Weather

Weather

Flying for Scenic Airlines is a little different then other airlines like Southwest or United when looking at factors such as weather. At Scenic, the majority of our flying is conducting using VFR (Visual Flight Rules). Simply put, this means that we need to stay out of the clouds while flying to and from the airports we serve. At most airlines, flights are conducted under IFR (Instrument Flight Rules), so aircraft can venture through clouds because they are navigating using their instruments, not visual references on the ground. If we needed to in a pinch, we could fly IFR, but that would not be as “scenic” for the passengers.

As we get later in the year and the weather begins to cool, flying VFR becomes more and more challenging because of storms late in the day. Below are a few photos that were taken on a flight earlier this week. The first one from 10,500 (the highest we can go over the canyon because of oxygen regulations), and the second one is from the ramp at KGCN (Grand Canyon Airport) just as a storm is passing over.

South Rim of the Grand Canyon as a storm builds. The clear sky of Las Vegas can be seen in the distance.

KGCN as a storm is approaching

Starting The Day

I’ve gotten some inquires about what I actually do during my normal shift, so I'm chosen to do a mass response in the form of a blog. Since there is a lot of info to cover, I will divide the responses up over several blog postings. For this first one, I’ll focus on my duties prior to departure.

Pair Twin Otters Awaiting Departure

At the end of each month, I bid for a work schedule for the next month. For the month of July, I was awarded a schedule that has me working five days per week with Wednesday and Thursday off. Next month may have totally different days off, but that comes with the territory. The night before I am scheduled to work, I normally call and find out my schedule for the following day. Unlike most airlines, the shift (time) a pilot works at Scenic Airlines is not determined till the day before because pilot quantity levels are based on demand. At Southwest or United, a flight is scheduled to leave at a certain time with or without all their passengers aboard. At Scenic, if a certain amount of tickets were not sold for a flight, then those passengers will get moved to another flight leaving at the same time. In some situations, a flight may be canceled if no tickets were sold or inclement weather is present. What does weather have to do with anything? If it's overcast, people may not be able to see the Grand Canyon from the air, and thus would not get any value out of the tour. Because of this, pilot schedules can not be determined till the night before and pilot shifts may vary from 12 hours to 3 hours. Again, that comes with the territory when flying at an airline like this.

Company policy dictates that I am required to show up 1 hour before my first departure of the day. This hour allows me to complete all the required First Officer (FO) duties and ensure there is ample time to address any mechanical issues before my first flight. When I arrive, I clock in and go to the Flight Following/Dispatch office to verify my daily schedule. During this time, because changes could happen at any time, I am looking to verify a few things such as what Captain I’m flying with, what plane I am flying in, and what flights (to and from where) I am assigned to fly. Some days I'm assigned to the same aircraft and Captain, while other days I may fly 3 or 4 different planes with just as many Captains.

After I’ve found out what my day will look like, I make my way out to the aircraft (the view looks similar to the picture below). The Scenic Airlines aircraft are serviced overnight by the maintenance team, so for the most part, there is nothing substantial wrong with the plane at first glance. As the FO, I am required to check certain aspects of the cabin and cockpit. These checks include verification of all required documents, expiration dates of fire extinguishers and first aid kits, and the operation of the cockpit voice recorder and the passenger narration system. In all, this check usually takes about 10 minutes to complete.

Twin Otter - Passengers Board Through Rear Door

Twin Otter Cabin View From Cockpit

Looking Forward From The Rear Door

When done with the cabin and cockpit check, I make my way back to Flight Following/Dispatch to obtain a daily weather briefing packet. The packet, which is usually about 10 pages, contains all pertinent information regarding weather and NOTAM’s (Notice to Airmen) for our area of operations. Lately, this packet has only confirmed that it’s going to 100+ degrees and windy with the occasional smoke making its way over from the California fires. In the early and late months of the year, these weather packets become useful in avoiding much more inclement weather like snow and icing conditions. Yes, it snows in the desert!

