atrdriver

I fly the 737-800 for a living. Never use CWS and have never seen anyone else use it!

I just wanted to say that 3mta3 is "spot on" in his narrative above. I wouldn't be at all surprised if we fly the NG for the same company! It is my company's POLICY to use the landing gear for drag when necessary, namely in the terminal area where most folks normally use spoilers or flaps for drag. The spoilers really aren't all that effective in the real jet. I recently had a controller give me a vector to a base leg much sooner than I expected while descending through 5000ft. As the pilot flying, my response for the captain was "gear down." Captain's response to me? "Attaboy!" Putting the gear down at 5000ft on a visual approach just doesn't feel right, but that's the way the company wants you to fly THEIR jet! Without that gear hanging out very early on, I never would have gotten configured and stabilized by 1000ft on this approach. The NGX doesn't accurately simulate just how slippery the real jet is during descent! I'm still fairly new to the type with only 240 hours in it, but I'm getting much more comfortable with getting her down in a timely fashion!

Hi guys, I just got my type rating in the 737-800 in February and have 85 hours now in the actual airplane. I have been a sim enthusiast almost as long as we've had sim programs on PCs. I even have the original Microsoft Flight Simulator with the 5.25" floppy disks STILL in the original box! Here's my take on the current topic. The PMDG 737NGX is a marvel among high-end FSX add-ons! I'm using my company's checklists and procedures for all phases of flight with this product. I've owned this product since it was released but never really got into the depths of it because, where home sims are concerned, I've always been a "crank it up and fly" kind of simmer. When I found out that I would be flying the 737 at my new job, I got serious about it. I have to be honest, the PMDG NGX was a huge help in a number of areas. I nailed down my cockpit flows in no time at all. The previous (surface) knowledge I'd gained from using it made me the "go to guy" for the FMC in my class! I was basically teaching FMC to my classmates during basic indoc! While systems were not something I had gotten into using the NGX, basic operating procedures were no trouble at all during simulator training. Bottom line: the PMDG 737NGX was an awesome tool to enhance my training for the actual aircraft. Now on to the big question, which always seems to be COULD someone, with lots of PMDG NGX experience, land a real 737-800. While there are varying opinions on this topic, my answer would be no, with one caveat. While my company does not do coupled autoland, there are those that do. I believe that someone with PMDG experience COULD set the MCP/FMS up to do a coupled autoland, but I don't think they would be able to hand-fly a normal landing. On a PC, you simply don't get the feedback that you get from the actual airplane. The "sight picture" is also different than you experience in the real jet. The one thing that was a new experience for me in the actual jet was the pitching moment experienced as the auto throttles increase and reduce thrust during the approach. You will notice this to some degree in the NGX. It took me about 50 hours to find my groove for compensating for these thrust changes while hand flying the jet. Now it's almost second nature. I still have a long way to go but am feeling comfortable in it sooner than I thought I would. I'm not a very technical person when it comes to replying in forums like this. I hope that relaying my limited experience in the actual jet hasn't been too much of a yawn! Terry Swindle

Thanks for the correction guys. Sorry to put out obviously wrong information! I went back and looked at the FCOM and re-educated myself. I am currently going thru a 737-800 type rating course and am still mixing up information from previous airplanes I've flown. Time for a brain dump! Thanks again!

Hubert, The simple answer is redundancy. If you lose that engine-driven pump, you have electrical backups. Also, you need those electric pumps for engine start since the engine-driven pump isn't operating until engine spool up. Multiple pumps, more reliable fuel delivery!

There is an engine driven pump that draws fuel from the respective wing tank with the electric pumps off.

I use ForeFlight coupled with a small $5 file called FSXFlight. FSXFlight sends GPS signals over your WiFi to your iPad/ForeFlight. Since I use ForeFlight in real world aviation, I subscribe to the charts and have them up-to-date. This set up shows you on all the charts, both IFR and VFR. The best thing about this set up is that it allows me to maintain proficiency using the program, which carries over into my real world flying.

I'm not really sure why people aren't clammering for PMDG to do the 787. It's a cutting edge airplane with an amazing avionics package, dual Head-Up Displays, new technologies in terms of electrical, pneumatics, ice protection, etc. The 757 has been one of my favorite airliners since it was introduced NEARLY THIRTY YEARS AGO! However, it would be a step back from PMDG's upcoming T7. I'd really love to see what PMDG could do with the 787 and just how accurately that they could produce that composite bird! Terry Swindle

My motto is "I love to fly but I hate to work"! As someone mentioned above, the flying is still fun. It's the politics and BS that goes with being an airline pilot really takes away from what should be a really great career. When someone tells me that they want to become a professional pilot, I don't hold back the negative stuff. The first thing I tell them is to become a doctor or lawyer and buy/fly your own airplane. That's what my father did, although I know that he sometimes envies the fact that I've been able to fly some neat planes while he has been flying the same Mooney for 47 years. As much as I love to fly, I probably enjoy flight simulation with equal passion. Unlike RW professional flying, I can fire up just about any virtual plane that tickles my fancy and fly in what ever manner I like, whether it's aerobatics over KDCA or flying the NGX into Aspen CO. I also use FSX on a professional level as a tool to prep for those pesky check rides the Feds require every six months (ANOTHER stressful event that detracts from the glamour of the career). My other hobby is RC airplanes. Flying professionally isn't for everyone. The "glamour" wore off years ago. For me, it puts food on the table and electrons through my computer and RC airplanes! As for you guys considering taking the plunge, go get that law degree! ;-)

I actually need to correct something in my previous post. I was referring to the Bridge Visual to Rwy 10 at TJSJ (San Juan, PR). THAT is the challenging approach there! Terry!

