After flying for a few weeks, it is time for me to rotate flying with the other intern. So for the next few weeks I will be ‘flying a desk’ and my last week will be spent back in the skies. I’m working in the Flight Department offices regarding pilot training, records, manuals, regulatory compliance, and recruiting. It’s great to see the behind-the-scenes work that goes into running an airline that most pilots don’t get a chance to see.

Ameriflight operates as an ‘on demand air carrier’ regulated by Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations part 135 (14 CFR Part 135). The FAA is the enforcing agent for these regulations and since they control an airline’s ability to operate, it is important as a company to follow all their guidelines. In regards to training, this includes properly training and checking all company pilots to ensure compliance, standardization, and safe practices. Confidential records are kept on each pilot as proof that this is all true.

As an intern I assist in developing and producing training materials for our pilots via manuals, supplements, and computer-based modules. I also perform audits on our records as part of regulatory compliance.

You may have read about the projected pilot shortage in news headlines. To add to that, our company is hiring, which is good news for many young aviators like myself. For reasons like the projected shortage, now is a great time to get started on your career!

Our offices are adjacent to the hangar, which allows me to see our mechanics in action. Attached below are some photos of Pratt & Whitney PT6A turbine engines in the box and Lycoming TIO-540 piston engines on mounts. In addition to powerplants we do much of our maintenance work in-house. The last photo is a line-up of ARFF (Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting) vehicles that came by for a visit.

Over and Out.

Flying in Southern California is a nice change from the norm of Central Florida.

It’s different because of the weather factors; high terrain, and air traffic saturation, amongst others. SoCal has generally more stable and favorable weather; there’s fog typically in the mornings, not so much rain, and it’s definitely not as humid. Although I can say that learning to fly at ERAU Daytona Beach has prepared me well, as Florida is the thunderstorm/lightning capital of the world. If you ever looked at an atlas, it’s a no-brainer that California has mountains and valleys, as opposed to being flat and swampy. We learn about mountainous operations in ground school, but to actually experience it first-hand is invaluable. I highly recommend that all pilots experience it, although Prescott campus pilots can obviously fulfill that, since they live at 5,000 ft MSL. The air traffic infrastructure in Los Angeles is Class B (the highest class of saturation in the US), and having flown through the Class B of Orlando, Miami, Tampa and New York, I feel I’ve been able to adapt pretty well.

Flying the Beech 1900 is just like flying a big King Air, in fact Beechcraft even refers to the aircraft as a grown-up King Air in the manuals. It was originally developed to be a business aircraft but the airlines loved it so much that it became one of the most popular turboprops of its time. In a passenger configuration it seats 19 people, and in a cargo configuration we can typically carry 5,500 lbs.

As the regional-jet market expanded, many carriers got rid of their 1900s to adapt to their changing mission. Despite this, it is a very capable aircraft and valuable to cargo airlines for its bulk capability, climb performance, cruise speed, and versatility.

Speaking of cargo, which is carried on passenger aircraft too, cargo-only aircraft have the ability to carry more hazardous materials legally. Hazardous materials include items like dry ice, batteries, medical specimens, and low-TI radioactive material. All pilots receive training to comply with the federal regulations on transporting these items in their first few weeks of ground school training. Fines for mishandling these goods are pretty hefty and it is important to maintain the level of safety needed each and every day.

Over and Out.

I’ve officially been in California for over a week now; I arrived last Thursday evening safely.

 The past week has been quiet the learning experience for me. I just completed my first week as an intern, which consisted of Basic Indoctrination/General Subjects ground school at Ameriflight’s Burbank training campus. Topics discussed were: company history, general aeronautical information, instrument flight rules and procedures, carrying Hazardous Materials (HazMat), GPS training, emergency procedures, company policy/expectations and regulations, to name a few. During the week, the new-hire class got to meet the President, Director of Operations, Chief Pilot, Director of Training, and the Flight Department administration team. Indoc concluded on Friday with a test and receiving our ID badges.

After completing Basic Indoc, I began work in the Flight Department and Flight Training offices. I will remain there for this week as aircraft specific ground school begins the following week.

