American Airlines A320 Captain Upgrade Gouge

April 2017

I thought I’d share my experience upgrading from A320 FO to A320 CA at the new American
Airlines. My background was America West, and I’d spent 19 years on the aircraft. My hope is
this “after-action” report will help others through the process and remove some of the mystery
from it. The little bit of gouge I got before I went was very beneficial; I’d like to pay it forward so
the next batch of upgrades can do even better.

Before Going to GSW

I spent time navigating the A320 Upgrade portion of AAPILOTS. Lots of good info there; how to
book travel to and from training, your downloadable training materials, slide-show briefs, sim
paperwork, etc.

TMS, at some point, will show your schedule when it’s put in - classrooms, show times, what
training event, and your instructor’s name will be listed. Another pilot told me the Candlewood
was the better of the training hotels, so I made pre-emptive calls to the training schedulers to
put in a preference. Once I reached them, they seemed amenable. I ended up getting the
Candlewood, but I can’t be sure my call made any difference.

Book your travel EARLY for training as well as commuting to and from home on your days off.
You can pick your seats via AA.com once you import your PNRs into the employee travel site.
While you book A1D only on the first flight to training, the rest are A3D. It seems like this sucks,
but it really doesn’t matter. A3D is like “minimum-power positive space.” I never once had a
problem getting on the very full flights between PHX and DFW. This is probably because I
booked early and picked my seats. If you wait until the day before and all the seats are
assigned, you may be out of luck at that point. All of the gate agents and crews were wonderful
and let me head down early and get out of the way.

I went through all training documents on AAPILOTS and downloaded most of them to my laptop.
I printed out the simulator paperwork so I would have paper copies to look over before, and use
during, the sim. You might be able to download it to your iPad, but I didn’t try since I had hard
copies. I also printed my training schedule, the updated GSW guide that shows the third floor of
the Airbus sim building, the flow guide, and the 320 Training Guide. In the end, the EFIS guide
and Non-Normal Methodology Briefs were of little use. New Airbus guys and gals will find them
to be very useful.

I put all printed material into a three-ring binder and brought it with me. It allowed me to be
organized and have needed information at my fingertips.

I also got a detailed verbal debrief from a fellow West pilot and typed that info up for my binder.
It was nice to get his perspective and some important pointers on how his training, IPT/VPT,
sim, MV, and LOFT sessions went. He also had intel on some minor “gotchas” within the AA
training environment and other various pieces of advice. I feel I would’ve still done well, but the
info gave me more confidence knowing what to expect. I’ve included those items here.
As early as you can, get going on your AeriSim Airbus training on your iPad, or via AAPILOTS.
This MUST be done before your first training event. If you don’t complete it, at the very least you
will be embarrassed. You also might be told to go home and your upgrade will be rescheduled
when you decide you’re motivated. This will not set a good tone for your stay at GSW. There
may be some gray area in there for extenuating circumstances, but don’t take a chance.

I took the time to type out all AeroSim and AAPILOTS Airbus system questions, the correct
answers, and grab a screen-shot if needed. I generated a printed study sheet with the material
put it in my training binder. This is the database of questions your timed 100 question computer-
based “oral” test will be generated from. I spent a little time studying it before leaving for GSW,
and about 30-45 minutes every day during the first two weeks of training. This is ample time to
absorb the material and let it take root.

Before I left, I spoke with other pilots about the shuttles, where to find them, and how to plan
your day(s). Looking over the GSW maps is worthless until you get there. When you go there, it
actually adds a bit of stress not knowing where to go or how to get there. EVERYBODY I
encountered at the Flight Academy was more than polite, friendly, and helpful.

You will be completely lost for the first two or three days you’re there. I’m not joking. 1952 called,
and they want their cobbled-together collection of buildings back. There is little rhyme or reason
- and NO signs - on how to actually navigate to where you need to go. Day three is when you
get around with minimal trouble. Until you get good at navigating, give yourself an extra 10-15
minutes to make sure you’re not late to your briefing room. It’s a good idea to have a shoulder
strap on your flight bag to make the hike easier.

Training Schedule, Hotels, Shuttles, and Planning

Your training will probably start on a Monday, late in the day, around 330pm DFW time. This
allows you to commute in and get to GSW. If you take an earlier flight, you’ll have time to check
into your training hotel, drop your bags, and head over to GSW. A few of the training hotels are
about a five minute ride, the others are 10 minutes or so. I was told I was “early” checking in to
my hotel at 215pm, and had to wait 15 minutes for my room to be ready. No big deal.

