Learjet school end day 4

today I settled in to the fact that the learning curve just keeps going up and up, and I'm doing all I can do to merely lift my eyes to the new realm in which I now reside. Classroom hours added to the list of systems and acronyms that are all new to me, and the simulator session put me further under the deluge of new sights, new perceptions and new expectations of this amazing machine.

This airplane goes 300 knots indicated airspeed in a climb, 500 knots ground speed in cruise, and in a descent, watch out-the 250 knot speed limit under 10,000' is contrary to what the jet really wants to do. And if you carry too much speed into final approach for a landing, forget it- flaps out and power idle will not subtract enough energy to slow you down. The cleanness of this machine is incomparable to anything I've flown.

I'm finding in this day the necessity that I shun my attempts to associate what I know with what I need to absorb this week. The KingAir is so vastly different that my trying to relate the KingAir to the Lear is ultimately unfruitful. My mindset must be transformed and conformed to the new subject, and I must pursue not only to be adequate, but to be expert.

I've got a long way til then, but every long way is traversed by small steps. 

As Usen said tonight, "keep on truckin'! "

Learjet school - end day 3

Click-click-click.
Any jet pilot can identify with those sounds. They are the sweet tune of the thrust levers pushing past all reservation and asking maximum takeoff power from the engines. It happens as the prelude to that next sound of the engines changing pitch from a humming whine to a robust whoosh. It's incomparable. It's exhilarating.
I got to experience that sensation for the first time this afternoon, though in the Lear 75 simulator. There was no hiding my jubilation as I grinned the whole way from takeoff to landing. There's nothing like taking to the sky with seemingly unbridled power and having to reign in that energy in a big way just to keep the plane under 200 knots in the traffic pattern.
Yeah today was an excellent day.
I loved classes with our systems instructor Mr Beller and learned a ton about the electrical and APU from him.
I'm still helplessly behind in reading assignments, but I'm finding that the instructor provides insight that seemingly endless pages of the Training Program do not.
Really thankful to God for the privilege of being part of this new paradigm for this season.

Learjet school - end day 2

class began "late" today - late meaning for east Texas time, and ON time for west Texas. Regular management office hours begin at 10A at Basin anyway, so a 10am start time this morning felt in line with what I'm used to. Came in to class feeling bright and ready to learn. Lecture on the G5000 continued in the morning and afternoon covering topics of Navigation, weather, traffic and terrain.
Bombardier hosted a free lunch for us "customers" (never got called a customer in college) of a salad with all the fixings. Really good, and I wish our lunch break were later so I could enjoy the food on a more hungry stomach.
The most anticipated moment of the day followed class, and that was stepping inside the Lear 75 simulator! We had time for only one of us to be the button-pusher, so I volunteered my classmate to the job so I could learn from his experience. But I played the role of checklist reader and got myself in trouble once for helping my classmate find the right buttons instead of letting him figure out his own way around.
I got a general good feeling from being in the simulator for the first time. It was a really sweet experience because the machine is genuine with the airplane except it's not interfaced to an actual Learjet. My first exposure to this synthetic jet was both beautiful and overwhelming.
I came back to the hotel with generous experience that I could use for my studies and solo practice this evening.
The former is bad news. I'm behind on my reading and preparations for tomorrow's lecture. If I sleep a bit less then maybe I can catch up. Nevertheless, sleep has to be priority.
The solo practice is, however, a success tonight. God brought to my mind the idea of enriching the cockpit wall chart that I hung up yesterday with labels, procedure flows and notes. So I got out masking tape and borrowed a Sharpie from the hotel and stuck labels on the major components of the Bombardier Vision Flight Deck. Then I went through checklists in the POH and stuck notes on the wall chart of facts to remember and procedure flows I need to keep memorized.
The unfortunate part of being a scholar is that time goes quickly while studying much, and much study is weariness to the flesh. Studying removes time from sleep, and sleep removes time from studying. The better part of the balance is a sharp mind, even if that mind isn't filled with the right stuff.
2 Corinthians 13 was my reading today. The part that says "my grace is sufficient for you. My strength is made perfect in weakness" reminds me that ultimately my dependence rests on God.

Learjet school - end day 1

I did not sleep well last night. In fact, I dreamt well - Too well. I had two very vivid dreams which stirred me awake, and each time I came awake the time of morning was still too early. Obviously the memory of the dreams has faded by now, but they each had considerations of the future. The first had me in the right seat of the Learjet 75 flying with a favorite colleague of our west Texas employer, and I was clumsily fumbling around with my headset, unable to straighten out the contraption so I could wear it properly. My captain was making calls over the radio himself, a job I'm supposed to be doing. The embarrassment and feeling of inadequacy that came over me because of my inadequacy to do this very simple job was depressing. In the second dream, I was with a friend going off to some festival type thing, where I got sidetracked and remembered that I needed to be at Learjet class about then. In each dream I was awakened by a conscious trigger that knows, even in a dream, "I can't let this happen". Very interesting how that operates. 

I did get up and made it to Bombardier's flight training facility in time to grab my badge and a freebie "Remove before Flight" keychain and went up to classroom 313 where the instructor was all ready for me and my fellow student. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this is a class of two; I have never been in a class that small except in private lessons. Nevertheless, two is the minimum class population because we need to serve as each other's copilot during simulator training. The other guy is working for a larger 70/75 operator at CXO. He has more than 10 years flying older model Learjets so he will be a strong help to lean on. 

We were greeted with all kinds of goodies at our tables. Yes we each get a whole table to ourself. Situated in a very neat array was our welcome folder, a Cockpit fold-out wall chart, business cards for our instructors, a very ritzy boxed pen made by Cross, a yellow highlighter, and a small glass leaf full of maple syrup from Quebec. 

Today's topics were aircraft basic features and Garmin G5000 functions. We spent around 4 hours lecture and two hours hands-on a G5000 desktop trainer. 

When I first stepped up into the flight deck of the Lear 75 knowing that this week was coming, I had essentially no idea what the buttons and levers and screens all were. It is hard to describe ignorance as thorough as that which I had when I first sat in the aircraft. I perceived the awe and wonder that one feels while adoring a masterpiece of artwork. "It's there to just look at...i don't know what it means but it is quite nice. A talented somebody put a whole lot of thought into the pictures and shapes and colors. But I definitely don't know what it all means so I'm going to let it alone."

This week I have been learning what it all means. Behind the shroud of beautiful mystery is a world of functional simplicity that I am discovering little by little. Now when I look at my cockpit fold-out wall chart, I see an instrument ready to whir into action at my command rather than a fragile twig that could break under my ignorant touch. 

Studies before the next class are the preflight and starting procedures. In addition to these, I must also study limitations and those immediate procedures that are required to be memorized.

Learjet school - day 1

When I get up in the morning, my agenda will include this: Learjet 75 initial training school.
Flying The newest and most advanced certificated Learjet is taught at only two places in the world, and relatively few 75s are in existence, and very few pilots are licensed to fly them. I plan to join these privileged in about 15 days.
i am persuaded that this timing is just ideal. I'm not too excited about the future, nor am I too confident: God has mastered my heart and forged into me a spirit of balance such that has removed impulsiveness and increased discipline .
Jet training time.