I got to the airport about 30 minutes before my report time. Today I would be flying with a different Check Airman. Just like the previous trip I met the captain and flight attendants at the gate, while we waited for the plane. The plane was coming from Detroit. It had departed ontime, but there was a line of building thunderstorms over eastern Pennsylvania and into New York and New Jersey. The plane had to go south, over Virginia before arriving from the South. It was close to a 2 hour flight from DTW-LGA. The plane pulled into the gate 40 minutes late. Once everyone had deplaned, we quickly set up for the flight to CMH. During my walk around I noticed the ramp was busy with a lot of planes not moving. We pushed back a few minutes late, and ramp told us to get in line. After about 10 minutes of sitting, we were at the top of the line. We made the right turn as instructed and followed an American 737-800 that was going to Charlotte, and got our first glimpse of what was in store for us
Runway 13 was the active. The ground controller had us get in the line, and taxi down towards the east side of the airport. Once we got to the end, we would make the turn and then start heading back in the general direction of the runway. At this point the sky was getting darker and darker. New York Center had shut down several of the fixes North and West of the airport. As we were sitting, every so often the captain would make an announcement to the passengers. We also kept track of our taxi time for the tarmac delay program. The majority of the time we were in line, we were just sitting. Every so often as planes ahead of us started to get out of line, we would move up a little bit. The entire time we were sitting, we only saw about 5 planes depart. After two hours of sitting it started raining really hard, and around this time a lot of planes started to head back to a gate. It started to get pretty busy, as the ground controllers tried to work through the mess of planes everywhere. At one point we counted 52 planes ahead of us in line. As we passed the 2 hour and 15 minute mark, the captain asked ATC if he had any updates on our route of flight. A few minutes later the controller came back with a new route. It involved flying north of Boston, before heading west over upstate New York and then heading towards Columbus. After running some numbers, we determined we would not have enough fuel for this routing. ATC said this was the only option and with that, the decision was made to go back to a gate. The captain dealt with the ground controllers, and I spoke with ramp to get us a gate. As we were taxiing in dispatch sent us a message that the flight would be cancelled, as well as the return CMH-LGA. When we got back to the gate, the gate agent came up front. She told the captain in a kind of rude tone “Why are the all standing, I was told you would just be getting fuel and departing. We don’t want them in the terminal”. The captain said they are standing because they have been sitting for close to 3 hours, and that the flight would be cancelled. She rolled her eyes and got off the plane. Once everyone had deplaned, we called crew scheduling to see what our new plan would be. They told us that we would wait at LGA for a few hours, and just work our original flight to Toronto later that night. With this we shut the plane down. I did my walk around (luckily by this point the rain had stopped) and we were going to head down to the crew room to wait. As we walked into the terminal, the entire plane was just standing around in the gate area. The agent hadn’t told them anything about the flight being cancelled. She just walked away, and left them there. So after the captain answered some peoples questions and found a new gate agent, we headed down to the crew room. We had pushed back at 3:41pm, and were back at the gate by 6:14pm. In that time we had taxied down to one end of the airport, and only made it to one taxiway intersection further then we had started from. After a few hours of waiting we ended up coming back to the same plane, this time we would be taking it on my first “international” flight to Toronto
One of the few planes we actually saw takeoff, during our 3 hour taxi to nowhere
Once we got back to the gate
Flight 4826
New York – LaGuardia, NY (LGA) – Toronto, Canada (YYZ)
Embraer E-175
Scheduled Departure Time – 9:28pm
Actual Departure Time- 10:19pm
Scheduled Arrival Time – 11:14pm
Actual Arrival Time- 11:21pm
1 hour 2 minutes