The Candlewood was clean, well maintained, and has multiple food choices within a 3-5 minute
walk. The rooms have a kitchen with dishes and utensils, pots and pans, a stove, microwave,
and a fridge. I ended up getting some sandwich stuff, drinks, fruit, and snacks. The hotel van will
take you to a local Kroger grocery market. There is also a gas station quick-mart with some
basics next door. A ‘pantry’ is in the hotel lobby with some drinks, snacks, and sundry items. The
hotel van will pick you and drop you off at the airport, but be aware an airport pick -up may take
a while.

On the other hand, hotel-to-airport was quick and easy when I commuted home on the
weekends. You can schedule a time to leave the hotel earlier that day.

Aries has the contract for the AA shuttle service between DFW, the Flight Academy (where the
Best Trained Crews Walk Through These Doors! - VBG!) and the training hotels. The airport/F.A.
shuttle is a small bus with signs for the airport and F.A., while the hotel/F.A. shuttles are regular
vans. All are white with yellow Aries logos. At GSW, there are signs outside where the vans pick
you up for each training hotel or the airport.

The airport shuttle comes every half hour, and picks you up near C24 on the lower level. There
is a sign outside for “AA Flight Crew” pickup. You’ll probably be there with several other pilot-
looking people and some FAs. The shuttle to the FA (Flight Attendant) training venue is different,
so be sure to get on the right one.

Vans leave the hotels on the hour and the half. There is a window where they run every 15
minutes as well. They leave the F.A. on the 15 and 45. Most drivers are great and polite; there is
no 125 mph van ride like you get on an overnight. The Candlewood had a cork-board in each
room with the shuttle schedule pinned up.

When you arrive at DFW, you can take an Aries shuttle right to the F.A. and begin your first
training event. Or you can get to the F.A. and jump on an Aries shuttle to your hotel and check
in. If you go right to GSW, you can grab lunch at the cafeteria, and there is a place to park your
bags with little concern (if any) over someone taking them.

Your training schedule advances with earlier start times each day. 330p the first day, 1230p the
second, 1030a the third, 830a the fourth, and then 0530a the fifth. You may also have two 0530
show-times at the end of the week. That means you’re waking up around 0215a PHX time,
getting ready, and then training. It kinda really sucks. If you should fall behind in studying or
sleep, you’re going to be hard-pressed to find the time to catch up. You’ll have fewer hours
before the next day to re-study (if needed), eat, study new material, and sleep. Even if you’re
not originally an Airbus person, it’s totally doable if things run normally. You’ll be up against the
wall a bit if you have to catch up.

GSW Cafeteria

It’s adequate, has some decent choices, and you can eat relatively healthy. Hot selections,
custom items hot off the grill, and a salad bar compliment other food choices, drinks, breakfast
cereal, etc. Service is relatively quick; you can easily order and eat a meal in 30 minutes and
make your training event. During the first week or so of training, my training partner, our
instructor and I had meals there during our training breaks. Prices are reasonable.

Weeks 1 - 2

Your training during weeks one and two will be two-hour interactive system reviews followed by
two-hour VPT and IPT (Visual and Instrument Procedure Trainer) sessions. The large dual
computer screens in the classrooms allow you and the instructor to work cockpit controls, see
how/what the airplane does, AND what the associated system looks like during the operation.
It’s an impressive teaching/learning aid - I sure wish we had that 19 years ago! This is a
FANTASTIC training aid. Running the QRH smoke-removal drill? Flip cockpit switches and see
what happens within the system as you do it. You really learn better this way.

You are able to find an empty room and use this equipment yourself if you want or need to.
Our instructor was Bill Casement; his background was Air Force and then a variety of 121
carriers. He was extremely knowledgable on airline flying, large turbine aircraft, along with the
AA method and the Airbus. I was impressed with his knowledge, teaching method, and ability to
move right along without missing anything. He made sure testable topics were well understood.
I detected zero “AAttitude” on his part, and he was genuinely interested in helping my partner
and I learn the material. Top marks there.

He was also very clear on using the proper terminology for the Airbus. It’s not “The Bird,” it’s the
FPV. It’s not “The Hook,” it’s VLS. Being The New AA and all, I accepted it and moved on. I never
really used those ‘slang’ terms, so it was easy to Cooperate and Graduate. It just makes life
easy.

Hitting your flows often and early - even before you leave for training - is a very good idea. I did
not. Even while I was there, I could’ve done a more flow practice. I found I transitioned from FO
to captain flows and callouts very easily. Others said if all you know are your flows, you’re going
to do just fine. There is an element of truth to that, but don’t think you can slack off on other
skills and skate by. Knowing your flows is key, but you also have to know the rest of your SOPs,
system knowledge, etc. Be “the total package.”

