First day

Hello again everyone.
For anyone that’s already a pilot in here, how was your first day on the job experience?
As a therapist, I remember my first day I was very nervous, a lot of eyes on you. Can you guys talk about that experience and any advice for the rest of us future airline pilots :blush: :airplane: :sunglasses: any do’s and dont’s we should know about for that first day?

Thank you very much

Emmanuel,

It can be a bit hard to pick what exactly is the “First day” for an airline pilot. One could argue it is the first day of class, the other might say that it was the first day of actually flying the jet. For me the first real day on the job was my first flight in the Embraer 145, which was a full flight from BHM-IAH. I remember feeling nervous, but confident that the simulator training had prepared me well. I sure didn’t get everything perfect, but I did alright and got better with each passing day. My best suggestion would be to try to stay calm and relaxed, but most importantly be open to learning from the captain you are lying with.

Chris

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Emmanuel,

I was extremely fortunate in that I had an absolutely amazing check airman for IOE (Initial Operating Experience). This was at EWR airport. EWR is a) one of the busiest airports on the planet, and b) where I had watched planes take off from my entire life! To say I was overwhelmed is a MAJOR understatement! We went to the plane together, got set up and then he turned to me and said “listen, I know this is your first flight in the jet AND here at EWR so I’m going to consider this first leg “single pilot” and I expect absolutely nothing from you. I want you to relax, look out the window and just take it all in. If things sound familiar or you want to jump in by all means but otherwise enjoy the ride”. This really took the pressure off and I actually did pretty well. Good times!

Adam

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Wow. That’s a great captain. He understood and was making sure you’re 100% comfortable :airplane:

Yep, being confident is key

Thanks Chris