Check ride done and passed

Today is the 21st of June... This is important, because almost Exactly 1 year ago, i was taking my check ride in the 1900D. The 1900D was my first type rating, and the first time i would actually call myself an Airline Transport Pilot. The ATP (airline transport pilot) is in a way, the final license. With the ATP, you can pretty much fly anything with wings that don't move. You c an fly lots of people, or few people. At this point, the only thing that sets a Captain of a Boeing 777 apart from me is the airplane he is in. You may wonder why i am telling you this, so here goes. Feb. 13th, 2006 - Chuck Colgan officially offered me my first airline job. Before this, i had worked as a Flight instructor in NH, VA, and pretty much all over the world. I had Provided training to US Marines, under the Initial flight screening program, and even brokered aircraft for sale. I flew countless scenic flights, photo missions, and survey work. I had been asked probably 15,000 times if i was ever scared. After roughly 2000 hours in various airplanes it was finally time to move on. During my stint flying small aircraft, I took pictures... much like now. They can be found at http://s300.photobucket.com/albums/nn16/TUCKnTRUCK/ I Covered a good amount of the country, as can bee seen in this screen capture from Google Earth:
I logged a lot of miles, crossed the country a few times, and had some of the best experiences of my career. If you are ever looking for a good adventure, Take a small plane and head west. Spend time to talk to the people you meet on your way. Say hi to the airport bums. Leg by Leg you will learn about the country, and usually get some good grub while doing it.

Back to topic,
When Chuck offered me the job he said one thing, " Give me three years, and I will give you two type ratings, and 1000 hours PIC" A type rating applies to large aircraft. It means we can fly that specific plane. I couldn't actually go fly a 747 right now, but a 747 pilot couldn't come fly a 1900, unless we were typed in that aircraft. PIC stands for Pilot In Command. When you are the captain, you sign for the aircraft, and are responsible for it, the passengers, and the crew. This means you are the pilot making decisions, so you are in command. Having different type ratings shows that you can learn different aircraft, and PIC time shows that you are mature enough to accept the command of a large airplane.

Short version, 2 different type ratings, and 1,000 hours PIC would really help me get on with a Major Airline (US air, Continental, United, Delta etc.)

Feb 2006 i was hired.
June 2007 I upgraded and got my first Type.
June2008 I transitioned to the Q400 and received my second Type.

It's a shame the airline industry is in such a downturn right now, because i would have been very competitive at a major airline. The New airplane is much larger than the 1900. more than 3X the size. Below is a cabin layout. We actually have 1 more row of seats than this picture... 74 cabin seats total, but it is close enough:

Moving to the new airplane required a new Type, and that new Type goes on my pilot licence. Once i pass the exam, i am issued a 120 day hand filled temporary certificate. In this modern day, the 120 day Temp. has not changed since the FAA took over from the DOT. Memory fails me, but i believe that was near 1932? This is what the Temporary airman certificate looks like - minus the details.

Right up until a date near 2003, All FAA licences were actually just paper cards that got mailed to you. I have a copy of my old ground instructor certificate. I imagine this would not have been hard to fake.


After Sept. 11th, the FAA decided they needed to make licenses harder to duplicate. They then issued a Plastic card, roughly the size of a credit card. The Big problem though, is that there still is no photo on the ticket. I don't care how hard it is to copy the license, there is still no way to positively ID the pilot. Because of this, the pilot must carry a passport ($$$) or Federal ID with them self's at all times. This wasn't an issue until this year. Many have you have heard of the "REAL ID" or federally accepted state ID program. Well, a few states do not meet the requirements. New Hampshire, and Maine. Go figure that i live in NH, and fly in ME. This means that you can not use a NH or Maine drivers license for your "federal photo ID" This means i must fly with my passport in my possession. Here is the "NEW" Pilots license
The single coolest part of this new license, is the micro print. Below is a 100% crop of the left side of the Write Flyer in the license. The Vertical ties are actually micro print. Between the front and back of the license, the abridged tale of the Write brothers is told. Pretty cool if you ask me, but also pointless... and impossible to read... see below.

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Enough about the pointless stuff.. We have been staying at the Holiday in Airport West, in West Earth City. http://www.trails.com/all-hotels/hotel-info.asp?hotelid=92201 .

While things may have been inconvenient, the staff at the hotel has been nothing short of Amazing. The Desk clerks all know us, and take time to chat with us. The hotel downstairs features a Bar/Restaurant called Malone's. St. Louis is not known for it's Irish settlements, but many actually settled just off the river.
http://stlfire4.loudclick.net/ for some Irish history in St. Louis.

I only add that, because I myself though an Irish bar in St. Louis was funny. Point aside, the hostess there, Jody is Incredible. She is very quick to spread the southern/ mid west charm. She pretty much new all of our favorite drinks... after 1 night. There were always locals coming into her bar just for her :) Catch her on a Tues-Sat night, and she will make your visit pleasant.

Jody, the fixture at Malone's

Always quick for some fast conversation, A short stop to Malone's is worth it. The Van drivers always seem happy to drop you off at the Mall, or guitar center if that is your fancy. A quick $2 tip, and they'll point out the best places to grab some food in the local area. The hotel houses pilots from Colgan, Republic, Chataqua and shuttle... so pilots are abound there. One of the oddest hotel experiences was the Missouri auction school. Nothing like walking down to breakfast, and finding 1-200 "Southern" boys with a southern drawl practicing their auction speak.

Tomorrow is LOFT, Line Orientated Flight Training... we all think of it as stress relief day. Now that the check ride is done, we get to go up and try using all the cool toys on the plane. This training is supposed to get us ready for the line... But none of our instructors have flown the line with Colgan, so, well. Yeah. Just gonna be fun.

Till later, have fun.

TNT