You’ll ebb and ‘flow’ on the flows. (See what I did there..?) You’ll have good days and ‘eh’
days… Take it as it comes and keep learning. My partner and I weren’t able to work on flows
together more than a few times. When we did, it was more about his side and then we’d run out
of time. My point is I had minimal practice, but I applied myself and did fine.

They are very serious about knowing your flows and callouts. Let me emphasize this… They are
very serious about you knowing your flows and callouts. Other AA fleets use mechanical
checklists. Some have Read/Do checklists. At AWA, we possibly took our flows for granted,
thinking everyone does it this way. Flows are easy and make a lot of sense. (At AA, they had
Read/Do checklists on the DC-3 - and damn it - that’s the way they do it!) I was told the Airbus
is the only fleet that uses flows then a checklist. This seems to be a guarded and fragile little
piece of culture that needs to be protected and allowed to prosper.

I found the first two weeks to be a great opportunity to refresh my systems knowledge above
and beyond the AeroSim stuff. It also started me on using my right hand to work the FCU and
MCDU. (It’s not a “macdoo,’ it’s an M-C-D-U. I tried, but this one old habit just dies really hard.
Sorry, AA…) You know you’re making process when you have been in the sim for several days
and you adjust your seat with your proper hand.

For the first four days, you’re allowed to use your flow cheat-sheet if you made one. Make one.
It was much easier than flipping through the multiple pages of the Flows/SOP Guide. After that,
they make you put it away.

New-hires, like one of my training partners, seemed to have a hard time putting it all together.
The flow guide lists triggers, but not all pre-flight prep occurs in the order written. Newbies are
forced to be somewhat mechanical learning the flows and applying them. They also think the
line works like the written word. This is probably an accepted part of the learning process; don’t
sweat it if you come from another airplane and you think you’re behind the curve. You’ll get
there, and the instructors and check airmen are patient.
You’ll work the IPT sessions just like the airplane. These training devices have touch screens
instead of controls, so it’s a little different in terms of manipulating cockpit controls. There isn't
really a negative-training aspect to it, and it’s less expensive than putting us in a sim to learn the
basics. The IPT devices are where the ways of the Airbus are introduced and learned. These
sessions occur during the first two weeks of training. On that second Friday, you’ll take your
100-question test instead of that grueling “build me an Airbus” oral we had at AWA back in the
good ol’ days.

I finished the test in 34 minutes of the allotted two hours and scored a 96%. I felt like I took my
time, too. My sim partner took about the same time. I missed one question because I was
stupid. I feel I missed the other three questions because of how they were worded. This seemed
to be a theme with the test. The questions are written to see if you can read the question, not if
you know how a system works. (It wasn’t a big deal; who wants to score 100% anyway?) As you
answer each question, you know if you were correct or not and what your total score is. Very
few people fail the test below the required 80%.

The test is your first event of the day, followed by an evaluation on your flows, callouts, reroutes,
and Airbus/MCDU procedures.

At this point, non-Airbus people are starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s cool to
see them advancing their knowledge, getting better and more confident.

The evaluation is given by another instructor (or possibly some slightly higher position, I can’t
remember…) A young lady named Emily gave us our eval; she was an Envoy pilot prior to
joining the AA training department. She was totally dialed into the program. She was very sharp,
very professional, fun, and got the job done efficiently. We had a pretty good time even though
we started at 0530am, and that became the excuse du-jour for mucking something up.

Speaking of mucking things up, I never felt like I had a clear idea of what an acceptable
performance was. There’s no PTS, so you’re left to wonder how draconian or Santa Claus AA
was going to be. After the first two weeks, I’d gotten zero feedback on how I was doing, or what
I needed to work harder on. I figured I was doing fine because of my experience, or I was just
well within the boundaries of acceptable behavior. I adopted a “no news is good news” mentality
and kept my head down.

Weeks 3 - 4

Sim, baby! Things start to cook faster, and having the flows and callouts 90% down will just
make your life - and everyone else’s - much easier.

Looking ahead at the event training items, sim briefing slides, SOPs, and the QRH is an
excellent idea. Some sim sessions will have you starting with a flight deck preparation flow and
progressing through takeoff. Most, however, will be SPOT-oriented. It’s kind of hard to get your
flows down within context of a complete flight in the SPOT environment, but that’s the way it is.
Roll with it. Know what triggers a flow, and you’ll be doing fine.

