Operating Experience for Two

FLYING Staff

Thursday, December 18, 2008 at 10:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A new 767 captain and his check airman encounter a series of escalating operational challenges on their first international flight, including an inoperative APU, extreme heat, and ground crew issues.
The flight faces significant delays and complications due to a severe thunderstorm, air traffic control confusion, and a strict airport curfew at their Bermuda destination.
The pilots actively problem-solve by coordinating with dispatch and ground control to manage passenger comfort, critical fuel levels, and departure priority amidst multiple setbacks.
Despite their efforts, the flight is repeatedly hindered, leading to critical fuel limits and being pulled from the departure queue, with the situation unresolved as the story concludes.

See a mistake? Contact us.

One of the cool things about my new position with the airline is that the job is rarely routine. The trips are different. The people I fly with are different. The qualification requirements for each pilot are different. The side of the cockpit that I fly from is different. But what I hadn’t anticipated was the fact that my own learning experiences would be different.

In that regard, when I shook hands with Leon in Operations, neither one of us had a clue that the evening would become a learning experience for both of us. Leon was flying his first trip as a new international 767 captain. I was his check airman. We were beginning the first leg of a three-day sequence that was scheduled to depart JFK for Bermuda at 1720.