01 · The beginningI always wanted to be a pilot
It all started when I was very small. According to my mum, typical boyhood dream jobs like firefighter or police officer never interested me. I always wanted to be a pilot.
After finishing school, I applied to a large flight school in Germany, which unfortunately I’m not allowed to name. The selection process was very tough and demanding. All in all, it took almost eighteen months.
02 · DLR HamburgThe selection process
Back then, I had a company prepare me professionally for the various tests at the DLR (German Aerospace Center) in Hamburg. I only had this one chance in life and wanted to be sure I had done everything I possibly could. If it didn’t work out in the end, at least I wouldn’t have anything to blame myself for.
The first phase of the DLR selection process covered the following areas, among others:
- Mathematics
- Physics
- English
- Technical knowledge
- Spatial reasoning
- Memory
- Concentration
Looking back, it was all quite manageable, and nowhere near as impossible as some people had told me beforehand. You should do well in every one of these areas, but you don’t have to be a “high-flyer”. What they want is more of an all-rounder.
Once I had passed the basic aptitude test, I was invited to the second and final part. This stage focused on psychological fitness and was assessed through group exercises and an interview lasting several hours with several psychologists. Last of all came a test in a flight simulator. It felt unfamiliar to fly at first, because you had to get used to the handling. While flying set routes, you had to solve arithmetic problems at the same time to test how well you cope with several tasks at once.
03 · Aeromedical CenterClass 1 medical
The last step was putting my health to the test to obtain the Class 1 medical certificate. At the Aeromedical Center I was checked from head to toe for a whole day: hearing tests, eye tests, an exercise ECG, an EEG, and blood and urine samples were part of it. In short, I passed.
04 · Flight school & LBAA year of theory
After more waiting, my training as an airline pilot finally began. Almost a year of theory lay ahead of us. It was pretty intense, because we had to take in a huge amount of material in a short time. So you can picture how much material it really was, I’ve added a photo of all the course notes here.
The syllabus covered:
- Aerodynamics
- Technical knowledge
- Radio communication
- Engines
- Performance
- Air law
- Electrical engineering
- Navigation
- Flight planning
- Meteorology
After a year of studying, studying and more studying, the final exams of the flight school and of Germany’s Federal Aviation Office (LBA) were finally due. Passing them meant the theory phase was successfully completed.
05 · USABeechcraft Bonanza F33A
After more waiting, our first flight training in the USA finally began. First aircraft: the Beechcraft Bonanza F33A.
Since I had never flown myself before, it was all very exciting, of course. After just twelve flights with an instructor came my first solo, completely on my own, no instructor. Unforgettable to this day and by far one of the coolest experiences of my life.
After about four and a half months, the first practical phase was complete and we flew back to Germany on an Airbus A380.
06 · Multi CrewCessna Citation CJ1+
Unfortunately there was another long wait before we could carry on with the second part of flight training. This time a much larger aircraft was waiting for us: the Cessna Citation CJ1+. A jet that wealthy clients like to use for private or business travel.
A jet naturally flies very differently from a small propeller aircraft with a piston engine, so it took a lot of getting used to at first. This phase was also the first time we dealt with MCC, short for Multi Crew Coordination. It means the aircraft is flown by a crew of two, and no longer by a single pilot as before on the Bonanza. This was meant to prepare us for flying a large passenger jet later on, because larger jets are always flown by two pilots.
07 · Frankfurt · BalatonAirbus A320 type rating
After many hours of simulator and aircraft training, this phase was successfully completed too. Now came the final part of the training: the type rating for the Airbus 320 family.
Getting this type rating involved around four more months of simulator training, finishing with landing training in a real Airbus. We flew from Frankfurt to Lake Balaton in Hungary. Goosebumps again. Taking off and landing a real Airbus for the first time was simply indescribable.
After twelve take-offs and landings, it was done for good. After all those years, I could finally hold my own pilot’s licence in my hands.