Who The Bloody Hell Am I?

I'm a current Airbus (A330 and A340) Training Captain with a major Airline in Asia involved with Second Officer, First Officer and Command Training. I am also involved with presenting Ground Training Courses for future Command Trainees in my Company - so I know a lttle bit about what you will be going through when you commence your Command Course.

If you are remotely familiar with the latest Australian Tourism promos you will recognise the catch phrase "...Where the Bloody Hell Are You?". Well as you may have guessed from the title of this post, I'm also an Aussie. I don't intend to make this blog a dry, boring, politically correct discussion. So expect me to call a Spade a Bloody Shovel! Undertaking a Command Course can be stressful enough - so I'll try and make this a bit light-hearted and (semi) humourous. It's what us Aussies do.

I've been a full time professional (some may not agree) aviator since 1978. I joined the military and flew "real" aircraft (helicopters) for eight years, got involved with training as a QFI and then swapped to flying P3s (also instructing there). After 16 years in the military I figured it was either get a civilian job or get promoted to a desk job (probably as OIC Folding Chairs - Wagga).

So I joined my present employer (a very large Asian Airline), who I've been with for over 13 years. I started out as a First Officer on the Classic, then shortly after I swapped to the Airbus where I have been for over 10 years.

The aviation profession is quite small and so there are enough clues throughout this diatribe for people in the know to guess who I really am. I would prefer however to remain behind my cloak of semi-anonymity, so if you know who I am, don't blab it out to the entire world please.

To try and keep my sanity I attempt to photograph things (some successfully, others not so). To absolutey ensure that I don't have any spare time I have also elected(?) to train for and participate in Triathlons. So if you what a "free" chauffer driven, airline trip to the latest Ironman Triathlon (Photo included), then I'm your man.

In the last few years I have been interested in assisting First Officers during their development, training and progression towards Command. There is usually very little guidance and direction given by your employer (depends on your particular Airline Company) as you progress towards Command. Usually your Company will expect you to demonstrate "Command Qualities" or Command potential before you even turn up for your first Command Training event.

You learn through Osmosis - observing your past Captains and taking the good and (hopefully) rejecting the bad. I hope this blog will help, guide and assist you as you travel the sometimes rocky path towards being an Airline Commander. I hope that it will also be a type of forum that Command Trainees (and Command Trainers) can visit to disseminate knowledge.

Enjoy the ride and don't forget to occasionally smile.

Always remember that famous COW Philosophy - "Don't forget to stop and eat the roses."