X-Treme Training
(continued) It didn't take long for problems to occur. An engine failed at V1. When we were normal line pilots, it was customary for the X-type check airman to give us a few moments to become reacquainted with the simulator before the proverbial stuff hit the fan. It wasn't going to happen this time. Besides, our first session was limited to one hour apiece. We had to accomplish more in a short period.
As Larry maneuvered through the initial stages of the engine failure, I reached for the emergency handbook in anticipation of his next request. He was struggling to make the performance pretty, but he was doing well enough to maintain safe parameters. When the airplane was stabilized with the autopilot connected, we worked together on the checklist procedures.
Greg vectored us for an ILS approach. The weather, of course, was set to the minimums of a 200-foot ceiling and half-mile visibility. But as predicted, we never saw the runway. Larry executed a single-engine go-around. A single-engine go-around is not the easiest to perform, especially from the unaccustomed vantage point of the right seat. Larry kept it together. Greg concluded the emergency.
A flap problem and a VOR approach later, Larry's day was over. We took a quick break and than it was my turn. For the most part, with a few minor variations, Greg afforded me the same abuse. My performance wasn't an Academy Award winner either, but both of us proved that we could get the job done and keep our passengers safe when flying from the right seat.
The following day was a four-hour simulator session, with Larry and I each allotted two hours. On this occasion, we flew our periods from the left seat. And on this occasion, the fun really began. It was my turn to go first.
Once again, the visibility was 500 RVR. And once again an engine failed ... well, actually an engine fire at V1. It didn't matter. We follow the same basic procedure regardless. Larry and I worked through the checklist. I attempted an ILS approach, but to no avail. The weather prevented a look at the runway. I performed a single-engine go-around. Greg terminated the problem and we were positioned back on the runway.
Another takeoff later, I was given an engine failure at 400 feet. It wasn't the standard scenario, so it took me a moment to ensure that Greg's instruction to turn to a heading after departure was really necessary to comply with. Four hundred feet is our normal turn altitude. With terrain not an issue, I elected to continue straight ahead.
As I lumbered the simulator up to the engine-out obstacle clearance altitude, I reached over to the overhead panel and rotated the APU start switch. Although starting the APU is one of the items sequenced on the engine failure checklist, I find it helpful to have it available ASAP as long as the momentary distraction doesn't detract from flying the airplane. An extra power source is always helpful.
My forethought was rewarded by Greg selecting the simulator button that initiates an APU fire. The electronic bell activated and the APU fire handle glowed red. Greg offered a mischievous chuckle as Larry and I recited the red box memory item. Larry pulled the fire handle and rotated, sending the simulated extinguishing agent into the APU. Nobody said it was going to be easy ...
Once our checklist items were complete for a single-engine landing, I requested a return to the airport. With Greg role-playing as ATC, we were given an initial heading for vectors. Once again, our airplane experienced a major issue. Both of the FMCs failed. Predicting that it would be a futile act, I asked Larry to search for errant circuit breakers. Greg called off the search before it began, a smile in his voice.
Apparently ATC had their own issues. Both their radar and the glideslope for all runways had been rendered inoperative by an alien attack ... or maybe it was some other reason. A localizer approach was the only choice. Raw data only. Ughh. Larry and I prepared. The approach, of course, terminated in a single-engine go-around.
The remainder of the session progressed in much the same manner. The events were numerous enough that I lost track of the exact sequence. It didn't matter. The objective was to sample a little of everything.
We experienced a cargo fire while holding. Our trailing edge flaps ceased to operate past two degrees because of an asymmetry problem. On a Category III approach with a 50-foot decision height, one of the engines failed. And the final misfortune was a wheel well fire that resulted in a collapsed gear situation. For the gear collapse, the simulator visual did an admirable job of making our 767 operate like a merry-go-round. When the spinning stopped, the airplane came to rest across the width of the runway. The scenario forced me to initiate an evacuation procedure. The evacuation procedure signaled the traditional end of the session.
If the session had been a normal line pilot-type check ride, we could have called foul. Multiple emergencies are not part of the training program. But we were check airmen, so anything was fair game. Quite frankly, it was kinda fun. Perhaps next time I will look forward to more X-treme training. Or ... perhaps not.
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