After a few hours we were back at the same plane as earlier. We got there a little early, and were fully set up for before boarding even started. The door was closed a few minutes early, and we went to call down to the tug, to see if the rampers were ready for push. No one was there. A few minutes later the rampers came slowly walking out. We then got an indication that the cargo door had been reopened. I looked out my window, and saw that they were just starting to load the bags. After about 15 minutes, they started to hook up the tug. As it turns out they never had done the flight. So after waiting about 30 minutes from the time we closed the door, they were finally ready for us to push. After what felt like sitting and waiting literally all day, we were finally moving. Luckily by this time all the traffic had departed, and there was only one CRJ-900 in front of us for takeoff. 8 hours after arriving at LaGuardia and going nowhere, I was finally leaving. I would be pilot flying tonight. I advanced the throttles, and we quickly started rolling down the runway. At our rotation speed I pulled back, and we quickly climbed. As we passed through 400ft I called for the Heading mode, and turned to our assigned heading of 355 degrees. The captain checked in with NY Departure and set 17,000ft in the altitude selector, as it was assigned to us. As we were cleared to GAYEL the captain loaded and activated it. Once we were direct to GAYEL, I called for the autopilot as we approached 10,000ft. Once we reached cruise, we went through the procedures specific to Canada, as well as the normal briefings, tasks and checklists for the arrival and landing. As we approached Buffalo, NY we were given a descend when ready clearance for the LINNG3 arrival into YYZ. The approach controller gave us our last vector late, and we blew right through the localizer. After correcting, we were cleared for the approach and landing. I made a decent landing, and then the captain taxied us to the gate B15
Most of the weather had cleared up by the time of the second flight
Air Canada hangar at YYZ
Our plane we had brought in the night before, was originally supposed to depart early in the morning to Boston. But it had gotten cancelled, and we ended up taking the same plane back to LGA the following afternoon. It had been at Toronto all night
Flight 4822
Toronto, Canada (YYZ) - New York – LaGuardia, NY (LGA)
Embraer E-175
Scheduled Departure Time – 1:25pm
Actual Departure Time- 1:51pm
Scheduled Arrival Time – 3:06pm
Actual Arrival Time- 2:50pm
59 minutes
It was a short overnight. We left for the airport at 11:40am. We had to go through security and immigration before heading to the gate. There were gusty winds in Toronto and New York, so the captain said he would do the takeoff and then based on how the winds were doing in NY we would decide who would do the landing. We pushed off the gate a few minutes early, and taxied to runway 24L. We were holding short for a minute or two, and the captain wanted me to let tower know that we were ready. We were advised there was traffic on the runway doing an inspection, and it would be a few minutes. Once we were cleared for takeoff, the captain taxied us onto the runway and we took off. I called out that the power was set, 80 knots, V1 and Vr. It was a bumpy climb out, between the wind and the clouds. The controller cleared us to 7,000ft, which was right in the tops of the clouds and were getting bounced around a bit. So I asked for higher, but was told there was crossing traffic above us and we could ask the next controller. With that we were handed off to Cleveland Center, and climbed to FL290.
Cruising over Upstate NY
Cleveland Center pointed out traffic that was at our 11 o’clock in 10 miles a 1,000ft above us, a Korean Air 777. As we got a little closer, I sent for the weather at LGA. The wind was 270 @ 27 gusting 37. Since the check airman was already flying, he decided he would take the landing due to the winds. We had the flight attendants sit down early, since there were reports of moderate turbulence below 10,000ft. Eventually NY Center cleared us to the BAYSE intersection, which is a fix on the HAARP3 arrival and to cross it at 8,000ft. NY approach gave us a heading, and instructed us to join the localizer 20 miles out. Once we got a little closer, we were cleared for the approach. The captain added a few knots to the approach speed due to wind, and got fully configured a few miles earlier. I made the standard call outs regarding the localizer and glideslope, as well as 1,000 and 500 ft above the field. I checked in with LaGuardia tower, and they confirmed the winds and advised us a Delta A321 would be departing before we arrived. They were through the intersection of the runways, when we were on a 2 mile final. The captain made a firm touchdown, with heavy braking. This afternoon our gate was open, and they were waiting for us. So it was a quick taxi into gate 25. We had another sit in LGA before we did the ATL turn, which would be my last two flights of IOE. The captain said one of these flights would be my line check.
