First IOE trip

Fly4Pay · July 30th, 2007, 17:04

Well, I can FINALLY say "I'm an airline pilot." After a year of planning, submitting applications, interviewing, waiting, and training, I finally got to fly an actual airplane with actual passengers this week--my first IOE trip. Even though I have my aircraft qualification, this (supposedly) gets me used to how the airlines actually work, not how the schoolhouse works! I have to admit, it was quite an eye-opening week!

I found out about the trip on Monday morning, the day after I had completed my last training event at the Alteon Training Center in Atlanta. I found out that I'd be gone Wed-Sat. That was pretty quick, but that was fine with me. The sooner I get done, the sooner I can work my schedule for NEXT month (before there's nothing left but the weekend trips no one else wanted!).

Showtime was 3 PM on Wednesday, 25 July. I was met by my check pilot, who showed me around the operations center (ops), helped me check in, and steered me toward the gate. Before I knew it, I was walking down the jetway steps to the ramp to do my first aircraft walk-around inspection. The captain flew the first leg. I basically had to work the radios and hang on for dear life! Taxiing in Atlanta is as busy as DRIVING in Atlanta, and there is a lot of communication going on. It's VERY important to make all your radio calls EXACTLY what they expect, or you get harangued by the controllers.

First day was ATL-MEM-ATL-DTW. Out of Memphis, we got a big re-route that added a half-hour to our flight time. That put us back in to ATL just in time for the thunderstorms. Luckily, we got out of there before they got to the field and were able to pick our way through to Detroit.

Second day was only two hops--Detroit to Orlando and back. Must be summer, because big-time thunderstorms rolled in as we taxiied out. We sat at the end of the runway for an hour watching our weather radar and listen to the system yell out "WINDSHEAR AHEAD!" every few minutes. Once the storm broke, we managed to get out of there before they changed runways (which would have cost us another 15-20 mins) and got on our way.

Day three was Detroit-Charlotte-Baltimore-Charlotte. Nothing was very interesting until we got to Baltimore. Just as we got ready to leave, we were told that 20 passengers on a flight from Boston were delayed, and we needed to wait for them. They were supposed to be there in 10 minutes. Ten minutes turned into 20, then 30. The captain called our operations center, and they said to get airborne. About that time, we were told that they were on the ground, and would be there in--you guessed it--10 minutes. Eventually we got airborne an hour late. That turned out to be a good news/bad news situation. When we got back to Charlotte, a big rainstorm was just off the end of the runway. I had an... exciting... landing, then we headed to parking. The ramp had just re-opened after the storms had come through, so even if we had been on time, we may not have been able to get off the airplane anyway.

On the last morning, my phone rang as I was eating breakfast--it was AirTran scheduling letting me know that one of my flights that day had been cancelled. You see, my check pilot was going to have too many hours in a seven-day period, so he had to come off the flight. Since HE wasn't on it, *I* couldn't be on it, because until I finish IOE I have to fly with a check pilot. That meant that they flew a crew to Chicago to take our last flight of the day, and I got to ride in the back of the jet on the way home. Good part is that I still got paid for it (when they pull you off of a scheduled flight, they still have to pay you)!

So here are some things I learned last week:

- The 717 is a sports car. What a fun jet to fly! The instrumentation is awesome, the engines have more power than I've had in any jet I've ever flown--it's a blast!
- ATL is nuts. Radio calls come fast and furious, and taxiing there is like freeway at rush hour.
- The simulators gave me some basic understanding of the jet, but flying the line is a whole new world. It's going to take a while to get this down.
- I'll never get bored in this job. Thirty minutes between flights is barely enough time for a bathroom break.
- Gotta get my own headset. The "community" ones aren't in such great shape. Also need a cooler to carry some lunch. Gotta bring stuff from home--buying terminal food costs WAY too much!

One more two day trip, then IOE will be complete. And yes, it still sounds weird when I say "I'm an airline pilot."

surreal1221 · July 30th, 2007, 17:15

Nice man. I thought for the life of me that you had been at Air Tran for much longer.

Congrats! If you fly with a guy named . . . see PM. . .tell him I said hello.

amorris311 · July 30th, 2007, 17:59

great read thanks for the info and congratualtions! job well done.

Fly4Pay · July 30th, 2007, 19:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by surreal1221

Nice man. I thought for the life of me that you had been at Air Tran for much longer.

Nah, most of my time was Air Force time. But I have PLENTY of time there.

ASpilot2be · July 30th, 2007, 19:19

Congrats. Sounds like a great learning experience

n57flyguy · July 30th, 2007, 19:36

Awsome write up! Thanks, sounds like fun.

Qgar · July 30th, 2007, 19:45

Verrry cool, F4P! Congrats and good luck. I bet you want to pinch yourself right about now!

