Week 78: A320 Type Rating Week 17

Fulfilling week I had as there were three sim sessions with the same lesson plan. However, the lesson plan had a change of aerodrome to Bali and Jarkata, flying a Localiser only approach with circle to land, plus Go-Around procedure. Lots of things to learn from these sessions.

#1 session
Had a long prep done the day before by reading up on the FCTM as well as company SOPs on how a circle to land is done, cross-referencing with the aerodrome chart with regards to the minimums that I had to take note.

It wasn't easy flying it for the first time, with an instructor that has been away for a while and his way of flying is different. Previous we were allowed to use the ND in ARC mode and follow the track of the SIDs. However, he insisted us on using only the VOR Rose mode on the ND to fly the SID, conforming to the radials and distances listed on the SID. That itself was quite a shock and requires a certain level of skill to fly it accurately with the winds blowing the plane off track but we're not able to see it in the VOR mode.

Unlike previous CANPA flying, this time we used a localiser only ILS approach, meaning we have to do the glideslope height calculations beforehand. Along the descend, height reminders will be read out by the PM, additionally configuring the aircraft to Flaps 3 with gears down, and upon hitting 1000ft AGL or the circle to land minimum, whichever higher, we have to level off and fly 45degrees away from the runway heading. The runway will preferably be on the PF side as circling to land is a fully visual approach. Visual with the runway is a must at all times, height and location awareness must be in top condition.

Once our track reached 45degrees away from runway track, we have to get the wings level and start the chrono to time for 30seconds, plus/minus according to wind conditions. Once this 30seconds is up, we will head back to the runway heading and fly parallel to the runway just like a downwind leg of a circuit I flew in Ballarat days in the C172.

During this downwind leg, lots of things have to be done. Radio call, activation of secondary flight plan, checking wind condition and planning the descend, as well as landing checklist. Once we're abeam the threshold, for every 100ft above ground, we will fly a 3second additional downwind duration. Since we were at 1000ft AGL, we flown 30seconds more after passing abeam the threshold. This timing is wind dependent as well.

Once 30seconds is up, we start turning base and descend at about 300ft/min, extending flaps to FULL for landing. This is where the tough part comes in. My lack of experience is making it hard for me to gauge the angle of bank so that I line-up accurately to the runway centre-line once I get wings level. Often, I under banked and was too high with 3-whites on the PAPI. With the distance to the runway threshold only about 3nm, there is very little distance and time for me to fixed my height and track. Being stable at 500ft AGL for landing is a strict requirement, but I didn't manage to get it and we often were still adjusting the heading at 300ft. Managed to land safely, but it wasn't pretty.

Circling to landing is the most challenging aspect of my A320 training so far.


#2 session
My usual instructor took me for this session and we flew with the VOR Rose mode on the ND too. This time round I'm more familiar with how it works, but I have also changed sim partners, and I have no idea how different they fly. The good thing about having SOPs is different pilots will have minimal differences, which is what makes SOP so important to an airline. You do not work with the same set of crew all the time, that's also where MCC comes in.

Good thing though, they're very good in terms of SOP as well as manual flying, which allows me to learn from them and fix my inefficiencies. My usual trouble again is at the base turn into the final approach for landing. Failure to stabilise at 500ft AGL is becoming very frustrating for me. I ended the session not feeling confident at all....

#3 session
Final session of the week on a quiet Sunday earlier today. Third time flying the same lesson but with yet another different instructor, the most experienced of them all. This time, he introduced us to use the Bird to fly FPA/TRK. And I must say it makes visual flying much more of a breeze.

Previously I was using my memory along with the V/S to determine my descend profile. Without the bird, the placement of my flying "box" wasn't consistent which caused the need for a lot of corrections here and there. It was tiring to manual fly like this.

However with the bird, I can place it directly on the -3degrees position on my PFD and fly its tail to the track I've set. It was nice. My approach on base and finals improved, and I'm glad I've found the trick to flying visual accurately.

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Two weeks later I will be sitting for the A320 type rating paper. It has been 1.5years since I last sat for a big exam paper with CAAS. Getting a little worried with the amount of material to study, made worse by the fact that I do not have much experience and exposure with the A320 systems. So for now, I will have to rely heavily on the CBT to get myself acquainted with all the systems, which at the moment is quite overwhelming to me. Wishing myself all the luck I need!