As an intern at Ameriflight, not only do I get paid, but I will also be receiving ground, simulator, and aircraft training to fly the Beechcraft 1900C Airliner as a First Officer (SIC – Second in Command) on daily cargo runs. This is an intense process that will really put my Embry-Riddle education and past flight training to the test. I have already received my training materials (cockpit flow diagram, aircraft manuals, standard operating procedures, etc.) and have begun studying aircraft systems and procedures, as required.

Contrary to public belief, there is a lot of prep-work and studying that goes into being a pilot. As you progress through a career (typically by flying different aircraft), your prior experiences prepare you for the next job, but even the most experienced pilots need to study, as it is a continuous learning process.

I will keep you informed on how my training goes.

Over and Out.

Last week I completed Beech 1900 ground school covering airplane systems and operation. We spent two days doing classroom discussions and procedures training and another two days in the 1900 FTD (Flight Training Device) covering real-life scenarios (normal, abnormal and emergency). The reason flight training devices or simulators are used in airline training is because they’re cheaper to operate than the actual airplane (which are more costly to fly than a Cessna 172). Simulators also allow for the practice of emergencies that we physically cannot recreate in the aircraft for safety and/or practicality reasons.

This week was spent in the actual airplane flying the line with a training captain, practicing maneuvers and approaches to nearby airports. This allowed me to get a more realistic feel for the airplane and also put my simulator-learned skills to the test. After flying for three days, I was signed off to take my checkride along with a company check-airmen. I took my SIC-First Officer checkride the next day with one of our Beech 1900 check-airmen and passed. Upon completing the flight, I was presented with company wings and first officer epaulets (sometimes know as shoulder bars/strips). Receiving this was such a rewarding feeling, knowing all those hours of study and years of training paid off.

Now that I’m certified to fly the line as a First Officer on the Beech 1900, I have the ability to fly cargo runs anywhere our Beech 1900s fly in the country, but primarily I do in the LA area. Freight-forwarding is a major part of Ameriflight’s business. How UPS and FedEx load their cargo freighters (such as Boeing 767s and Airbus A300s) is via feeder service from smaller cities. Much like how people connect at hubs when flying from one city to another, boxes have to connect as well.

I will be flying and working in the office routinely throughout the summer, and I will continue writing to share my experiences with you all.

Over and Out

The week spent with Procter & Gamble was a once-in-a- lifetime experience. To be a part of a multi-billion dollar corporation and to continuously help in fostering its development is a pride only a few can claim. Corporate Aviation isn’t just flying around the world in airplanes, it involves so much more and encompasses many highly skilled and knowledgeable people who all work together to touch and improve the lives of their consumers. This opportunity gave me a platform to educate myself on Corporate Aviation and learn about a company and operation that I hardly knew about. After coming from an internship with American Airlines I was able to compare the two types of operations side by side and they actually fall at the end the spectra, with quite a lot of differences.

The program started out with the other intern, Michael and I going to a Cincinnati Reds vs. San Diego Padres ball game, accompanied by the Chief Pilot Global Flight Operations P&G, Captain Skip Margraf and Program Coordinator, Captain Dave Brown. It was a great experience and the Reds dominated with 7 home runs. It gave us an opportunity to relax and become comfortable with Cincinnati life before we began our sessions at the Hangar.

The next day started early as we headed to the Global Flight Operations (GFO) for a tour of the Hangar with Mike Pecore. It was quite a thrill and the operations there are quite extensive with highly technlogized systems, techniques and equipment. I was highly impressed by the systems and state-of-the-art equipment that GFO employs at their Hangar. Later that day we spent time learning about the aircraft and their avionics. We went through the checklist of the G-4 and G-550. This gave us the ability to learn where the buttons are and we got to program the FMC of the G-4. The procedures were a little different from the airlines but still encompassed the same things. Things I have never seen before were the FLIR- Forward Looking Infer-Red, SVS- Synthetic Vision System and very highly technologically advanced airplanes. The late afternoons and evenings of every day were allotted for us to explore Cincinnati and it is a beautiful city.

Monday morning led us to the General Operations Building (GO). It was a complex and huge group of building with a labyrinth below the surface. We got a tour of GO, which was impressive. P&G savors innovation and progression and it was quite obvious during the tour. Later that day after the tour we met with Skip Margraf, Chief Pilot, and Steve Ripley, Director GFO. Through these interactions I was able to get a better insight into GFO and how it helps P&G surge forward and foray into being the top brand company in the world. In the afternoon, we got to assist in the trip planning for the following day. We were actually going to be on the flight in the jump seat observing.