Oh, and good luck getting a "decent" schedule.

staplegun · July 30th, 2007, 22:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fly4Pay

- I'll never get bored in this job. Thirty minutes between flights is barely enough time for a bathroom break.

Nah, it never gets boring, but you will be surprised at how fast what looks almost overwhelming to you now becomes routine...

You'll be like, "gawd, another in-and-out of ATL, yawn..."

Congratulations and welcome to the 121 world!

Kevin

Rocketman99 · July 30th, 2007, 22:51

Awesome man. Welcome to the "other" flying world.

firebirdswm · July 30th, 2007, 23:08

Congrats Fly4Pay! I hope to one day be in your shoes. Enjoy it. What did you fly in the Air Force?

Bigey · July 31st, 2007, 04:21

Sweet write up! I got excited damn!

Haha congrats again! Live it up! Keep the posts coming!

Doug Taylor · July 31st, 2007, 05:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by staplegun

Nah, it never gets boring, but you will be surprised at how fast what looks almost overwhelming to you now becomes routine...

True that!

adreamer · July 31st, 2007, 07:37

Congrat.

ComplexHiAv8r · July 31st, 2007, 08:50

CONGRATS!!
Let us know how your first "non-IOE" goes

Fly4Pay · July 31st, 2007, 10:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by firebirdswm

Congrats Fly4Pay! I hope to one day be in your shoes. Enjoy it. What did you fly in the Air Force?

Started in KC-135As back in the Stone Age

, then T-41/T-3, then finished up with about 7 years flying the finest that 1950s technology had to offer, the E-8C JointStars (a 707-based ground-mapping radar platform).

As I told Doug, changing to this plane was like hopping onto the bridge of the Starship Enterprise (still looking for the photon torpedo controls...)

Aero_Engineer · August 1st, 2007, 11:02

Congrats man, great read. Keep them coming.

Tim · August 1st, 2007, 15:25

If you havent had the luxury of ATL for the 1700 and 1900 push you are in for a treat. These 2 pushes are when all the International flights are going out. Make sure you have some reading material because you will be sitting in line for a while.

July 30th, 2007, 17:04	#1
Fly4Pay Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: ATL (Work) / Warner Robins, GA (home) Posts: 824	First IOE trip Well, I can FINALLY say "I'm an airline pilot." After a year of planning, submitting applications, interviewing, waiting, and training, I finally got to fly an actual airplane with actual passengers this week--my first IOE trip. Even though I have my aircraft qualification, this (supposedly) gets me used to how the airlines actually work, not how the schoolhouse works! I have to admit, it was quite an eye-opening week! I found out about the trip on Monday morning, the day after I had completed my last training event at the Alteon Training Center in Atlanta. I found out that I'd be gone Wed-Sat. That was pretty quick, but that was fine with me. The sooner I get done, the sooner I can work my schedule for NEXT month (before there's nothing left but the weekend trips no one else wanted!). Showtime was 3 PM on Wednesday, 25 July. I was met by my check pilot, who showed me around the operations center (ops), helped me check in, and steered me toward the gate. Before I knew it, I was walking down the jetway steps to the ramp to do my first aircraft walk-around inspection. The captain flew the first leg. I basically had to work the radios and hang on for dear life! Taxiing in Atlanta is as busy as DRIVING in Atlanta, and there is a lot of communication going on. It's VERY important to make all your radio calls EXACTLY what they expect, or you get harangued by the controllers. First day was ATL-MEM-ATL-DTW. Out of Memphis, we got a big re-route that added a half-hour to our flight time. That put us back in to ATL just in time for the thunderstorms. Luckily, we got out of there before they got to the field and were able to pick our way through to Detroit. Second day was only two hops--Detroit to Orlando and back. Must be summer, because big-time thunderstorms rolled in as we taxiied out. We sat at the end of the runway for an hour watching our weather radar and listen to the system yell out "WINDSHEAR AHEAD!" every few minutes. Once the storm broke, we managed to get out of there before they changed runways (which would have cost us another 15-20 mins) and got on our way. Day three was Detroit-Charlotte-Baltimore-Charlotte. Nothing was very interesting until we got to Baltimore. Just as we got ready to leave, we were told that 20 passengers on a flight from Boston were delayed, and we needed to wait for them. They were supposed to be there in 10 minutes. Ten minutes turned into 20, then 30. The captain called our operations center, and they said to get airborne. About that time, we were told that they were on the ground, and would be there in--you guessed it--10 minutes. Eventually we got airborne an hour late. That turned out to be a good news/bad news situation. When we got back to Charlotte, a big rainstorm was just off the end of the runway. I had an... exciting... landing, then we headed to parking. The ramp had just re-opened after the storms had come through, so even if we had been on time, we may not have been able to get off the airplane anyway. On the last morning, my phone rang as I was eating breakfast--it was AirTran scheduling letting me know that one of my flights that day had been cancelled. You see, my check pilot was going to have too many hours in a seven-day period, so he had to come off the flight. Since HE wasn't on it, I couldn't be on it, because until I finish IOE I have to fly with a check pilot. That meant that they flew a crew to Chicago to take our last flight of the day, and I got to ride in the back of the jet on the way home. Good part is that I still got paid for it (when they pull you off of a scheduled flight, they still have to pay you)! So here are some things I learned last week: - The 717 is a sports car. What a fun jet to fly! The instrumentation is awesome, the engines have more power than I've had in any jet I've ever flown--it's a blast! - ATL is nuts. Radio calls come fast and furious, and taxiing there is like freeway at rush hour. - The simulators gave me some basic understanding of the jet, but flying the line is a whole new world. It's going to take a while to get this down. - I'll never get bored in this job. Thirty minutes between flights is barely enough time for a bathroom break. - Gotta get my own headset. The "community" ones aren't in such great shape. Also need a cooler to carry some lunch. Gotta bring stuff from home--buying terminal food costs WAY too much! One more two day trip, then IOE will be complete. And yes, it still sounds weird when I say "I'm an airline pilot."