You’ll bring the flows, callouts, non-normals, Selected/Managed guidance, ECAM/QRH use,
auto-flight and hand-flying, and system knowledge together during this time. It’s your first big
bite of the How to Fly the Airbus apple. For me, it was very easy. For my sim partner, I’m sure it
took more effort to get into a new mindset and learn, but he did a really nice job. Sometimes he
took a few moments to think things through, or didn’t know something. It was all taken in stride
by the instructor and appeared to be normal for this stage. In other words, don’t be worried if
you’re not perfect right at the start. Or when you’re done!

You will get just about every major problem the airplane can throw at you during this time.
Engine failures, engine fires, evacuations, V1 cuts, V2-plus-a-few cuts, smoke removal (oh, that
is a SHITTY QRH for captains!), loss of pressurization, B+G hydraulic failures, B+Y hydraulic
failures, moose on the runway (no, I’m not kidding), go-arounds galore, and a slew of lesser
problems. This is to sharpen you and get you working within the realm of the Non-Normal
Methodology procedures. This NNM is taken seriously within the training and evaluation
environments. You. Must. Do. It. Per. The. SOPs. Period. It’s not at all a bad thing, and it isn’t
criticism of the program - just making sure you get it. You’ll become very intimate with the QRH,
which is a great resource, especially compared to some of the versions we had at AWA.

During ECAMs, AA’s preference is to have the FO receive the aircraft and become the PF and
handle the radio. The captain then manages the situation, runs the ECAM, QRH follow-up, and
takes care of the FAs, passengers, company, and ATC. You’ll be busy as hell as the captain,
and it’s a great idea to keep an eye on the FO and ensure they’re not getting buried. It’s a great
learning experience, opens your eyes to ‘managing the situation’ and keeping a team approach
to the problem.

Be ready to ‘be a captain,’ if needed. You’ll have times in the sim where your brand-new FO is
about to do something that, in an Airbus, is a horrible idea. Or they’re headed down the wrong
alley and need to be brought back to the righteous and golden path. They’re not doing it on
purpose, of course, they figure it’s a good idea or it’s needed. No big deal, but it’s an opportunity
to use tact, grace, and your new-found authority to reunite and aim for a positive outcome. Or
the same bar. Or both. Your choice; you’re the boss.

As a long-suffering former Airbus FO, I’m not advocating or implying ordering anyone around,
being overly “captainy,” or using abrasive phraseology or methods. Quite the contrary, it seemed
everyone appreciated an even, polite tone, especially when there was added stress. This type
of learning was awesome.

End Game - Checkrides… (I Mean Evaluations!)

The last week of sim really brings everything together. The first two days are training, then you
have an QMV (qualification maneuvers validation) with a check airman. This is SPOT-oriented,
and much like the old-school check ride where you got a V1 cut, single-engine hand-flown ILS,
Cat III approach, RNAV RNP approach, go-arounds, and various ECAMs. As a new captain,
you’ll be expected to run the program to a successful outcome that is never in question. Know
your flows, the callouts, procedures, and follow SOPs. Don’t start questioning yourself and go
off the reservation. Use your good judgement and get the job done. They’re not looking for
perfection, but it’s sure nice to aim for it.

At this point, it became apparent current Airbus guys are expected to operate to a higher
standard versus, maybe, an AA Airbus pilot that hasn’t been on the airplane as long. You might
think this works against you, but I felt my experience worked heavily in my favor. Based on
comments from other Airbus Westies at GSW and the check airmen, they very much enjoy
working with us and working us through the evals. It was also said there is only ONE standard
for all pilots to meet, but more experienced Airbus pilots were more refined to a deeper level and
were allowed to operate within that space.

The next day is a LOFT eval session with two gate-to-gate flights. This reverts to a training
session, but it’s with a check airman and is a QUAL event. You’ll probably have an MEL to deal
with; it may or may not impact your autoflight, autothrust, RNP ability, or CAT ability. You get a
few ECAMs and minor curveballs thrown at you during each leg, but it’s otherwise a couple of
normal flights.

Your last sim is a LOFT QUAL event. It starts at the gate and progresses as a normal line flight.
The first leg is flown between BOS and DCA, and you’ll have to deal with some sort of problem
enroute. It’s actually a nice way to warm up, and lets the check airman see if you know your
stuff. The better you are, and the more competent and confident (NOT cocky) you are, the
easier it seemed be. If you’re doing well, the cadence will move right along without you feeling
rushed. Some of the cruise portion is flown at 2X speed to keep things moving, but at no time
was it a detriment.

I was told by other pilots, and even the check airmen during the briefs: If you make a mistake or
muck something up, compartmentalize and move on. Don’t get taken down by something minor
and turn it into something major. Be a professional. Even if it’s a big mistake, put it behind you
and move on. If it’s truly stinky, they have an option to retrain right then and there, have you do it
again, and move on. It’s all good.