The next day was one of the highlights of the internship. I got to fly in the jump seat of the G-4 from KLUK- KILG and it was fun to see the operations and professionalism of the crew. We were taking the CTO and a few others to meeting in ILG. During the flight we chatted about Pilot Duties and Responsibilities, had lunch and then on the way back I sat in the cabin and chatted with Bruce Brown, Chief Technology Office P&G.

Wednesday brought a new day with more exciting things to do. We attended the Weekly Hangar Meeting and then chatted with John Hampton, Scheduling Manager. We got an insight as to how scheduling operates and how they have to manage their resources along with the needs of the company. New things that I learned were FOS, Rockwell-Collins flight plan program and the statistics that were generated. We then spent some time with Dennis Daley, Aircraft Maintenance Department Manager and Dave Melk, Chief Inspector/ Aviation Materials Manager. Maintenance was so much fun and quite a learning experience but it is a lot of work to fathom, along with all the paperwork and record keeping. Discussion topics were the repair station, inspection authorization, training, Cabin Safety Attendants, technician requirements and RVSM requirements. In the afternoon we met with Diane Wingate, Financial Coordinator, who gave us a brief overview of the budget, assets, expenses, purchase orders and a budget analysis.

The following day was really fun, as we started out chatting with Captain Gary Hebbard from the Pilot Training Department. It was a great opportunity to pick his brain and see how training is done and the difference from that to the airlines since I had just come from AA. We talked about the evolved training needs with company development, different training due to pilot qualifications, duties and responsibilities, training flights and special emphasis areas such as breaking, landing, CRM, flight practices and techniques- callouts, taxiing, windshear recovery, mach technique climb, single-engine operations and cockpit communication. I was thoroughly impressed and wished we had more time with him as all that we talked about was of a lot of interest to me. After meeting with Gary, we spent a few hours with Captain Ken Robinson learning about international flight planning and procedures. We planned from KLUK-KLBG and then South America Operations. I learned things that I wouldn’t have in class due to the nature of their flying and the decisions that needs to be made as per Part 91 Operations. It was a great learning experience.

Later that day, we hung out with Todd Hillsgrove, Assistant Chief Pilot and Safety Officer. We discussed the development of the Safety Program at GFO, ARG/US- PRISM, Safety Management Systems (SMS), safety training elements, reports and risk management and the AAI- Go Team. Having a little background in safety made this portion interesting to me as well. Todd is a wealth of knowledge and a great person. Concluding the day was a little chat with the present intern, Saul Meza. He gave us an insight into his projects and experiences at P&G. He enlightened us on life in Cincinnati and being involved in the company. It was definitely an eye opener and very informative. Later that night Michael and I were very fortunate to go the Western & Southern Open Tennis Tournament. We got to see the match between Roger Federer and James Blake and I never thought I would be about 30 feet away from these two world top players. We also got front row seating to watch the Janckovic and Schiavone match and was about 10 feet away from the players. It was amazing!

Friday was the last day and I was a little sad that the experience was coming to an end. We just rapped up, did evaluations and then spoke with Captain Dave Brown about the road to Corporate Aviation. There are many turns and diversions in the life of a pilot and you never know where it may take you and what the outcomes may be but you know that you want to fly. The presentation showed us what we need to achieve and the goals we need to set to get into this industry. This week has been a great one that has helped me to figure out where I want to go and do with my life. Who knows, I may end up at P&G or the airlines but I am now more informed as to what both sections has to offer and what I can do to improve and progress the companies that I am involved in.

My summer has now come to an end and it was a great one. I have experienced, learned and seen so much. Thanks you all for reading the journal entries and seeing what the internships are like coming from an ERAU background.

Let’s go Eagles!

The last two weeks at the American Airlines Internship was fun, but at the same time somewhat saddening as I would be no longer working as an Intern there. What the future may entail would be my walking down those halls again as a pilot for AA. I can’t wait for that to become a reality. Working at the JFK Flight Office was quite an experience and I could not have asked for a better Internship. I did and saw so much that many pilots around the world may never have the opportunity to see or do and I consider it quite a privilege.

