Airline Pilot Performance

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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!

Join and I today at 1800 UK time where we’ll be answering your questions and discussing upcoming plans!See you there! ...
09/12/2025

Join and I today at 1800 UK time where we’ll be answering your questions and discussing upcoming plans!

See you there!

If you want to learn practical skills that you can take away and apply to your operation, that will measurably enhance y...
01/12/2025

If you want to learn practical skills that you can take away and apply to your operation, that will measurably enhance your core competency performance, then now is the perfect time!!

Comment FLY below and I’ll send you a link that will enable you to get 50% off all packages before midnight today (Monday)

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

Fly safe ✈️

Ben

What do you think examiners look for when assessing you?Because if you don’t have absolute clarity on the answer to this...
26/11/2025

What do you think examiners look for when assessing you?

Because if you don’t have absolute clarity on the answer to this question, it becomes very difficult to get the best grades, and therefore the best outcome from the sim session.

It’s like trying to score a goal when playing football in a dark room!

We live in a world where we have lots of people telling us what we need to do, but very few people telling us how to actually achieve it.

But that’s where the Airline Pilot Mentor Program comes in!

Once you’ve selected your package, you’ll have access to very unique content, specifically created by me, that provides you with the practical skills that will measurably enhance your performance.

These are techniques and skills that have been developed and tested over tens of thousand of hours and have been proven to work.

In our profession as pilots, your training file is everything!

Want to get that job?
Aiming for the command upgrade soon?
Want that promotion into the training department?

Well the first thing the airline will do is check your training file.

If that looks very average, your chances of success are low.

But if your performance stands out in a good way, you’re one very big step closer to achieving your goal.

So take this opportunity to do something positive and learn new skills that will give you the confidence and the grades you need to succeed, and ultimately turn a sim session from something your dread into an opportunity to shine.

All packages have a limited time 30% discount but the first 10 people to buy, will get a massive 50% discount!

Be quick - Comment FLY and I’ll send you the link to grab yours now.

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