Last week we had a family medical issue come up that was a surprise, and would be a continuing concern. The situation was stable enough, so my wife and I felt leaving for training would work out. I flew up to Toronto on Sunday, November 15, 2015. Salisbury to Charlotte and Charlotte to Toronto.
The customs guy in Toronto is not happy in his job. The instructor I was to meet in Charlotte didn’t show himself either – I had worn my uniform to make it easier to spot me. Fortunately, he came back for me after waiting for 20 minutes or so in Toronto, and we made our way to the hotel.
My new partner Vince was in the car and I met him for the first time then. Our QPT in the simulator was the next day, and it would be conducted by my former sim partner who is a Captain now and in the training department. We spent about 5 hours in the sim that Monday, since the next group would be late, and were off to a good start. This was my first time in the left seat and throwing switches over there, so I enjoyed learning where everything was and began getting familiar.
The first few sims would prove to be allot of fun, actually. The pace was working out fine, even though the amount of study we put in everyday was intense. Interspersed in this schedule there were a number of nice dinners and outings with friends to break the stress. I enjoyed that immensely, and won’t ever forget that part of it.
The intro and fun part was over then, and we moved onto Lesson 3. Here is where some of my weaknesses were revealed, and began to impede our progress. The FO, naturally, had his own set of challenges. Chief among them was not being aware of them. His was an average candidate, I’d say, but wasn’t being helped enough by me.
The pace is quickening and the pressure ramping up….. I’m trying to fill in the gaps by working harder, as I’ve always done.