Written: January 27, 2020
Published: October 2021
Got a short briefing on satellite problems before we started and then it was off to the labs. As usual, the first problem is usually a total shit-show while everyone figures out what is actually going on, why we are supposed to use certain altitudes/headings, etc. Again, one of the hardest parts about this job is visualizing 3D problems on a 2D display.
First run I did Feeder/Final/AND Departures all combined. It was a very slow problem. A handful of arrivals, departures, and that was about it. My instructor was being all weird about one airplane in the problem that "has a birdstrike" on departure and wants to level off. It’s utterly useless to put what they did in this sim because how they told us to handle it was the farthest thing from real world I’ve ever seen in my short career. I’m sure it’s on some bean counters list of things that need to be covered, though.
I ran satellites next run. Basically, an extension of RTF that I was here for in 2017. Picks up right where RTF left off with being busy as hell – 3-4 operations going on at each airport pretty much at the same time. 2 satellite airports plus you work the slow/small/low departures off the main airport. My instructor said overall I did well and just needed to get used to scanning more. I don’t really even consider it a scanning issue at this point as much as a “this is the first time I’ve ever done this” issue.
Next set of runs was “busier” but – it really didn’t feel busier because I think by the second run we had an idea what we were supposed to be doing. Had a new instructor we haven’t had before watching me. He was alright for the first half, he helped me with a couple things but I ran it pretty solid for the first 20 minutes and felt like I had the picture and plan most of the time. After the mid point in the problem he got a little more chatty but I still felt like I ran it mostly myself. He also had good feedback.
Last run with an instructor was with the lead and was on feeder/final/departures. She let me run it on my own and pointed out a couple things here and there.
For the pro-run I chose to do the busy departure problem I sat out on last week, but we only ran it for 12 minutes and they stopped it to brief us in the classroom on south satellites which we do tomorrow. Of course class clown had a zillion stupid questions and dumb remarks during the classroom part. I don’t think our a-lead really likes him or gets that he is being "sarcastic" supposedly as he claims he is – but I feel the same way. It’s mostly stupid ignorant and dumb remarks that would be best left in his head.
Three days left...