The experience was worth the while and I thoroughly had an amazing summer. I met so many people, created so many friendships and networks and got quite a lot of advice from chatting with hundreds of pilots on a daily basis. I would encourage anyone who wants to do an internship to apply for AA! You will be surprised at what you may learn and how it would create the path for your future. Just drop by Career Services and any one of the advisors would be willing to help and advise you.

The second to last week I spent a few hours up in the Ramp Control Tower directing some flights and chatting about the upcoming arrivals of AA’s new aircraft. It was a good time and I saw some ‘emergencies’ with getting aircraft out of their gates with minimal delays. The picture to the left is the ramp control tower at JFK. Later that week I was fortunate to spend two half days at Ramp Services. Through this experience I got to drive around the AA Ramp with the Manager on Duty. We went to all the aircraft that were coming into and out of the gates, ensuring that they were being unloaded and loaded promptly, fueled efficiently and catered correctly. We looked at load management for the airplanes and I even got the opportunity to load cargo onto the 777 and 767. It was quite amazing at what goes on in the cargo area for those larger airplanes.

It is all automated and the process is quite easy. The crew chiefs taught me a few things about operating the loading machines and it was just a thrill. I also loaded a few bags onto the conveyor belt to go into the 737 forward cargo area. The picture to the right is from after I unloaded cargo out of the 767.

While I was on the ramp, I got the opportunity to drive the tow after pushing back an aircraft. That was so much fun! I am really going to miss this internship. The Ramp guys were so welcoming and gave me all the knowledge they could have. I couldn’t be more appreciative. During the week, I also got a tour of Baggage Services. What they do down there is quite amazing. Those conveyor belts form a labyrinth under the terminals and I was so shocked. The bags shoot down, over, under with so much speed like a roller coaster.

If you saw Toy Story 2 where Woody was lost in the conveyor belts, then that was a perfect representation of the system. At the ending of that week I headed to Dallas for a luncheon with the fellow interns. I was also able to receive an ARFF Tour at JFK. They have the most up-to-date technology there. Their fire trucks were state-of-the-art and quite new. The officers gave me a tour of their facility, explained their operation and allowed me to jump into their trucks and drive around a little. Thank you AA!

I returned to Dallas the following week for a DFW Tour and the closing luncheon for the Internship. The DFW Tour was fun and quite different from that at JKF and LGA. The operations side of things was more hectic as DFW is our major hub. We toured the Flight Offices, Ramp Control and drove around the Ramp. The picture to the right was from a preflight of a S80 at DFW.

The closing Luncheon was nice, as it was the one time where all the interns were able to be together. The night before a couple of us explored the city of Fort Worth. No better BBQ than in Texas! We had a delicious lunch and then the Vice President of Flight- Captain John Hale gave a heart-warming speech. My last two days were spent at the JFK Flight Office. On the final day I went to a presentation for Flight Services, where I saw booths comparing our products in the different cabins with other world-class carriers, and I must say that AA measures up quite well with the 5-Star carriers. We are a force to be reckoned with.

When I returned to the Flight Office I was surprised with a farewell party. It was in such a shock, as I wasn’t expecting anything of the sort. The LGA Flight Office closed down for the day and came over to spend time with me on my final day. I was surprised with a really nice lunch, cake, and lots of presents and heart-warming cards and words. I am so fortunate to have worked with such great people. The picture to the left was from my last day at the Flight Office and the one to the right are some of the amazing people of the JFK/LGA Flight Office.

I am at the LGA Airport headed to CVG right now writing this journal entry. I will keep you posted with one more entry next week about the Procter & Gamble Student Development Program. I am very fortunate for my time at AA. It was a wonderful experience and a great learning opportunity. I would eventually like to fly for this airline because they really do embody all that I believe in, and AA is and will continue to be the American legacy.

The past two weeks have been amazingly great. I did so much within that period that would probably have spanned the entire internship. I have a new respect for the airline industry and for those who work there. It is a dynamic environment with many people who all work arduously together to ensure a flight is out on-time in the most safest and expeditious manner. Be it baggage services, passenger services, flight service, maintenance, the flight crew or the administrative group, their main aim is towards the common goal of managing an effective airlines and American Airlines has accomplished that.