About 10 minutes prior to departure the Captain and I will get our flight manifest from Dispatch. The manifest is an essential document that must be looked at carefully and carried in the plane during the flight. The manifest contains several key pieces of information. At the top, the manifest shows our flight number, destination, and scheduled departure time. Next, there is a list of all the passengers and their corresponding weights and country of origin. Finally, our fuel quantity and total weight are listed. Once the Captain has approved and signed the maifest, I am able to calculate a few critical performance figures needed for the flight. Depending on the weight of the aircraft, altitude of the airport we are flying to/from, and the temperature outside, the Twin Otter’s performance can be greatly affected.

About 5 minutes prior to departure, the Captain and I walk out and

greet the passengers waiting in the terminal. The passengers, if all went as planned, should have shown up about an hour early to check-in. Once we line up the passengers and verify the headcount, we escort them out to the aircraft. Prior to b

oarding the aircraft, each group of passengers has a photo taken with the FO under the wing of the aircraft. This is a pretty good money maker for the company, because the picture is for sale for $16 once they arrive back in Boulder City. To think, a photo of Nick Thomas in his pilot gear may be on living room walls in homes from Tokyo to Dublin.

Once everyone is seated in the aircraft, I walk through the cabin and ensure all seat belts are on and bags are stowed under their respective seats. Some other airlines that fly out to the Canyon do not require a cabin walk through, but Scenic Airlines does. Because we have so many non-English speaking tourists, simply saying “fasten your seat belts and place your bags under the seat” is not good enough to ensure 100% compliance. From my experience thus

far, a visual inspection by the FO is a must. Once I have insured that the cabin is ready for departure I conduct my passenger safety briefing. This is similar to the one you would see on a major airline, but in this case, the FO is completing it, not the Flight Attendant. At a minimum, I cover the following:

• Seat belt demonstration
• Carry on baggage instruction
• Fire extinguisher location and usage
• Emergency exit location and usage
• First-aid kit location and usage
• No smoking policy
• Cell phone policy
• Flotation device location - in the highly unlikely event of a water landing in the desert)
• Cell phone/digital camera policy
• Audio system usage – we have an audio portion to the flight that provides a narration about the scenery outside in a variety of languages

When I get some sort of a verification that my words did not go in one ear and out the other, I climb in to my seat and the Captain and I begin our Before Start Checklist.

Twin Otter Cockpit View From Cabin -

Captain Sits On Left and FO Sits On Right

Next stop, the air…

Twin Otter Departing Grand Canyon West Airport

Training Done

Hello from sweltering Las Vegas! After a day of rest, it’s finally set in that I’m done all my training at Scenic. I finished Initial Operating Experience (IOE), the final stage of training, on Friday. During the 6 days of IOE, I flew with 4 different Captains, did close to 20 flights, and flew to all the airports that we service.

Although they were both conducted in the Twin Otter, looking back, the IOE phase was quite different from the Flight Training phase.

First and foremost, the plane handles very different outside of the Flight Training environment. Once you add 18 passengers with their bags, full fuel, and any applicable cargo, the plane becomes a bit more sluggish because of the increased weight. This change really becomes noticeable during the critical phases of flight (take-off, accent, decent, and landing). During most passenger flights, you are putting around 2500lbs more weight in to the fuselage of the aircraft. This extra weight decreases climb performance, and makes the plane slightly more difficult to flare at landing. By the end of IOE, I seemed to have adjusted to the extra weight and was flying the plane within standards.

Second, the presence of passengers was a welcome change during IOE. Working in the hospitality business, I’ve had plenty of interaction with customers, but this was the first time they were putting their lives in my hands. Up to this point, with the exception of flying my parents, Lisa, or friends around in a Cessna, I’ve never felt such responsibility for the safety of the people around me. It’s a great feeling to know that people trust me with their lives.

Third, the actual work schedule is different. During the Ground School portion of training, I would sit in a classroom for about 8 hours. During CPT, Simulator, and Flight Training, I came in for a few hours to complete the day’s assigned tasks. Now, since I am actually “flying the line” on IOE, schedules vary depending on the days demand for pilots. Some days this means arriving at 4:40am for a 14 hour day, and some days this means arriving at 1:00pm for a 6 hour day. Each day is different. Welcome to the life of an airline pilot!