July 30th, 2007, 17:15	#2
surreal1221 Old Skool Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Alpha Tango Lima Posts: 10,443	Re: First IOE trip Nice man. I thought for the life of me that you had been at Air Tran for much longer. Congrats! If you fly with a guy named . . . see PM. . .tell him I said hello. __________________ AGI.MEI.CFI.CFII.FO.CRJ2 \| Josh \| The TRoP \| Rmble On \| ALPA \| IVAW \| ACLU \|

July 30th, 2007, 17:59	#3
amorris311 Old Skool Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Los Angeles soon to be phx Posts: 2,701	Re: First IOE trip great read thanks for the info and congratualtions! job well done.

July 30th, 2007, 19:19	#5
ASpilot2be Old Skool Join Date: May 2005 Location: Paradise:) Posts: 4,775	Re: First IOE trip Congrats. Sounds like a great learning experience __________________

July 30th, 2007, 19:36	#6
n57flyguy Old Skool Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 3,814	Re: First IOE trip Awsome write up! Thanks, sounds like fun. __________________ -Paul

July 30th, 2007, 19:45	#7
Qgar Old Skool Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: "A" on the Q Posts: 4,220	Re: First IOE trip Verrry cool, F4P! Congrats and good luck. I bet you want to pinch yourself right about now! Oh, and good luck getting a "decent" schedule. __________________ Colgan Q-400 FA/ATS, Union Rep and Hotel Committee First Lady of the JC Mini-Conservative Movement Opinions are like a-holes, we all have one!

July 30th, 2007, 22:51	#9
Rocketman99 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: On your left shoulder holding a pitchfork Posts: 1,055	Re: First IOE trip Awesome man. Welcome to the "other" flying world. __________________ NKAWTG...N! Colgan pays enough to keep you sullen and not mutinous. - Mel

July 30th, 2007, 23:08	#10
firebirdswm Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 508	Re: First IOE trip Congrats Fly4Pay! I hope to one day be in your shoes. Enjoy it. What did you fly in the Air Force?

July 31st, 2007, 04:21	#11
Bigey Old Skool Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Socal Posts: 2,870	Re: First IOE trip Sweet write up! I got excited damn! Haha congrats again! Live it up! Keep the posts coming! __________________ 6/30 - PUBNAT4 7/31 - PUBNAT5 8/29 - PUBNAT6 8/27 - AT-SAT Authorized 9/08 - AT-SAT Scheduled 9/24 - AT-SAT (97%)

July 31st, 2007, 07:37	#13
adreamer Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: AZO Posts: 1,441	Re: First IOE trip Congrat. __________________ CFI/CFII/MEI/Right seat

July 31st, 2007, 08:50	#14
ComplexHiAv8r Old Skool Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: OH or is it MX?? Posts: 4,883	Re: First IOE trip CONGRATS!! Let us know how your first "non-IOE" goes __________________ ASEL Instrument 500+ TT Cirrus Driver Engineer Loving Spouse and Father Proud Foster Parent Get Busy Living, or Get Busy Dying....

August 1st, 2007, 11:02	#16
Aero_Engineer Old Skool Join Date: May 2005 Location: California, USA Posts: 2,052	Re: First IOE trip Congrats man, great read. Keep them coming.

August 1st, 2007, 15:25	#17
Tim Old Skool Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Atlanta Posts: 2,205	Re: First IOE trip If you havent had the luxury of ATL for the 1700 and 1900 push you are in for a treat. These 2 pushes are when all the International flights are going out. Make sure you have some reading material because you will be sitting in line for a while. __________________ Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turn skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return.----- Leonardo Da Vinci

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