In the end, some days are extremely enjoyable while others seem very long and tiring.

Still, every time I look outside, the view is always outstanding and it's never disappointing.

Is there anything better than eating breakfast on top of the Alps at sunrise?

A few scenes from the cockpit

I finally bought Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD 11 (the cheapest one), superb software to edit and render 1080p Full HD videos. Camera used is a Sony HX9v (compact camera), soundtracks by Audiomachine. Hope you like it !

View from the Flight Deck

Last few days before first scheduled operations in the right hand seat, I got to observe a dozen flights as a transition from Type Rating to Line Training with the opportunity to do some of the tasks I will be doing on my own thereafter.

In the crewroom, gathering airfields and performances charts, weather and various documents we then use in flight. At the aircraft, walkaround (outside check of the aircraft), FMC and navaids setup and once we're ready to go I take care of the radiocommunications for the remaining part of the flight. I also offer to complete the in-flight reports, which most of the crew appreciate as this is not the fun side of the job.

Hopefully it will all help once I start operating from the right hand seat, as there is a lot of getting used to for a young First Officer, and a lot to do in a very limited time scale.
The jumpseat is probably the best place to take pictures so I didn't miss this opportunity either (all pictures are taken with a compact camera, if you ever wonder. I will take my DSLR someday but this camera does a great job in the meantime).
Some of the crew are very experienced and have great stories to share, it is always a pleasure to learn from them.

Airborne life continues...