Finally, the actual flights themselves are different. During Flight Training I would depart Boulder City with an instructor pilot, and fly in the local area. But, during IOE, I actually flew flights with passengers on them with a Captain to the various airports we service. With the exception of some light instruction during the pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight portion, IOE flights are just like normal passenger flights. IOE flights allow a new pilot to transition to the controlled chaos of actually working "the line."

Well, it took less then a year for me to finish training at my first airline. Am I a better pilot? Sure. Will I ever really stop learning/training? Nope. The day I stop learning things behind the controls of an airplane is that day I’ll pack it in and call it a day.

Thanks for your support of Nick's Great Aviation Adventure.

-Nick

PS: For your viewing pleasure, here is a snapshot Lisa took as I was leaving for my first day of IOE.

One Crazy Month...

Well, it has been a whirlwind few weeks in Nick's Great Aviaton Adventure. My last post was on May 20th when I finished ground school, so I apologize for the month of blog inactivity. Once I completed ground school, I thought I’d have nearly two weeks to study and prepare for the Cockpit Procedure Training (CPT) and Simulator Training phases of training. Then, once CPT and Simulator Training were done, I’d move on to the Flight Training phase in the actual aircraft. But, two days after the May 20th post, because someone had gotten sick, I got a call to start CPT and Simulator Training weeks ahead of schedule. Literally, the call came in at 11:00am on a Tuesday and they wanted me to start 2 hours later at 1:00pm on the same day. Oh well, I guess this was my first lesson in airline pilot scheduling changes.

Starting CPT and Simulator Training early meant a few things. First, I would be done all my training early, and thus be flying revenue flights sooner then anticipated. Second, I would be the first First Officer (FO) out of my new hire class to start training. Because there were no other FO’s going through this phase of training yet, I’d be paired up with a new hire “street captain” for my CPT and Simulator Training. Traditionally, new FO’s is paired with another new FO’s to ensure an optimum learning environment, but this would not be the case. And finally, starting training early meant I had very little time to study for my CPT and Simulator Training. GULP!

CPT was my first real opportunity to get familiar with the DHC-6 (Twin Otter) cockpit. CPT, which lasts 4 hours per day, is conducted in the aircraft simulator located at Scenic Airlines headquarters. Ideally, CPT is designed to give you, the new pilot, an idea of how normal and emergency procedures should be conducted not just in the Twin Otter, but also at Scenic Airlines. During CPT, for the most part, you don’t actually fly the simulator, but all the “bells and whistles” are turned on. And trust me, when all the instruments and alarms are turned on for the first time, it can be a little overwhelming. I even jumped in my seat a little the first time I heard the Fire Warning Light go off.

Prior to arriving at Scenic, I’d flown relatively basic aircraft in a “single pilot” environment. Essentially, although there were usually two pilots in the plane, everything (checklists, radios, and the actual flying) could be completed safely by only one pilot. But now, in the Twin Otter, things were going to be different. In an aircraft like this, combined with the rules dictated by the FAA because we are carrying passengers at an airline, two pilots (Captain and First Officer) are required for all flights. Since I was used to doing everything myself in an airplane, working in a “crew environment” took some getting used too. More than once I found myself doing more then was required as the Pilot Not Flying (PNF) or the Pilot Flying (PF). Overall, CPT was a great learning experience. I was able to get a “flow” for all the normal and emergency procedures in the aircraft. Getting a solid foundation of the cockpit and the flows would come in handy in the next few weeks of training. In all, CPT lasted about 3 days.

Once CPT was completed, my training partner and I began Simulator Training. Simulator Training contained a lot of the same tasks that CPT did, but this time, we were actually flying the simulator. Simulator Training lasted 6 days, and like CPT, was 4 hours each day. Each day the tasks and scenarios we were responsible for completing got progressively harder. For example, the first day one of the tasks was to fly straight and level and simulator an engine fire. At first, the proper engine fire procedure from the first moment the alarm went off took several minutes because of all the checklists. I’ll be honest, the checklists and procedures were much easier when we were not actually flying the simulator. By the last day, things got much smoother. Because of the training we could perfectly handle an engine fire while in a 30 degree bank on an instrument approach going 120 knots 3000 feet off the ground in bad weather. Through repetition and working as a “crew” my simulator partner and I were able to finish simulator training successfully.

