Preparation is all for Cathay Pacific’s freighter pilots; it’s how they put safety first. While some of the flying is routine, some of the ports they fly to offer real challenges – and a growing number of charter flights can take aircraft to pastures new. Cargo Clan caught up with two captains, also pilot managers, to learn how Cathay Pacific’s flight simulators help prepare pilots for the unexpected, the unlikely and the unknown.
It's a breezy morning in May, and FOP Risk Manager Pete Hudson and Deputy Chief Pilot (Boeing) Stu Baker are gearing up for a flight in the Boeing 747-8F simulator. Pete will be at the controls flying ‘single pilot ops’, while Stu will orchestrate the weather and other settings from the control panel behind the pilots’ seats. Today, he has promised to limit the engine fires, turbulence and hydraulic failures, which are used to put pilots ‘through the wringer’ for their regular training and licence assessments. ‘It’ll be a comfort cruise,’ he says.