The week started out with me flying to Dallas for 3 days to partake in a Luncheon and then Simulator Training. I spent four hours in a 737-800 Level D simulator which was divided up into 2 hours in the Captain’s position and the other 2 hours in the First Officer’s position. We had an hour briefing before and after the session. The ‘Sim’ session consisted of normal take-offs and landings, Precision & Non-Precision Approaches, Single-Engine Approaches and Landings, Aborted Take-Offs prior to and at V1, Failures, Fires and In-flight Emergencies, Single-Engine Operations, CAT I, II, III Approaches, RNP Approaches, Drift Down, FMC Operations, Unusual Attitudes, Wind shear Recovery, Missed Approaches, Low Visibility Operations and much more. It was so much fun and I learned a lot about flying large transport category aircraft. Flight Technique Analysis class at ERAU did indeed pay off. CRM is very important also and the FMS Class made me a pro at working the ‘box’.

I came back on Wednesday and spent the remainder of the day at LGA. Helped out around the office and caught up with some friends since I haven been spending all my time over at JFK. Later that week I spent half of a day up at the JFK FAA Tower. That was fun, as they gave me a headset to listen in on their communications. So many accents! I got to see a missed approach, a go-around and Emirates A380 land. The air traffic controllers were very much passionate about their jobs and have a lot of fun in the tower. I was able to understand most of their strip markings, procedures and phraseology. Riddle’s Air Traffic Program has been so beneficial and now I can see things not only from a pilot’s perspective but also the controller’s side. The picture to the right is a view from the tower.

The following week proved to be busier that I expected. Monday I met up with a 767 crew who invited me to preflight with them, program the FMC and hang with them in the cockpit before they were ready to push back. Later that afternoon I spent a few hours with the Flight Service Department. I learned about their operations and then gate hopping with the MOD to ensure the flight attendants were okay, the cabin was ready for departure and the cabin crew was all set for their flight. There is a lot of work that goes into ensuring the plane is well prepared for flight, from cleaning, catering to maintenance. Once again I reiterate the importance that all the employees place on ensuring the planes go out and come in safely, with the best of services.

The next day proved to be so worthwhile. I spent the day traveling to ORD and back just for fun. I hopped on a ferry flight and repositioned it over to ORD. Spent 10 minutes at ORD and then hopped on the next flight to LGA. It was a long day, but one of the best days of the summer. The next day I got up-close and personal with all the airliners that fly into JFK. I spent the day with the General Manager of the Airport. I got a tour of their facilities and then I jumped in their car and drove around the entire field. It was so much fun and I learned a lot from the managing side of things. I went from cargo facilities, to every terminal, runways and taxiways.

Even got to see an airport sign get blown out by jet blast. I was also fortunate to get a tour of the land side of the airport and not only the air side. I was all over the airplanes though, especially the 777-300ER’s, 747-400, A340-600, A380-800. The picture to the right was taken from the approach end of the runway as BA 747 was landing, one of my favorite airplanes of all times. I was even at the end of the departure runway as the planes took off and got jet blasted a few times…. FUN! The pictures below are from the A380 rounds and some jet blast from AA 757:

This week has already been an amazing one but there was still more to come. Thursday I hopped on a ferry flight from JFK to LGA on a 757. Basically I just repositioned myself too, which was closer to home. This was just an amazing week to culminate into my birthday festivities with my friends on Saturday. On the last day of the week, I had a surprise party at work for the Chief Pilot, and myself as we both celebrated our birthday on July 30th. It was really fun! Later that afternoon, I was fortunate enough to get a tour of the JAL Facilities and Operation. Their 777-300ER is amazing. The crew bunks are above the first class cabin. I got to preflight the aircraft with the FO and partake in the cabin briefing, which was indeed quite different from the American Carriers. The picture to the right is from the First Class Cabin with 2 flight attendants on JAL 777-300ER.

It was an amazing two weeks and I saw, learned and experienced a lot. Now I’m heading into my final two week on the internship then onto Proctor & Gamble for the Student Development Program. Stay tuned for the next entry and fly safe! Keep the blue side up…