SO YOU THINK YOU`RE A PILOT

In keeping with my promise to walk through a number of Aerowinx situations this year, today i attempted 01 Departure 001 - Sydney - Los Angeles.situ.

The benefit of this .situ is that you get ATC (Air Traffic Control) calls that are extremely realistic right up to cruise at Flight level 290 (29,00 feet), and a number of 'small things" that go wrong operationally requiring a lot of situational awareness before being handed off to Area Control, 

In two attempts at flying this scenario I experienced:

1. The Auto throttle not working requiring flipping the switch marked A/T ARM on the MCP (Mode Control Panel)  to ensure the engines spooled up smoothly within limits.

2. The Gear not being fully retracted despite indicating it was complete, requiring using GEAR OVRD on the FO (First Officer) side of the cockpit; this is fast becoming an Aerowinx favourite requiring quick logical thought & assessing how the airframe 'feels" despite what it is telling you.

3. Ensure the speeds are consistent with flap retraction. I found myself climbing with a lower than expected airspeed because the Flap 1 to Flap 0 had not been completed, testing my comprehension while scanning the PFD (Primary Flight Display).

4 A number of vector changes from ATC are very real when climbing and trying  to avoid conflicting traffic and maintain an 1,000 feet and 3 nautical miles of separation; getting behind the eight ball when acknowledging  ATC instructions in a timely manner is another challenge.

All of these scenarios are easy to miss because the EICAS (Electronic Indicating & Crew Alerting System)  doesn`t necessarily tell you what is wrong, which is why Aerowinx is a wonderful teaching tool in the MCC (Multi Crew Co-operation) of todays airlines.

As you can see from the image above that I`m climbing at the ATC instructed speed of 290 knots (Checked the trim? Another possible error) using FLCH (Flight Change) speed, and not just "sitting' on the autopilot using LNAV (Lateral Navigation or VNAV (Vertical Navigation) which tends to lead to a loss of basic flying skills.

If applied the situation should prepare you in a relevant way to work in a team environment effectively & not by rote.

From a very blue Cirrus cloud sky in Sydney after 4 seasons in one week.

Till next time,

Neil

PS Let me know how you go with  01 Departure 001 - Sydney - Los Angeles.situ.