Flight 4885
New York – LaGuardia, NY (LGA) – Atlanta, GA (ATL)
Embraer E-170
Scheduled Departure Time – 5:29pm
Actual Departure Time- 6:05pm
Scheduled Arrival Time – 8:10pm
Actual Arrival Time- 8:00 pm
1 hour 55 minutes
Unlike the day before, the weather was much better than the previous afternoon. The wind hand blown all the weather out. By the time we were going to Atlanta the wind had died down a little, but still pretty gusty. There was a decent line of planes ahead of us for takeoff, but nothing compared to the previous afternoon. The captain and I made a bet what time we would be taking off. It was coming close to the time he had predicted. It was looking like it might be exactly what he said, but they had a Delta A220 depart from the other side in front of us. So it was an extra minute or two past what he had guessed. After about a 40 minute taxi, it was our turn. They had switched the airport around since we landed a few hours earlier, and we would now be departing off runway 4. The captain taxied us onto the runway and once traffic landed runway 31, we were cleared for takeoff. I would be pilot flying this leg. Soon after takeoff the flight director disappeared. I pitched for the standard amount of degrees, and turned towards our assigned heading. At this point the flight director came back. As we sped up, I called for the flaps to be retracted and the autopilot. We were given a few headings to turn to, before being cleared to the LANNA intersection and up to 34,000ft. This was one of the longer flights I had done so far. We finished up the last of the topics that needed to be discussed on IOE, and set up for the arrival and landing in Atlanta
Following underneath a Frontier A320
As we got closer to Atlanta, we were cleared to descend via the OZZZI1 arrival. We were kept high on the arrival. We were abeam the airport turning onto a downwind, and still at 12,000ft. We began descending, and I pulled out the speed brakes to help us get down, and called for Flaps 1. We were given our base turn, and still at 6,000ft. Up until now the previous Check Airman had made a point of using Flight Level Change (FLCH) mode when making a descent below 10,000ft. In FLCH it will climb or descend at a speed, and vary the rate of climb/descent to maintain the speed that is set. We were only about 1,500ft above the altitude that we were descending to. So, it was a quick descent. We quickly descended and captured the glideslope right before it could have kept going down. During the descent I had continued to call for flaps as well as gear. It was a little rushed on the final part of the descent, since we had been kept high and were given a base earlier then we were anticipating. Once we were on the glideslope, the captain set the missed approach altitude. From there I called for Flaps 5, our approach speed to be set and the landing checklist to be completed. From there it was a stable approach, and a smooth touchdown. We held short of runway 8R at taxiway D and after a few Delta planes departed, we were cleared to cross the runway and taxied to ramp 4. Once we got to the gate, the captain shook my hand. He told me that I had passed my line check. I assumed it would on the flight back to NY. I thought it would be the last flight. So of course, I was happy it was done. We talked a little bit about the last part of the descent, and while what I did worked out fine, he had some other suggestions of what I could have done differently. He also said my landing was really good, and he didn’t have anything to say about it. He also added that he would fly the leg back to LGA, so I could relax since I had done so much flying on IOE.
The view out my window. N302PQ was getting ready for a flight to Jacksonville, NC
After this I headed out for my walk around, and didn’t see anything leaking or abnormal. We originally were supposed to be taking the same plane right back to LGA. The door closed and we were about to push, when we got this message
Hydraulic 2 Low Quantity
0%
The captain told me to look out my window and sure enough under the engine, was a lot of fluid that hadn’t been there 20 minutes earlier. The captain had me call ramp to cancel our push, since I had just gotten clearance to push, inform the rampers and called ops to have a gate agent reconnect the jetway. He made an announcement to the passengers, and sent a message to dispatch. A few minutes later the jetway was connected, and a gate agent came on and he told him what was happening. He said it wouldn’t be a quick fix, and that they should deplane. In the meantime we filled out the logbook and sent another message to dispatch. They were able to find us another plane. It was arriving in 20 minutes from Philly. It was scheduled spend the night in ATL, but we would take it up to LGA. Luckily we didn’t end up having to wait that long. We headed one gate over to wait for the new plane to arrive
Flight 4885
Atlanta, GA (ATL) - New York – LaGuardia, NY (LGA)
Embraer E-175
Scheduled Departure Time – 8:40pm
Actual Departure Time- 10:20pm
Scheduled Arrival Time – 11:05pm
Actual Arrival Time- 12:02am
1 hour 42 minutes
The plane we had flown down from New York
And the plane we would be flying back
The passengers weren’t that annoyed, and quickly boarded a second time. We quickly got set up, and the door was closed. We quickly pushed back without any problems this time. Once the engines were started, we taxied out to runway 27R at the Lima-Charlie intersection. There weren’t any planes ahead of us, so without stopping we taxied onto the runway and took off. We climbed out of ATL via the JACCC2 departure. It involved flying south of the airport, before turning towards the Northeast. The flight went by quickly and it was nice to just look out the window and not have to be taught something or focusing on something relating to flying. The RNAV X Runway 31 approach was in use. So the captain set up for that, and briefed it. I got our landing speeds. Once we got a little closer, we were given a descend via clearance for the KORRY4 arrival. The bottom altitude is 10,000ft. We spent about 3 minutes at 10,000ft, before we were given lower. Eventually we were cleared to PACHU, and cleared for the approach. It involves a turn short final, to line up with the runway. The captain made a good landing. On the ground, I called ramp and got cleared into gate 24. With this flight being done, I was officially done with IOE and training. I was only on reserve for the rest of the month of May. My first trip off IOE was a few days later, and it was a Montreal turn. Luckily by June, I already had a line.