I have shot this approach for real many times as an ATR captain when I was based in KSJU. Being told to expect that approach always put a smile on my face! It was challenging and required a constant turn all the way down to crossing the runway threshold. LOTS of fun!Someone mentioned the VOR/DME approach to 13L/R at KJFK. I've done that one REAL LIFE several times as well. I actually have a video of a first officer I flew with a few months ago shooting that approach to 13L. The video isn't great because the camcorder was mounted on a mount suction-cupped to the side window. I couldn't be distracted by trying to free-hand record.I have also done the Rosslyn LDA approach to Rwy 19 at KDCA a couple of times. The last time was about three weeks ago, at night with the ceiling at 1200ft. It was quite challenging and my first time doing it as a jet captain (EMB-145).The most exciting approach I ever did in real life was the visual approach to Rwy 09 at TDPD (Melville Hall, Dominica). You enter the left downwind leg over the water at 2500ft. By the time you turn base, you are 200ft above the ground! The terrain rises from sea level to (I believe) around 5000ft within a few miles! There's a saddleback along the north face of a ravine the runs all the way back down to the airport. You have to get into that ravine to make the runway! I have a great video that a first officer shot of me flying that approach in 1999. Don't ask me to post it because, as much as I would like to, I can't.I use FSX to prep for my sim training events at work. I did my first recurrent training in the EMB-145 on December 27th, 2011. The training was basically a KRNO (Reno, NV) checkout. We have some very elaborate company-designed engine failure procedures for that airport due to high terrain surrounding the airfield. I practiced those procedures extensively using the FeelThere EMB-145 in FSX (Ultimate Terrain installed). That add-on is good enough to allow me to practice company profiles in preparation for training/checking events. I can tell you that having practiced those procedures at home on FSX made the actual EMB sim at work (which is a multi-million dollar full motion sim) seem easy. I was fully familiar with everything I was required to do for the training event.Obviously, my favorite add-on is the PMDG 737NGX. I need to go try some of these approaches using that add-on. especially with the HUD! By the way, I have sat in the 737NG jumpseat on many occasions. The last time I did so, I peeked over the captain's shoulder through the HUD. All I can say is that the PMDG recreation of that HUD is SPOT ON!!!Keep the blue side up!Terry

I actually got in this morning and just got home. The flight to KGSO last night was pretty uneventful, other than deviating around some thunderstorms. The flight back to KMIA this morning found us departing with weather at 1/4 mile visibility in fog. The rest of the flight was pretty routine. With regard to feelings, thoughts or impressions, I'll keep it brief. With nearly 20 years in the ATR, I can say that I really like that airplane. It is a solid-flying, well built machine that is a real money-maker for the airlines. As turboprops go, it's a pleasure to fly with very well-behaved flying characteristics. I could fly that airplane in my sleep! The Embraer is my first jet. With only 30 hours in the airplane (under five since finishing IOE last week), I'm still getting acclimated to the new machine. My impressions aren't glowing. Compared to the ATR, the airplane feels cheaply built. It also has a very stiff ride in turbulence. Something that REALLY surprised me about the airplane that I didn't fully witness until this morning was that the autopilot does a VERY crappy job of tracking a basic ILS approach. We were cleared for the visual approach to Rwy 12 at KMIA and I chose to let the autopilot fly the approach. When the LOC captured, I was shocked by how much maneuvering the jet did to "attempt" to track the LOC. I had to disconnect the autopilot to stop the occillations! It was like a roller coaster ride (laterally-speaking). I left the APP mode engaged for the FD as I hand-flew it and watched the FB bars rock back and forth! The ATR was silky smooth in this respect. I'm gonna keep playing with it and see what it takes to avoid such occillations, if possible. I'll also chat with my colleagues who have more experience in the airplane and see what they say. My FO (800 hours in type) said that it was normal to see such bad behavior! My second trip is tonight...KMIA-KBHM and back in the morning. One thing I can say in defense of this plane...it IS a jet! Anticipating NGX, Terry Swindle

