The meanderings of the ATPL

'Airline transport pilot licence'. Some big words that don't mean a lot to us ! We know that the course are given during two sessions of 6months each. We are going to learn all the theoretical matter required to be hired in an airline company, just that ! A huge difficulty to overcome, as it is the case today for the ppl training, it is given in english only. Books and examinations in english, instructors speak in english most of the time too. A very good way to improve your level, but you can quickly get lost before we even started the course yet !

All the books by Oxford. Radio navigation is missing !

The students that passed the ATPL told us that it is hard, long, and requires a certain motivation. In general, and even more than before, we are on our own. The school wants us to become responsible pilots, meaning we have to handle our time aswell as licence renewal, medical certification and so on. We have to fly a certain amount of hours to get access to the next module too, and nobody will remind us to do it !

As during the ppl course, it begins with a good shot of meteorology. Our instructor, JM C. (that I also salute warmly for all those hours spent explaining us that difficult matter !) get us in the bath quickly ; "my rabbits, we are not joking anymore, this is tough shit now !". Spent all his carreer in the Belgium Army, JM was an ace of the sky but only in the mother nature's field ! He was the one that tried to keep us safe from her, taking time to explain when to go and when to stay quietly on the ground ! He knew how to speak to us and to fear us, perhaps more then he should have, in order to make everyone study ! I have to admit that he was right. Even if meteo was one of my favourite subject, certain aspect of the course gave me a really hard time...

The ATPL was a great opportunity to work with some airline pilots and to touch, by the tip of the fingers, the purprose of our formation. I learn, thanks to them, a lot of things about how airlines are working, what their expectations are, how an interview is conducted, what a line training is and so on...We spent most of our time during break speaking with them about their job and what it's really like. Busy schedule,  staggered hours,...It happened a few time that one of them, after waking up at 4am, had to give class in the evening !

747-8 CargoLux off to Los-Angeles(LAX).

The first six months passed quickly. Finals check are coming, we are all a little bit late in our schedule, but, in the end, everything went fine. We get 3weeks of freetime to reste a  little and we start again for 6months, that should be more practical. We started in september and had two weeks during Christmas to celebrate and study of course.

Once again, it passed very quickly. By the end of march, the training is completed and we have to prepare ourself for the examination at Bruxelles (as for the PPL.). I took the decision to take all my examinations after the two blocs, to have a better overview of the subject matter. In retrospect, I think it was a good decision. It helped me to understand certain dark part within the subject matter of another course and reciprocally.

So, tough part coming, the examinations at the administration in Bruxelles. How does that work :

2blocs A&B with 7subjects matter each, that have to be taken in two days (3-4subjects each day then.). You have to take all the examinations in a delay of six months following the first examination. An average grade of 75% in each subject matter is required to pass, otherwise you have to do a retake. 2retakes are available in each subject, if you fail 3times you have to contact a FTO and do the ATPL training all over again.

Personally, I passed with success the B bloc in June. Worst grade is 80% best is 97%. At the moment, I'm studying for the A bloc, wishing to take and pass all the subjects for september...After that, I'll continue with the IFR training which will probably get an article on this blog ! (Edit : I passed the bloc A with success, failed flightplanning for one question but I did fine on retake !).

What did I learn from this year of formation ? The aviation world is small, very small. I'm thinking about writing an article on this, because it shall not be taken lightly ! The first impression can be the last one, and since you are working with airline pilot all the year long, this is very important. One of our instructor is today head of training for TNT in Liège, what do you think will happen if you get an interview in front of him after sleeping in Technics class, subject that he was giving ? I can tell you, nothing good, you won't get the job for sure !

So, one important thing, applicable in any sector ; Give Your Best. All the time, no matter what you are doing. You have to keep that student minded behaviour, the need for knowledge, the need to understand what is going on ! Go beyond your limit and the expectations, set goal and reach them!

To be a good pilot is not only making kiss landing on a 3km long runway, it is, and more than anything, responsability and decision making. The quality of the training is a very important factor, but only you and no one else will make of that training a good commercial pilot.

Old School with the PRG!

Flying back to Liège with the sunset !