Line Check Airmen

In January I found out that I was selected to become a line check airmen  They were running a class at the end of January with around eight Brasilia captains.  The class was scheduled when I was going to be around 35 weeks pregnant.  Pregnant passengers usually can't fly past 36 weeks.  This class was the only reason that I was still flying.  It feels like every co-worker I ran into would ask what on earth I was still doing at work.  It was definitely getting uncomfortable to fly.  Broden was constantly kicking my right rib cage.  Becoming a line check airmen is quite significant in terms of career advancement.  A line check airmen conducts new hire training and conducts line checks.  Every captain has to have a line check once a year.  The line check airmen rides along during a normally scheduled flight and observes the captain and first officer.  The line check airmen makes a determination if the captain and first officer were satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

The line check airmen training was conducted in Long Beach at the Flight Safety Sim Center.  The first day was in the classroom.  The second day was in the simulator.  I had called Kathy Bjorkland (the lady that works with check airmen to schedule events) before training began to inform her that I would be around 35 weeks pregnant when our training was scheduled.  I asked her to help me get everything done before I went out on short term disability.  It was really important to me to complete the whole process of becoming a check airmen before I had the baby.  During the first day of check airmen training, I pulled Robin Wall (the director of training) aside and asked if I could get all my training done before I went on leave.  He, at first, said that I could just complete the required events when I returned from maternity leave.  I emphatically urged him to give me the chance to get it all wrapped up before I left.  He assured me that he would do everything in his power to help me get it done.  He said that the FAA was sometimes the difficult part to get scheduled.  He mentioned in the classroom (in front of the FAA guy) that it was the priority to get my events scheduled and completed before I went on leave.  I felt so good knowing that Robin had heard me out and got behind me.  The reason this was so important to me was because in order to become a check airmen an individual has to conduct a line check with the FAA observing.  I knew that flying with the FAA on board would be nerve wracking enough but if I was gone for 5 months without flying and then had to come back and conduct my line check with the FAA it would be terrifyingly nerve wracking.  I really didn't want to put myself in that position.  Since I started flying in 2002, I have never taken a break of 5 months.  I don't think I have gone longer than 2 months without flying.

We were informed that after our two days of training we would need to observe another line check airmen conducting new hire training on four legs of a trip.  Then we would need to have a four leg right seat check out.  After that was completed, we would be scheduled for the FAA flight.  I had to complete all of this before February 1st.  I basically had 10 days to accomplish all of this stuff.  I knew I could do it.

The second day of training was in the simulator.  I was partnered with JJ Lewis.  We met up early to go over some material.  He told me that he had called Kathy and had everything scheduled. I decided to give her a call to get everything arranged.  She told me that they had decided to have me complete everything when I got back from maternity leave.  I was so shocked.  She said that since I would be gone their resources would be better served elsewhere.  She also said that there weren't any check airmen conducting new hire training at the time.  I was so upset.  I totally started crying after I got off the phone with her.  Poor JJ was trying to comfort me.  I couldn't believe that she would say these things after Robin had promised to help me.  I was really disappointed and felt betrayed.  JJ assured me that Robin probably didn't know about it and that he probably hadn't had a chance to tell Kathy to help me get scheduled.  I was totally emotional.  It is hard to go perform in a focused manner in the simulator feeling that way.  I asked the simulator guys if there were any check airmen doing new hire training.  They said that there were and gave me some names.  I told them the story.  I asked if I completed everything now if it would be any additional output to the company when I got back from leave.  They said no.  I could see no good reason why I couldn't get this done in the month of January.  I decided to call and leave Robin a message.

After the simulator session I spent several hours texting and calling different check airmen that I knew to ask about their schedules and try to get things arranged myself.  I was able to find a friend of mine, Sean Woodard, had a new hire he was training on Friday and Saturday that I could observe.  Casey Albies was able to do my right seat check out on Sunday.  It was pretty crazy trying to get the observation flights in because the flights were totally full and I could not be booked for a seat.  The loads had to be light enough for me to get on too.  Friday was a bust.  Every other leg was too full.  I didn't want to fly out to Bakersfield (or where ever else they were going) and get stuck there.  I flew up to San Francisco Friday night and paid for my own hotel room.  I met up with their trip early in the morning.  I was able to get on the first two legs.  The next two looked dicey.  San Fran to Sacramento looked bad but when I checked in with the gate they had 10 passengers misconnect so I was able to get on.  In Sacramento, it looked like I wouldn't be able to get back.  I went up and told the gate agent that I had to observe the line check airmen conducting training.  She didn't give me a hard time.  She just printed out a pass.  I couldn't believe it.  Man, the Lord was blessing me.  My right seat check out on Sunday went fine (besides a 3 hour ground delay in Bakersfield.)  I didn't think I would make it home to Boise but it all worked out and I made it home really late.

I had a three day trip scheduled starting on the 25th.  Steve Allen from the FAA was scheduled to fly with JJ and I on the 26th.  My first officer just rode along in the back of the plane.  JJ was to fly the first leg from Sacramento to San Fran and I would sit in the right seat performing the first officer duties and conducting the line check.  In San Fran we would switch seats and I would fly with JJ conducting the line check.  We had a three hour weather delay in Sacramento.  JJ came out to the airplane and we started going over some stuff.  I think we started over analyzing things.  I did a walk around the airplane and found a placard that had come loose.  JJ found a button on the overhead panel didn't have a "knocker" (I don't really know what it's called) around it.  We wrote up the placard in the maintenance can because we knew we had three hours to fix it.  We also talked with maintenance control about the other issue.  This all turned into a disaster because they couldn't find a maintenance facility that had the right rivet to reattach the placard.  They had to create a new non-essential furnishings document for the other issue.  We were scrambling trying to figure out the maintenance things ourselves.  It looked like we would be delayed past the ground stop for these maintenance issues.  We didn't want ATC to then issue us a window several hours later.  I was stressed because I didn't want the FAA guy to just flat out cancel with us since I only had a few more days left of work.  JJ finally went in and talked with Steve.  He told him about the situation.  Steve just said "Why don't we just pull the placard off?"  I had no idea we could do that.  Maintenance didn't offer that as a solution.  So finally, after maintenance control finished all the paper work, we were able to continue on our way. It actually went pretty smoothly from there.  I think JJ and I both did a really good job in each seat.  I was so relieved to have it done.

Our overnight was in San Luis Obispo.  My friend Jacob Bennett lives there.  He works for Skywest too  I met him when I lived in Florida.  Brandon and I went and stayed with him when he lived in Kona Hawaii.   He met up with me for dinner.  It was nice to be able to do something fun after such a stressful week.  I told him all about the craziness.  he told me all about this corporate flying gig he is trying to get on with.

Friday was the last day of my trip.  It was a seven leg monstrosity.  I just felt totally burned out and considered calling in sick.  I didn't want to delay any flights or abandon my crew but I just felt done.  So I looked to see what the staffing was like in Los Angeles and found that there was a captain on reserve at the airport.  I called off the trip after the first 3 legs.  It felt wonderful to be done.  I flew straight from LAX to San Fran and up to Pasco.  My dad picked me up.

I feel so blessed to be given the opportunity to become a line check airmen.  I am extremely pleased to be able to wrap everything up before going on maternity.  It's nice to know I can focus all my energy on the baby and not have any of the check airmen stuff hanging over my head.