Airline Pilot Performance

Airline Pilot Performance Airline Pilot Performance is proud to offer innovative and interactive online training courses that
(3)

04/06/2026

Thankfully no one was injured, but these events can be incredibly dangerous!

This can occur for 2 reasons:

1) Landing gear failure (incredibly rare!)
2) Inadvertent gear retraction on the ground by a pilot or engineer.

The second reason is more common and has happened to airliners before.

Aircraft do have built in protection systems which help prevent inadvertent gear retraction on the ground.

These include various sensors, interlocks and solenoids which sense whether the aircraft is on the ground or in flight.

If the aircraft is sensed as being on the ground, solenoids and interlocks prevent the gear lever from moving up, which therefore prevents the gear from retracting.

This system can often be overridden by pressing an override button or pulling a trigger on the gear lever, which then allows the gear to be raised.

If the engineers are working on that system or towing the aircraft, they install gear pins into each of the gear, which physically prevent the gear for retracting.

These pins are removed after they complete the work and are placed in the flight deck.

The presence of these gear pins being stowed is omething we have to check as part of our pre flight procedures.

Time will tell what caused this, but whatever the cause, it’s a good reminder of how quickly things can go wrong and how important it is to prevent complacency from setting in.

What do you think caused it?

There are two versions of the first few weeks of your Type Rating, and you get to decide which one before ground school ...
01/06/2026

There are two versions of the first few weeks of your Type Rating, and you get to decide which one before ground school even starts.

Version one: It’s the night before day one. You have a stack of manuals, a few bookmarked YouTube videos, and no real sense of where to begin.

You know this course shapes your confidence, your performance and the rest of your career, but it all feels like a list of disconnected topics.

Hydraulics, electrics, pneumatics, automation. So you cram, and you tell yourself you will figure it out when you get there.

Day one arrives. The slides move fast. The acronyms fly past. You write as quickly as you can but nothing quite sticks, and by the evening you already feel behind.

That feeling grows. Exams start to feel stressful.

Now version two.

It is the same night, but you feel calm. You already know how the 737 systems fit together: Where the power comes from, how the flight controls are driven, what happens when something fails.

You’re not memorising. You are recognising.

Day one feels different. Each system the instructor or CBT explains clicks into something you already understand.

The pace feels manageable. The exams feel fair. And in the simulator, you are flying the aircraft, not guessing how it works.

These two futures are not separated by intelligence.

They’re separated by preparation.

I’m a current Boeing 737 Captain, Type Rating Instructor and Examiner, and I’ve created a free webinar that hands you that second version.

In about 45 minutes, I’ll show you how you can give yourself the best headstart possible.

Comment 737 and I’ll send you your invite.

If you’re planning to start a Boeing 737 type rating, I want you to imagine two very different versions of the first few...
28/05/2026

If you’re planning to start a Boeing 737 type rating, I want you to imagine two very different versions of the first few weeks.

In the first version, it’s the night before ground school starts.

You are sitting at home with a stack of notes, a few bookmarked YouTube videos, and a feeling that you’re not really sure where to begin.

But you know this matters.

Your experience of the type rating will affect your confidence, your performance, and potentially the rest of your career.

But everything feels disconnected. Hydraulics, electrics, pneumatics, automation. It is all just a list of topics you know you need to understand.

You tell yourself you will figure it out when you get there.

Day one arrives. The instructor starts talking, the CBT starts playing.

Slides move fast. You’re taking notes as quickly as you can, but nothing quite sticks.

By the end of the day, you feel tired and a little behind.

That feeling grows.

You spend evenings trying to figure out what you didn’t really understand and catch up.

Exams start to feel stressful.

And when the simulator phase approaches, you are not just thinking about flying. You are still trying to make sense of the aircraft.

Now imagine a second version.

It’s the night before ground school, but instead of feeling anxious, you feel calm.

You already know how the 737 systems fit together.

You understand the systems and what happens when something fails.

Day one feels different. When the instructor explains a system, it clicks into something you already understand.

When a new topic appears, it fits into the bigger picture.