Hi Guys, Here's my two cents worth (and that may be all it's worth). I have spent the past 20 years flying for a regional airline. I have more than 12,000 hours in the ATR-42/72 and just started flying the Embraer 145. In fact, I am doing my first "official" flight tonight following completion of training this week! I dreamed of having something like MSFS for as long as PCs have been around (I started sim flying with Microprose Strike Eagle in 1982 and still have, in the original box, MSFS 1 that came on a 5.25" floppy!). PC sim flying is amazingly advanced. Companies like PMDG have done a tremendous job of showing people what flying an airliner is like. I have actually used MSFS for years to get ready for proficiency checks. It's great for practicing procedures if used with a high fidelity add-on. As far as learning to fly, MSFS certainly provides a 'leg up" to those who use pursue flight training for real. The bottom line is that someone who learns to fly on MSFS will not jump into a real airplane and fly it with confidience as they might in the virtual world. They will certainly be more familiar with what's going on than the uninitiated. To give you an idea of how impressed I am with what I've seen in the PMDG 737NGX, I have sat in the jumpseat on a 737NG many times. Having looked over the captain's shoulder through the HUD, I can tell you that the PMDG 737NGX HUD is simply stunning! I, for one, WILL be purchasing it! Sim hard! Terry Swindle

Not to rip on the Embry-Riddle guys, but I have flown with many Riddle grads. I haven't flown with one yet that impressed me any more than a guy who got his training through a good non-college flight school. Don't get me wrong...Embry-Riddle turns out good pilots, but a Riddle flight education doesn't make a guy the next Chuck Yeager! The best "natural-born" pilots I have flown with are the guys who had a passion for airplanes from a young age. One of the things that younger folks have these days that I didn't is PC simulation. The closest I got to something like that (with the exception of having grown up around airplanes) was radio-controlled planes, which I still enjoy.By the way, thanks for the back up Sean. I was expecting flaming arrows over my post. I was simply telling the truth! Who's your Eagle buddy in DFW? If he's done any flying in Miami, I may have flown with him. I've been on the ATR for my whole 20 year Eagle career. Stayed in Miami post 9/11 and waited for ERJs to be based here, which happened in January. I fly my last trip in the ATR on April 7th, then it's off to DFW for 6 "glorious" weeks of ERJ training! With more than 12,000 hours in the ATR, I'm ready for the change!Terry

Ross,I am a 20-year captain for a large regional airline in the US. I may sound a bit negative in my response here, but I believe somebody has to play devil's advocate in any situation. I want to give you some things to think about as you consider a flying career.I fly with a LOT of first officers who are just beginning their airline careers. Almost without exception, they were all flight instructors. Many of them attended an aviation university such as Embry-Riddle while others went to a traditional college and attended a good flight school such as the Delta Connection Academy or Flight Safety. Some don't even have a college degree. This is rare but most airlines don't require it. However, I DO recommend getting a degree, namely something you can fall back on should you experience setbacks in obtaining that coveted flying job.Nearly all the first officers I fly with are in massive debt for their college and/or flight training. I can't recall flying with a first officer in the past few years who wasn't $50,000 to $80,000 AND MORE in debt for their flight education. All that debt to get a job starting at $22,000 a year! I flew with one first officer recently who had to pick and choose which bills he was going to pay and which ones he wasn't. He said that creditors were hounding him all the time. He was living mostly on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! That's very stressful. My #2 recommendation to ANYONE wanting to become a pilot is NOT to go into debt to do it but to pay for it as they go (I'll tell you my #1 recommendation in a minute)! That's very hard to do these days with flight training being as expensive as it is. I never went into debt for my flight training. I paid for it as I did it. It probably took me a little longer than many, but it was an awesome feeling NOT to be in debt when I started this job in 1991 at $14,000 a year! Start saving your money now. If your parents are paying for it, fly as much as you can.CAL757 suggested the military route. I would also strongly recommend that. However, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to get into the military as a pilot because the military simply isn't training as many pilots as they used to. The military is using more and more unmanned aircraft and pilot slots are becoming increasingly hard to get. I don't know how it works in the UK but I imagine it's not unlike here in the US. If you want to go the military route I would STRONLY suggest making top grades now and trying to get into whatever the top military academy is in the UK. That is a sure way to get into an airline job, although a bit later than those who go the civilian route. The best part is that you don't go into massive debt but instead GET PAID to go through flight training!Now for my #1 recommendation. BECOME A DOCTOR OR LAWYER AND BUY AND FLY YOUR OWN AIRPLANE!!! There's nothing like being self-employed and flying when and where you want to! If you STILL want to be an airline pilot, just be aware that it ISN'T an easy life. You will be flying when your kids have important events in their lives. You will miss birthdays, anniversaries, etc. You'll fly when you don't feel like it. Depending on who you fly for you may be pressured to fly when you're sick. You may be on reserve (on call) in a base that you don't live near, spending hours and days sitting in a crash pad with other pilots while waiting to do a short round trip to some podunk little town. You could be on reserve for years as I have seen with many pilots at my own airline.You may ask me if I would do it all over again. Absolutely! I would do some things differently but not much different. 9/11 had a profound impact on my career and is the main reason I am still flying for a regional airline. There is a worldwide pilot shortage coming and many say it is already here. For now, study hard and make good grades in school. Get that PPL as soon as you can and follow it up with your Instrument rating, Commercial License, multiengine ratings and Instructor ratings, namely the multi-engine instructor ratings. If go the civilian route, multi-engine time and experience is a MUST! Single engine time will build your total time but airlines want to see that multi time!Hope I haven't been too much of a killjoy here. Just want you to be aware of what you're planning to get into. Best of luck in your endeavors!Terry Swindle