I was excited to finish Simulator Training because it meant I was able to start flying the actual plane. Only one word can describe my first flight in the Twin Otter – WOW!!! Compared to the PA-44 Seminole, the plane I flew at ATP, the Twin Otter is 6 times as large. Each engine is 6 times more powerful, and the pilots sit nearly 3 times higher off the ground. My dad used the analogy that transitioning to the Twin Otter from the Seminole was like going from a small compact sedan to a Mack truck, and to be honest, that is somewhat accurate. Flight Training, unlike CPT and Simulator Training, was not conducted in the middle of the day. Flight Training began at 3:00am, which meant I had to wake up at 1:30am each morning, and it lasted till about 7:30am.

This phase of training was conducted in the middle of the night for several reasons. First, because it’s the middle of the night, we are able to use the main airport in Las Vegas (KLAS) for our flight training. During the day, the airport is far to busy to allow us to use their airspace and runways for training. Second, the Boulder City airport and its surrounding airspace is clear at 3:00am. During the day, there are close to 100 flights coming and going from the small airport that is the home to Scenic Airlines. This hustle and bustle makes it impossible to conduct flight training effectively. At 3:00am, we are able to practice maneuvers (stalls, steep turns, high speed descents) and utilize the runways to practice approaches and high speed taxing procedures. Overall, I really enjoyed flight training. I had a great instructor that made the transition to the aircraft a simple one. The plane is a blast to fly and Flight Training was finished in 6 long days.

Once I completed Ground School, CPT, Simulator Training, and Flight Training, it was time to put everything I learned to practical use during a checkride with our Check Airman and the FAA. The checkride was all that stood between the “training” phases of my time at Scenic and flying as a FO on flights with passengers. The checkride began at 3:00am, and consisted of a normal preflight, normal takeoff, 4 instrument approaches (2 with one of the engines inoperative to simulate an emergency), and numerous in-flight maneuvers such as stalls and steep turns. Then, at the completion of the flight, there was an oral exam that tested my knowledge of the aircraft systems (electric, pneumatic, hydraulic, engine, fuel, and flight controls), as well as the rules and regulations of Scenic Airlines. At 9:00am it was all done, and I passed.

As I type this, I am officially a FO and I’ve got he badge, shirt (with epaulets), tie, and wings to prove it. I have one phase of training left called Initial Operating Experience (IOE), but that is conducted while flying actual revenue flights. IOE pairs me, as a new FO, up with a Senior Captain in an attempt to gain an understanding of how to conduct normal flight operations with passengers (cabin announcements, boarding of passengers, cleaning up barf bags, etc). In all, IOE should last about 2 weeks. At the completion of that, I’m done all phases of training.

Thanks to everyone for their continued support. Looking at the calendar, less then 10 months ago I was a 85-hour Private Pilot. Today, I’m a First Officer flying a turbine powered aircraft with actual passengers aboard of an airline. DREAMS DO COME TRUE!

Nick

Ground School - Done

Well, ground school is finally complete. Since my last post, my airline ground school class received an exhaustive explanation of the aircraft systems of the DHC-6 Twin Otter. Let me preface this by saying, aircraft systems is not, and has never been, my strong point. I can fly relatively well, but until this week, when it came to explaining the in’s and out’s of a turbine engine, I’d have a better chance hitting an ace on #7 at Pebble Beach in a rain storm.

VS.

Compared to the first week of ground school, this week was a bit heavy on the eyes. Don’t get me wrong, it’s important to understand how your plane works, but looking at an engine schematic for hours on end causes me to reach the ever dreaded “plateau of learning.” Plus, who wouldn’t get sleepy right after lunch if they were watching a 1970’s era video on the workings of aircraft radar?

But, low and behold, on the final day of ground school, I scored an “A” on my systems 100 question written test. I guess the 300 note cards I made to study actually helped some. In addition, the ground school students seems to be interacting well, and in this intense learning environment, you couldn’t ask for anything better. Each person in ground school brings their own experiences and methods for learning, and sitting near some 2500-hour pilots is a great resource for me, and others. During the systems portion of ground school, we covered the following systems in great detail:

Electrical System
Hydraulic System
Fuel System
Turbine Engine
Pneumatic System
Fire Suppression System
De-ice System
Radar System
Propeller System

The bad news is that I don’t have to be back to Scenic for two weeks. The captains are going to go through their simulator sessions before the first officers, so I’ve got to wait till they are done. The good news is that I’ve got some time to study the required emergency procedure checklists in anticipation of my simulator time.