The flight starts with a low-via taxi and takeoff, and progresses to VMC conditions and a Mt.
Vernon Visual to runway 1 at DCA. There are several ways to fly that approach, and all seemed
to be acceptable to the evaluators. Give a smooth landing one shot at DCA, then get the
airplane on the ground and stopped.

After parking at the destination gate, you take a break for 20 minutes or so, then hop back in for
part two.

This part of the eval can, apparently, be pretty short or excruciatingly long, soul killing, and
emotionally painful. Just kidding. Kind of…

We departed DCA to CLT, and I got an engine fire in the climb around 11,000 ft. The FO was PF,
so it was a bit easier with no transfer of aircraft control. I gave the FO the radios as well; we
were in a low-level terminal environment with a time-critical emergency. He handled the flying
and comms and we wholeheartedly agreed to get the airplane pointed at a runway.

With the landing countdown on, the captain goes through the ECAM exception/immediate action
drill, starts ECAM actions, and gets the problem under control. You have to find an airport with
acceptable weather you can divert into, handle the FAs, the passengers, the company, and
coordinate the safety response at the airport. It should be like the 15 times you just did in
training. We got the fire out, but I fully expected it to come back.

I’ve heard there are several scenarios they can choose to inflict on you. Know you’re going to
get some major failure; be ready for something engine-related, something major with the
electrical system, or a degradation in the flight-control system. One failure may lead you into a
more serious one. I hear that isn’t fun.

If the process gets drawn out, or if you continue to your distant destination or listed alternate,
you’re probably going to get yourself into trouble. Maybe an engine failure/fire turns bad when
the APU auto shuts down. Maybe there is a failure of the one good Gen in your near future. It’s
a great idea to get the airplane on the ground in a very timely manner. (The scenario above
leads to hand-flying in IMC, in Direct Law, and in the Emergency Electrical configuration. You
have about 20 minutes of battery to land, if you can. There will probably be an awkward debrief
after that…)

That is always No Bueno. Stay away from No Bueno.

It might be an excellent idea to look up company airports and keep their unique attributes or
drawbacks in mind. Balance that with everything else on your QUAL EVAL sim paperwork. Have
several plans of action in mind. It pays to be a winner, and you aren’t winning if you’re not
stacking the deck in your favor.

I ended up choosing IAD (company airport, long runways, Cat I ILS weather, good fire/rescue
resources) and we were one turn away from the approach. There were other options, but I felt
this was the best plan for this situation.

It went fast, but it was controlled. We had time to take a breath on the approach, take a look
around, and talk about anything we might have missed or didn’t think of. We’d used all of our
available resources, and I got some great practice on managing the FAs, passengers, and Fire/
Rescue. There was an existential moment were I knew we needed to be timely, but I forced
myself to slow down and get it done right the first time.

This is an excellent theme to adopt for your entire training process.

From takeoff to landing, I think, was about 25 or 30 minutes in total. From pre-flight prep to the
end of the session was probably 45 or 50 minutes.

That completed my training at GSW. The sincerity of the check airmen and instructors seeing
fellow airmen succeed and progress builds camaraderie and is pretty cool.

They’ll fill out whatever paperwork they need to, and you’ll go on the list for OW trips. I had four
days off after training, and started right up with OE. I didn’t mind this, as I wanted to consolidate
what I learned in the airplane. Others have waited longer, up to weeks, without a call. Enjoy your
vacation, but don’t data dump.

Personal Observations

I’ve tried to keep the above pretty factual and leave out most of my personal feelings or
observations. I’ll share those now to round out my overall experience of the training program.

Overall, this was a highly positive, rewarding, and exciting experience. Anything perceived as
negative above should be taken merely as a point of mention. I came away from upgrade
thinking, “That was pretty damn good.” Not much I can criticize, but there are some items worth
mentioning so others can judge how their training progresses.

The biggest ‘issue’ I had dealt with my second training partner. Normally, it seems like an
upgrade is paired with a new-hire. You’re paired to the end. I got pretty sick the second week,
but I powered through. My original training partner got sick after I did, and he called out sick for
a week. I continued with another new-hire and things got interesting.

We spent a lot of time, I mean a lot of time, repeating the most basic items for him. Just one
example; it became apparent there was an issue after he (basically) crashed the sim on a visual
landing. The instructor stopped the sim, and backed it up to 500 AGL so he could try again.
Each time, the instructor would instruct, discuss, and have him try new methods. Same results.
We must have backed up the sim 15 times.

This was one item, but there were many. This lasted all of week three with little improvement. I
don’t bring this up to demean or belittle this person. Quite the contrary; he was a nice and
pleasant person, and in no way was unintelligent. I was worried for his prospects.

