A320 Line Intro Experience Blog - Found a job directly after Type rating on A320 as First-Officer

A dream comes true—even in “later life”

My first flight as a first officer on an A320 – I had always hoped that

this would one day become a reality, but when the time finally came,

I was speechless. I had waited and worked toward this moment for many years.

Why age no longer plays a primary role and why it doesn’t always have to be a major airline – that’s what I’d like to try to explain in this blog post.

FOLLOW ME on my private Insta to see more: https://www.instagram.com/dertraumvomfliegenwirdwahr/

I’m no longer the youngest, and 10 or 15 years ago,

that might have been a problem. But in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, it seems clear

that the industry is heading toward a pilot shortage. And here lies

one of the major problems—there’s a lack of training capacity because there aren’t enough

experienced pilots authorized to supervise type ratings.

Since I wanted to use my time wisely, I completed my A320

type rating privately through Jetline Training without an airline. This meant

I didn’t have to wait for airline assessments and was already able to get ahead of all

the other recent graduates. Here, I was perfectly prepared for my

role as a first officer.

After completing my A320 type rating at JETLINE TRAINING ATO, I quickly found a position as a first officer with a smaller airline that operates as an ACMI provider for other airlines like Condor, etc.

And this is one of the major advantages—you learn a lot here because the environment is very dynamic, especially when you start with your first homebase Munich. You can also stand out through your performance, and if you have the right aptitude, performance, and qualifications, you can be promoted to captain quickly. I’ve already met captains who waited only between three and four years for this opportunity. That’s a major advantage over larger airlines.

Friday, May 1st – I still can’t believe it – we had a briefing at 3:40 a.m. We were headed to Hurghada – quite a long flight right off the bat for the first day. We went over the weather, the NOTAMs, and the routing. But one thing was extremely important to my line training captain—I should enjoy my first flight. “You never forget your first flight,” he said, and I agree with him. Around 4:40 a.m., we were at the remote stand. We climbed the stairs, and instead of turning right into the cabin, we went left into the cockpit. We put our things down and then went back outside together to do the outside check. During this, he explained to me again how the fuel supply panel works—because we have to tell the fueler how much fuel we need. After that, we went back into the cockpit, and my captain explained a lot to me about the paperwork and flight preparation. Although I had learned all of this in theory, putting it into practice was definitely very educational. The preparations were complete and boarding was in full swing. Then the final load sheet arrived, the cockpit door closed, and the aircraft was prepared for pushback.

I then requested my first clearance for a commercial flight. Man, was that exciting. Right off the bat with a CTOT time. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait too long. The pushback came, followed by taxiing. We completed all the checklists along the way and reported ourselves ready for departure. Then “cleared for immediate takeoff”—now we had to move fast, out onto the runway, and off we went. What a feeling—the engines roar to life, the plane starts moving, and just like that, we’re in the air. Handoff to radar, and off we went. Along the way, there were a few handoffs to other air traffic controllers. All in all, it was pretty intense at times—you’re really playing in the big leagues now.

We landed in Hurghada about 4 hours and 20 minutes later. Then came the big moment. On the return flight, I was the pilot flying. I prepared the plane and tried my best to put everything I’d learned into practice. The captain handled the taxiing here, but more on that later. And so we headed back to Munich. As the pilot flying, it seemed a little easier to me in terms of task sharing.

Then we were in Austrian airspace and received our descent clearance. As expected and as we’d been briefed, we were returning during rush hour. So full concentration was required. Every move had to be perfect. It took 35 minutes from descent to landing, though it felt much shorter. Then the moment arrived—ILS08R—my first landing, and it was unbelievable. Once we arrived at the gate and worked through the checklists, the first flight was successfully completed. Of course, I made mistakes—but that’s what line training is for—you’re supposed to gain operational experience. And that’s exactly what I did on the subsequent flights.

I’ve now completed four flights, and on the last one, I was even allowed to taxi as Pilot Flying. That’s another advantage over major airlines, where usually only the captain is allowed to taxi. So it’s a great opportunity for me to learn a lot.

Things are going better and better, and I can really feel the progress I’m making. Combined with valuable feedback and insightful discussions, it’s an absolute asset. Let’s keep it up.

So, to sum up:

It’s never too late to make your dream come true!

Keep learning and network with other pilots!

Don't always rely on the training programs offered by major airlines—a modular, self-directed training program can lead you to the cockpit just as well.

Don't wait for an airline to offer a type rating!

Completing a type rating privately at JETLINE TRAINING ON A320 offers several advantages, including no commitment to a specific airline.