Thanks for your support.

Nick

First Week of Training

Well, it’s Saturday morning and I am still alive. The first week of ground school is behind me, and looking back, it’s somewhat of a blur. Maybe this little comic strip can give you an idea…

This week it all began to sink in. I started training at the Scenic Airlines World Headquarters located in the booming metropolis of Boulder City, Nevada. Prior to the arrival of Scenic Airlines, the only thing of interest in Boulder City was Hoover Damn. For what it’s worth, the up close “Dam” Tour is not worth it in. I promise that will be my last “Dam” joke.

Pilot training at Scenic is broken down into several different phases. I’m currently in the first phase, Ground School (GS), and will stay there till May 20th (Lisa’s birthday in case you want to send a card). After GS, I will move to Cockpit Procedure Training (CPT), Simulator Training, Flight Training, the Flight Proficiency Check, and finally IOE (Initial Operating Experience). In total, I should complete all the training in about 6 weeks and then fly “on the line” full-time after that. Because of the work load, it’s going to be impossible to update the blog every few days, so I’ll make an effort to post several updates during each phase of training.

GS begins each morning and goes till the early evening. In this particular GS there are 6 Captains and 4 First Officers. From what I understand, it's not common to see this many Captains in a new hire class. But, based on current hiring needs, Scenic needed to acquire some additional Captains to meet the demands of the customers. Since there were no First Officers available to upgrade because of and rating requirements, Scenic hired “Street Captains” for this GS. A Street Captain previously flew for another flight operation and has been hired at scenic to go directly into a Captain position. Personally, I don’t have a problem with someone going directly to a Captains slot. All the Captains in the class are great people, and their wide array of knowledge really assists in the development of the First Officers. After getting to know everyone, each person in the GS comes from a different background (instructor, corporate pilot, military pilot, and me, the lonely hospitality industry guy). At least once a day I get asked why I’m taking such an enormous pay cut to come work for the airlines, and my response is always the same. “I’m living my dream!”

Each hour of required GS (75 in total) is assigned to particular topic. Some topics take an hour or less, while others are more in-depth and take several hours to complete. You would be surprised how long it takes to get 11 pilots to put out a trash can fire. The topics covered thus far in GS are more diverse then I would have expected. Below is a sample of some of the topics we touched on in just the first 4 days:

Company Organization Structure
Maintenance
Bad Weather
Really Bad Weather
Safety
Global Positioning System (Where are we?)
Terrain Awareness Warning System (Are we going to hit that mountain?)
Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (Wow, that plane is close!)
Emergency (Emergency Door Usage, Plane Evacuation, Aircraft Fire, Water Landings - really!)
Navigation
Security
Deicing
Runway Incursions
Hazardous Materials
OPSPECS (See below)

What is an OPSPEC you ask?

As I’ve come to learn, the OPSPEC is one of the single most important documents that I must become familiar with while a pilot at Scenic. The OPSPEC (Operational Specifications) are the FAA mandated rules and regulations our airline must follow when conducting business. They are specifically catered to Scenic based on the type of flying we do. Although there might be similarities between our OPSPECS and other airlines, there are always some differences. These OPSPECS are law, and a violation of one in a non-emergency situation, could get me in some serious trouble with The Man.

I’ve got the weekend off and am going to try to study and rest up. Next Tuesday I’ve got my first 100 question test. I must pass with an 80% or higher to continue to the next week of topics, so I’ve got my work cut out for me this weekend.

Remember, Sunday is Mothers Day!

Thanks for your continued support.

Nick

Another Good Blog

Evening All!!!

In the spirit of garnering support for us low paid entry level airline pilots, I also encourage everyone to follow the trials and tribulations of my buddy Robert. Robert and I were roommates at ATP Riverside, and have remained in contact ever since. Robert starts training for American Eagle Airlines the same week I start at Scenic, and he has a great blog to keep people updated on his progress (link below).

http://robertstogsdill.flyblog.com/

Thanks for your support.

Nick