I had no problem with him getting whatever time he needed to improve. I decided to be patient
and try to help him as much as I could - without adopting the role of the instructor OR stepping
on the instructor’s toes. As his partner, I also considered there might be some negative aspects
for me. I recognized I needed to identify a threshold where I spoke up to look after my own
interests. Thankfully, I didn't had to. Our schedules shifted and he went off on his own
afterwards.

I was thankful I’d have instructors sitting seat-support for the remainder of my training. It was
also nice to see my former partner exit the sim the next week. A check airmen said AA would
give as much extra training as required. I’m sure there are limits, but the airline is finding it hard
to fill new-hire classes. People are going to get more leeway and training to place butts in seats.

If you’ve been a captain used to working with very experienced FOs, get ready, things are about
to change. If you’re a new captain, keep a friendly and professional eye on your lesser
experienced flying partner and make sure you don’t end up on the news.

I experienced a few other quirks as well.

When your instructor or check airman learns you’ve been on the airplane for 18-19 years,
they’re genuinely interested in what you think about it, the procedures, and about your training
experience. Certain instructors may ‘recede’ slightly in their role as The Giver of Training and
Knowledge. They may defer to your experience and repeatedly say things like, “I feel like I’m
preaching to the choir,” or “I won’t waste your time on this…”

I heard this from one instructor in particular. A lot. He needn’t have felt like this; he knew the
material well, he was very professional, and easy to get along with. He was an effective
instructor, but I felt uncomfortable having our roles possibly confused.

I also figured if his knowledge only went so deep, anything I knew past that was icing on the
cake. I was lucky to have a shitload of icing on my cake. But there was still the perception
problem.
I chose to bring it up in a nonchalant way, and let him know I had no problem being the student.
All wanted was to keep my eyes and ears open, my mouth shut, and just take it all in. (I also
wanted to do a GREAT job and make fellow Westies proud.) I didn’t want to be That Guy or
cause any problems. I sincerely wanted to move through the program and maintain traditional
boundaries. The message was taken in the spirit it was meant; and things progressed well.

There was another instructor-related situation that caused frustration, but I chose to flip it into a
learning experience. The instructor was sitting seat-support for me, and he wouldn’t stop with
the “Captain, sir..,” “Yes, sir…” “No, sir…” Sir, sir, sir… Since he was a former LUS captain (he
brought it up several times), I didn’t know if he was taking the piss out of me, or if he was just
being overly polite. After about five minutes of Sir, I asked him if I could just be ______ (my
name). He said sure, and we moved on.

Then. He. Wouldn’t. Shut. Up. For four hours of sim. Any moment of silence was filled with
chatting, nonexistent call-outs, or continuously calling things to my attention. It got so bad I no
longer made ‘my’ mistakes… I was being lead and directed into a completely different set of
actions and mistakes based on his running commentary or leading questions. After a little of
this, I resorted to interrupting his string-of-verbal-consciousness and managed him back
towards my program and how I wanted things done.

After the first half, I almost said something. It was annoying and highly distracting to say the
least. I actually used threat management and barriers with him. When this began working, I
decided to not say anything. I needed this guy’s support didn’t want to turn him against me. I
also knew I’ll fly with a wide variety of FOs, and I might not like or agree with all the personalities
or methods out there. So I sucked it up. I used every tool I had, and a few borrowed ones, to
complete the sim and move on. The check airman and I had a very short debrief, and I did
mentioned this. He understood and had heard it before.

On the flip side, I had a real laugh the next day. I found Brad Baker waiting to sit seat-support
for me. It was great to see him, and we had a great laugh since he was one of those that
interviewed and hired me at AWA. It was such a sincere pleasure to have him helping and
supporting me in the sim. It was FUN, normal, and he did a great job. The session flew by and
was a blast.

I can say the same for the other instructors I had the privilege to work with. I never thought to
ask if they were Natives or LUS. I didn’t care. (I knew all the Westies; there are LOTS of us at
GSW.) The feeling I got was we’re ALL American Airline pilots now, and the training department
doesn’t differentiate. I was comforted by that, and everyone pulled on the same rope as far as I
could see.

Check Airmen

I have only superlatives for the check airmen I worked with. Guy Peers, Ray Hernandez and
Mike Brown are three of the most professional, reasonable, and knowledgable men I’ve had the
pleasure of working with. There was nothing about them that cranked the stress up, caused
concern, or tripped anything up. They do their jobs exceedingly well, no dead horses were
beaten, and they have the big picture in mind. You leave knowing where you are, what to
prepare for, and what comes next. They were a 10 out of 10 in my opinion.

