Firelock76 My brother, who's an ex-Air Force pilot, told me in many cases it's harder in the simulator than it is in the real aircraft! Why? What he calls the "intangeables" just aren't there, like the physical feedback, "the feel," you'd get from flying the real aircraft, at least not in his day. With simulator technology what it is today maybe they've figured out how to put that in too!
My brother, who's an ex-Air Force pilot, told me in many cases it's harder in the simulator than it is in the real aircraft!
Why? What he calls the "intangeables" just aren't there, like the physical feedback, "the feel," you'd get from flying the real aircraft, at least not in his day.
With simulator technology what it is today maybe they've figured out how to put that in too!
As a pilot simulators can cover procedures that are very dangerous in an airplane. Delta found that with their Convair 880 fatal training accidents. But remember final training is always in the actual airplane type supervised by an experienced pilot. Of course the initiation of a new aircraft type really has its problems with most new check airmen having so much flight time and landings in empty aircraft sometimes with ballast .
RFE here means 'road foreman of engines'. What this entailed on CSX, and the problems inherent in eliminating the position, have been discussed in recent posts/threads referencing the term.
Firelock76My brother, who's an ex-Air Force pilot, told me in many cases it's harder in the simulator than it is in the real aircraft! Why? What he calls the "intangeables" just aren't there, like the physical feedback, "the feel," you'd get from flying the real aircraft, at least not in his day. With simulator technology what it is today maybe they've figured out how to put that in too!
Simulators are for today's 'kids' who have been rasied playing computer games. Those who excell with video games take well to simulators.
Simulators, no matter how good, don't provide the 'seat of the pants' feeling that the real thing does. There is nothing quite like 20K tons of a train's slack action running in on the engines in simulators. There may be a video representation of it, but there isn't the KICK IN THE BACK of the real thing.
Simulators can set up conditions that would cause derailments and 'test' the operators on their procedures to handle the conditions without having to call out the Wreck Train or off track equipment to clean up the mess.
Simulators have their place - as a training tool, not as a substitute for the real thing.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
The REDI Center was CSX's training facility for all crafts. New hire employees or employees changing crafts would receive their intitial craft training on the do's and don'ts of the craft before going into the field for further hands on OJT from employees experienced in the craft.
BaltACD Info from working engineers Have to wait on a group from Jax to come up & do recert exams.... & I am sure my recert ride will be on the simulator. We haven't had any engineer trainees since the RFE jobs were eliminated. Will be interesting to see how that is handled if they ever call people for engineer school.... Of course they closed the doors of the REDI center & either sold it or it is up for sale... So another question would be, where will they even hold engineer school at in the future.
Have to wait on a group from Jax to come up & do recert exams.... & I am sure my recert ride will be on the simulator.
We haven't had any engineer trainees since the RFE jobs were eliminated. Will be interesting to see how that is handled if they ever call people for engineer school.... Of course they closed the doors of the REDI center & either sold it or it is up for sale... So another question would be, where will they even hold engineer school at in the future.
What would be wrong with using a simulator for recertification? I hold almost every license the FAA issues. My training and follow-up training in a simulator was more effective than in the airplane.
What are RFE jobs?
What is or was the REDI Center?
Many organizations outsource the initial and the follow-up training (re-certification). My company, as an example, sent its pilots to Flight Safety for training. Could CSX follow a similar procedure, i.e. outsource the training and re-training of its engineers?
I was not a company pilot; but I was close to our aviation department. My team audited it. Discovered among other things that one of the pilots had failed his re-certification ride, which the chief pilot covered up. Executive management was not happy with the outcome.
Rio Grande Valley, CFI,CFII
Info from working engineers
I am up for recertification this year.... Local managers on the Division are not even allowed to log me in to take my recert exam.... Seems as if they aren't trusted.... Have to wait on a group from Jax to come up & do recert exams.... & I am sure my recert ride will be on the simulator. About original certification? I don't know.... We haven't had any engineer trainees since the RFE jobs were eliminated. Will be interesting to see how that is handled if they ever call people for engineer school.... Of course they closed the doors of the REDI center & either sold it or it is up for sale... So another question would be, where will they even hold engineer school at in the future.
About original certification? I don't know.... We haven't had any engineer trainees since the RFE jobs were eliminated. Will be interesting to see how that is handled if they ever call people for engineer school.... Of course they closed the doors of the REDI center & either sold it or it is up for sale... So another question would be, where will they even hold engineer school at in the future.
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