The pace feels manageable, and the exams feel doable

And when you step into the simulator, you’re thinking about flying the aircraft, not guessing how it works.

These two futures are not separated by intelligence or ability.

They’re separated by preparation.

Comment “737” and I’ll send you your link to my free upcoming webinar.

Becoming a pilot isn’t just a job, it’s a childhood dream. This was me as a super keen 15 year old, visiting the flight ...
26/04/2026

Becoming a pilot isn’t just a job, it’s a childhood dream.

This was me as a super keen 15 year old, visiting the flight deck for the very first time!

I’d always loved aviation, but that experience cemented it for me!

I was fortunate that, through the incredible support and encouragement of others, and a lot of hard work, I was able to turn that dream into a reality.

And over the years, I’ve had the privilege of meeting countless pilots, from every corner of the globe, ranging in experience from absolute beginner to the most experienced, and 2 things unite all of us:

A deep rooted love of aviation and the desire and drive to be the best we can be.

So I just want to shout out all the pilots, wherever they may be, that are quietly going about their job of keeping aviation as the safest form of transport in the world.

Fly safe ✈️

Can you guess the different aircraft types in the pictures?

✈️

21/04/2026

A common misconception that I hear when I ask pilots what attitude they should pitch to when recovering from a stall, is that they should lower the nose “below the horizon.”

This is incorrect, simply because the horizon is irrelevant when it comes to selecting a recovery attitude, as the wings have no idea where the horizon is!

The wings simply care about angle of attack.

So, in order to recover from the stall, the most important step is to reduce the angle of attack below the critical angle of attack.

This could be below the horizon. It could also be well above the horizon, depending on the attitude we had as we encountered the stall warning

Our attitude indicator is equipped with PLIs - Pitch Limit Indicators or “eyebrows” as they’re affectionately known!

The PLIs graphically represent the attitude at which the stick shaker will activate. Therefore if we pitch to an attitude just below the PLI during the recovery, we would have accomplished the most important step of the stall recovery - reducing our angle of attack below the critical angle attack

The aircraft has a variety of cautions and warnings which alert the crew that they’re approaching an unsafe attitude or speed.

These include:

The PLIs popping up if the flaps are not extended

“Buffet alert” showing on the FMC display

“AIRSPEED LOW” automatically announced and the airspeed box flashing yellow

Lastly, the stick shaker will activate

Normally the crew would recover at the first indication.

As soon as the pilots hear and feel the stick shaker, they will immediately initiate the stall recovery manoeuvre.

Once the angle of attack has been reduced below the critical angle of attack (below the PLI and after the stick shaker stops) lift is restored and we can then roll in the shortest direction to wings level, add thrust as needed, being careful that the pitch-thrust couple doesn’t pitch us back up into the stalling angle of attack, and stowing the speed brake.

As we approach a safe airspeed and attitude, we can return to the desired flightpath and re-engage the automatics.

What’s your least favourite configuration to recover from a stall in?

27/02/2026

30 seconds of knowledge 💪🔥

Engine fires are thankfully incredibly rare, but due to their potential severity, both the aircraft and the pilots need to be fully equipped and trained to deal with one, should a fire occur.

The aircraft is equipped with 2 engine fire extinguishers which can be used by the pilots to extinguish the fire.

Both fire extinguishers can be used for either engine and are located underneath the cabin floor in the wheel well.

The extinguishers are controlled remotely using switches in the cockpit called “fire switches”.

To get the attention of the crew, the warning system sounds a loud fire bell and a red “FIRE WARNING” light illuminates on the panel in front of the pilots.

To help identify which engine is being troublesome, the related fire switch also illuminates red.

Once the fire has been identified, the crew then action the Engine Fire memory items.

Some events require prompt actions from the crew, and using the checklist can take up valuable time. Therefore Boeing allocated some of the more serious and time critical checklists as “memory items”.

These are learnt and practiced by the crew regularly to ensure that all pilots remain proficient at actioning them when necessary.