Speaking of tripping up, there were no hidden traps and no negative agendas. No one need fear
the AA training experience, at least in the Airbus program.

AA, AWA, LUS Airbus Differences

They teach you some new Airbus moves, and it’s all good.

The biggest one is how you intercept a visual or ILS final approach course. At AWA, we’re used
to clearing PPOS, but that causes the constraint to drop off the furthest (FROM) waypoint. That
is the drawback of clearing PPOS…

AA’s “Extend” or LUS’s “Snap me a line” do almost the same thing; you use the DIR button to
your next fix and then Radial In to it. The drawback is you MUST Select heading if you don’t
have a clearance to intercept the inbound course. AA training prefers the “Extend” method, but
in my mind, you’re trading one drawback for another. You can get equally screwed with either.

No one told me I couldn’t clear PPOS, just to be aware of what I was doing. But every time I did,
something would be said. Pick your poison and roll those dice! You’ll be equally right and wrong.

If you’re new to the Airbus, using their acronyms to set up the MCDU is not a bad idea. They’re
written on the dry-erase boards in each classroom and can be very helpful. I was told since I
already had my thing down, I could keep doing what I’ve been doing. My sim partner used their
long acronym to set up the MCDU and it seemed to work pretty good.

Wrap Up

I went into this with no preconceived notions, no attitude, and the willingness to go through the
program and come out the other. I was motivated to do a really good job. All that served me very
well. I observed a few people that complained about certain things, brought a little AAttitude, or
expected they’d be the recipient of some AAtitude. You can make this as pleasant or as painful
as you like.

Early in the program, I had zero feedback on how I was doing. I walked out of my final
evaluation knowing I’d done well, and this accomplishment was earned - not given. I felt I was
very well prepared, and had taken full advantage of the opportunity. An Airbus background was
the best possible attribute in my corner, but I knew resting on it would be a mistake. A great
attitude was close behind. I did hear about one Westie who induced some pretty bad turbulence
via an improper attitude. There was a three-way call between the check airman, Jesus, and our
hero. Corrective force was applied. Threats may have been made… I don’t know. I can’t think of
a worse thing to bring upon yourself during training. It pays to not be That Guy.

What were the hardest parts? The hotel environment, even though it was nice enough, pretty
much sucks for that long… Even with trips home on the weekend… Those home ‘vacations’
were necessary to break things up. I’m not married and don’t have kids, but I expect folks with
family want to reconnect on the weekends. By all means - do so. It’ll even out the Hotel Blues.
Just make sure you plan your travel early and get your assigned seats.

I’m not a fan of the training schedule; I think APA negotiated it in order to commute in and out
easily. There’s value in that, but I feel most people would prefer a set schedule with the same
start times. We’re there to be successful in training, and the focus should be there. Commuting
in the day before would give you plenty of time to settle in, eat, study, and get enough rest to
start fresh. Commuting in, getting to the F.A., and then training leads to a very long day. Plan
accordingly to get some food near the hotel or at the cafeteria. In the end, though, their setup is
doable but far from optimum.

Before each training event, reviewing the briefing slides and certain things in the QRH was very
beneficial the next day. I had answers ready for their questions, questions of my own, and it
facilitated a better learning experience. Your instructors also make notes in your training file;
your level of preparation is one of them. It pays to be a winner.

I feel I could have read more of the Vol 1 and FM. That’s on my short list of things to do in the
very near future. Being able to remember guidance when something abnormal happens, or
know right where to find it, is a big plus. Placing book marks in Mobile360 for supplemental
normals, international PAs, and other pieces of information not often used will make your life
much easier.

finally, I was surprised how much “AWA knowledge” I retained. Numbers, weights, system info,
and mantras from Mike Treptow were still stored. Nice to know our training back then was so
complete.

After GSW; Flight Standards Training Scheduling

This is where some big improvement needs to be made. I understand FSTS is understaffed and
overworked, and it’s not the worker’s fault. There is no planning ahead, no foresight, and
limited-to-no communication in a timely manner. They don’t look weeks, a week, or days ahead.
They look at the next day, it seems. I would have preferred, after a month in training and not
being able to plan my life, to have some idea of what comes after training and when. I had very
basic warning of when I would fly my first OE trip, but no specifics a pilot would like to know.
tFor the second OE trip, nothing appeared on my schedule until the day before.

Again, I am single so I am very flexible. For pilots with family and kids, this makes life a lot more
unsure and complex.

Calling them may or may not get you the information you’re looking for, even IF they answer.
They don’t leave a lot of info if they leave a message, either. They also have no problem
scheduling you on a DFP without batting an eye. Welcome to the big leagues.

