I'll be honest, initial airline training was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done to date. It was a nonstop firehose of information and the pace was quick. They had a lot of information to teach and not a lot of time to do it. Before I started, I searched for anything I could possibly find that might help me unlock the secret to passing all of the evaluations and the final test. In the end I decided that there was no big secret, but there were a few trends in the answers that I got.
Maintain a Good Attitude
Unless you've flown a jet or even a turboprop before, going from a small prop job to a jet is a big jump. The best thing you can possibly do is keep a good attitude. By that I mean be humble, be open-minded, and show the instructors that you are excited to learn and that you want this opportunity. The more eager you are, the more likely they will be to help you through as much as they can. The people that tend to wash out are the people that have poor attitudes. Don't be one of those people.
Build a Good Study Group
They say that if you study alone, you'll fail alone. It's a little harsh but it's true. That's because there is far too much information to study and you can very quickly get lost in the flood of it all. Find a few people with whom you click and study with them as much as you can. Quiz each other, and bounce questions off of one another. You will find the information much quicker together. Make sure you and your sim partner are on the same page as well; if one of you is really on the ball and the other is not, it's going to be that much harder to make it through the program.
Do As Much As Possible To Prep Before Training Starts
So this is a tip I bring up cautiously. Training programs are designed to be quick, so they are structured in a way that presents the required information exactly when it is needed. In other words, don't try to get ahead of your syllabus. What I do mean by this tip is make sure that you have a good handle on the basics before you start. Be current on your instrument knowledge, understand how turbines work, understand high altitude aerodynamics, etc. By going in with this knowledge you save yourself the hassle of trying to learn it when you are trying to learn everything else that the instructors will throw at you. If it's been a little while since you've flown, a couple hours in a rental plane would be a good way to get some stick and rudder skills back under your belt as well. I'll leave a couple links at the bottom to resources that are helpful.
Take Breaks
This tip is so important because of how exhausting the training will be. You will have to grind during training, but you absolutely must give yourself breaks when you can. I was lucky enough to have a few days off in between ground school and my simulator sessions. I took a couple days to myself to relax and unwind. This allowed me to recharge and the information to truly settle in my brain which left me ready for the rest of training.
Have Fun
The beauty of studying with a group of people that you get along with is that it will make the training more fun. I can point to several moments during my own training where my group and I were in stitches from laughing so hard. Training is supposed to be hard, but there's no reason it can't be fun at the same time. Everyone has worked so hard to make it to this point, so enjoy the final push to get that coveted ATP certificate and your type rating!
Hopefully this helps those of you reading this that are moving into your airline training. It is difficult, but it is so worth the challenge. The instructors are there to help and they want you to succeed, so my final tip is don't be afraid to ask for help. If you feel yourself getting lost in the flood, speak up before you get too far behind. I wish you the very best, and I will see you up in the flight levels!
See buttons below for links to a couple books that will be helpful for your preparations. Everything Explained for the Professional Pilot is pretty much an all-in-one book that will give you a great refresher on all things aviation. It can also be downloaded as an app. The Turbine Pilot's Flight Manual is a book specifically geared towards those transitioning from light piston engine aircraft to their first turbine aircraft. This is another phenomenal place to start reading about the complex systems you'll find on board turbine aircraft.
Note: some of the links in the article may be affiliate links; if you make a purchase through them, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you. This allows me to continue creating content for this site.
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