The engine fire memory items include:

1. Disengaging the auto throttle.

2. Confirming with both pilots that the correct engine is being selected and then closing the thrust lever.

3. Moving the engine start lever to cutoff, which stops fuel flowing into the engine.

4. Pulling the related engine fire switch, which isolates the engine from all the ancillary services, such as fuel, hydraulics, electrics etc

5. Finally, we rotate the fire switch to the left or right. This discharges the extinguisher into the related engine.

If the fire doesn’t go out after 30 seconds, we rotate in the opposite direction to discharge the second extinguisher.

The secret to successfully completing memory items, is to work through them calmly and methodically.

30/01/2026

Stalling on the Boeing 737 forms an important part of the initial Type Rating and regularly features in pilot recurrent training

An aerodynamic stall occurs when the angle of the wing relative to the oncoming airflow (angle of attack) is so great, that the air can no longer flow smoothly over the surface of the wing.

When this happens, the airflow over the top surface of the wing becomes turbulent, the lift is significantly reduced and the wing is now stalled.

The pitch attitude at which this occurs is dependent on a number of factors and is displayed on the attitude indicators by the PLI - the Pitch Limit Indicator, or the “eyebrows” as they’re affectionately known!

As the aircraft’s attitude increases, a number of alerts are provided.

1) The PLI’s will pop up if the flaps are not extended.

2) “Buffet alert” will show on the FMC display,

3) “Airspeed low” will be automatically announced and the airspeed box will flash yellow.

4) Lastly the stick shaker will activate.

Normally, the crew would recover at the first indication.

The Stick shaker is the last line of defence against an impending stall and is a real attention getter!

As soon as the pilots hear and feel the stick shaker, they will immediately initiate the stall recovery manoeuvre.

The most important element of the stall recovery is applying nose down elevator input to reduce the angle of attack below the critical angle of attack (stick shaker stops and below the PLI’s)

This will allow the air to flow smoothly over the wing again and lift is restored.

We can then roll in the shortest direction to wings level, stow the speed brake and add thrust as needed.

As we approach a safe airspeed and attitude, we can return to the desired flight path and re-engage the automatics.

17/01/2026

Windshear escape isn’t just about the manoeuvre.
It’s about what the examiner observes while you do it.

Every sim check is graded against Core Competencies and Observable Behaviours - these are the foundation and framework of all training and checking.

As a Type Rating Examiner, I grade objectively using a standard matrix:

How many Observable Behaviours you demonstrate, how often, and how well.

Knowing the framework helps.
Knowing HOW to show it is what changes the grade.

If you want the practical techniques examiners look for, comment “FLY” and you’ll be the first to be invited to my free Masterclass, where I’ll be showing you the HOW.

Fly safe ✈️

Wishing you and your loved ones a very happy Christmas!!🎅 🎄I hope that wherever you are in the world, you have a day fil...
25/12/2025

Wishing you and your loved ones a very happy Christmas!!🎅 🎄

I hope that wherever you are in the world, you have a day filled with love and laughter.

And if you’re travelling, whether for work or pleasure, that you travel safe and get to experience the joy of Christmas.

Wishing you all the best,

Ben ✈️🎄

Join and myself for a live flight in MSFS 2024, where we’ll be showing you the real procedures we use in the aircraft, ...
12/12/2025

Join and myself for a live flight in MSFS 2024, where we’ll be showing you the real procedures we use in the aircraft, but more importantly, why we do it that way.

We ran this super popular event last year, and it’s set to be full of lightbulb moments that will demystify lots of areas of flying the 737 on the line💡!!

So if you’re a home simulator pilot and want to learn more about operating this incredible aircraft, or you simply love aviation, come and join us on Saturday 13th December at 1800 UK time.

See you on board!

Address

London Stansted
Stansted

Opening Hours

Monday 7:30am - 8pm
Tuesday 7:30am - 8pm
Wednesday 7:30am - 8pm
Thursday 7:30am - 8pm
Friday 7:30am - 8pm
Saturday 7:30am - 8pm
Sunday 7:30am - 8pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Airline Pilot Performance posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Airline Pilot Performance:

Shortcuts

Share

Category