OE Flying

I had the great fortune to fly with Mike Neal, one of our PHX check airmen. Mike is entirely
representative of the other positive experiences during this process. Over two weeks, we flew a
three-day and a two-day trip to cover the 25 hours of OE. He facilitated getting comfortable in
the left seat, working yourself into the flow of things, and he discussed improvements with tact
and professionalism. Don’t sweat OE, or any check airmen; they’re truly working FOR you and
are there to help you and polish up the little stuff. They want you to succeed. Plus, it’s FUN. If
your stuff doesn’t get going when you sit in that left seat, your stuff is BROKEN.

Over the five days of flying, we flew V2500 and CFM 319s and 320s, and 321s with sharklets.
It’s nice to jump around like that and get sharp on the differences. If you’re not familiar with any
airports you’re going to, take some time during cruise and look at the taxi diagrams, anything
NOTAMed closed, company info, and have a plan after you land.

I had to laugh at a phenomena I experienced as a captain for the first time. I’d been living on the
other side of this fence for the last 19 years… The hardest working person on the flight deck -
the FO - is indeed invisible. Whoever is sitting in the right seat is invisible. We had about six
jumpseaters total, and not one of them introduced themselves to Mike of their own volition.

“Say hello to Mike, he’s my check airman…” Oh, why yes, of course, hello… Team building and
looking out for your crew sure goes a long way.

When someone finds out, please let me know why landing from the left seat is so different than
the right… Every runway was two feet higher than you remember. I had a few “OK - 3 wire”
passes Mark Murphy would’ve been proud of. Landings begin to get sorted at the end of OE, so
don’t sweat it. The groove will return. You’ll get used to taxiing, but it seems like something that’ll
take about a month to get perfectly smooth. There are some large differences between V2500
engines (Yay!) and CFM engines (Boooo!) during taxi:

V2500s: Normal engines that work like you think they should. Sleek. Elegant. Sexy. Chicks dig
‘em. Easy to be smooth during taxi.

CFMs: Clanky, draggy, and full of various vibrations. Breakaway thrust; not enough, not enough,
not enough - TOO MUCH! Hey, at least they start fast…

There are also highly diverse methods and personalities that direct you into the parking gate.
They hold the wands six inches apart while you travel feet and then slam them together. The
Carnac the Magnificent could never predict that and stop the aircraft smoothly, so why does the
ramper think I can? Now you get stink-eye because you didn’t stop on their dime. The captain is
always wrong.

I’m sure that will never change.

Lights are another puzzle even though you’ve operated them for years. You’re looking at them
from the wrong direction and using your right hand to move the switches. They vary from plane
to plane. Forward on? Backwards on? This automatically subtracts 40 IQ points. That one
should be in Auto, and who the hell moved it? Taxi light on? F***! Maybe next time…

If I had any advice, it would be to ‘average’ things out. You’ll do some things really well and
others aren’t as refined as you’d like. Keep working towards being refined, smooth, and doing
two or three things at once. Keep your performance curve in an upward trend. It’s also not a bad
idea to look over the flow guide when you need to, and ponder why the cabin signs are SET
when you input so much info into the MCDU and it’s merely CHECKED. Sigh. VERIFIED.

Company/FAA Line Check

It’s a complete non-event. Check airman Steve Weaver rode in the cabin from DFW to SAT,
then on the jumpseat back to DFW. He came up and introduced himself on the way down, and
we had a chance to talk a bit. He was personable, engaging, professional, and had a very
positive attitude. At SAT, we had time to chat some more and get to know each other. He was
very low-key, and it added to having a relaxed flight deck.

Whomever your check airman is, they’ll look at your license and medical, then pretty much sit
there and watch. I included him in the brief, and that was pretty much that. With Mike doing his
rockstar thing in the right seat, the short flight went smoothly. Steve didn’t say much, although
there was some chat during the short cruise portion. It’s a busy 45-minute punt below 27,000,
so it moves right along.

As long as you follow SOPs, do all your captain’s stuff, don’t swear during PAs, or run the
airplane into the mud, you’re not going to have any problem.

At the gate, you’ll get congratulated on becoming line-qualified, and welcomed to “the club.” He
was genuinely excited, and I appreciated that.

Boom. You’re done.

I’d like to wish my fellow Westies, and all AA pilots, the best of luck when and if you decide to
upgrade or transition at GSW. There is nothing to fear from the program, the people, or the
process. We’ve all earned our careers at this point, and if you’ve gotten this far, you know how
the game works. Put in the work, and you’ll be successful.

Enjoy the ride - it’s well worth it!

And “they” were right… It is good to be king.

Fair skies and tailwinds!