When the 727 was built and certified it was with three required crewmember: The Captain, First Officer, and Flight Engineer. Each has a different responsibility and job description. Each operator has slightly different procedures for each crew member, but conceptually the duties are standardized between all carriers.

Typically, the most junior and hardest worked is the Flight Engineer, the following is my perception of being a Flight Engineer for a Part 121 Air Carrier.

After being hired we were taught a week of basic company procedure and indoctrination. Upon completion we were then sent to Systems Class. For two weeks we were taught nothing but 727 Systems. This included Electrical, Fuel, Hydraulics, Ice/Rain Protection, Pressurization/Pneumatic System, Flight Control Systems, Engines, and various interactions between them. Upon completion we were then tested on Normal Operation of the systems. This was an oral examination followed by a written exam covering how the individual systems would be operated in a normal environment and the concepts behind their usage. In addition we were required to hand sketch the electrical system and explain what the separate busses powered, how they were powered, and explain how the AC and DC interacted. This was the most difficult part of the exam. Missed answers/concepts were reviewed and ended this phase of training.

Upon completion we then received Emergency Egress/Ditching/Fire Fighting Training. This was a one day course. The class started with a lesson on the operation of the Emergency Slides and doors. We were required to exit the cockpit through the side window and use the Emergency Egress rope and to slide down the inflatable slide. For Ditching Training there was inflatable raft and life jackets from which we learned the proper procedure to inflate, enter, and set up basic survivor gear. Next we were taught how to operate the Oxygen Mask and configure the radio switches to establish communication in the event of de-pressurization of fire. In the event of fire there are also Walk-Around Oxygen Bottle with full face mask and P.B.E. (Personal Breathing Environment--which is of no use for an aircrew). A fire was started and wearing the Walk-Around Mask we were required to extinguish it with a fire bottle. Upon doing this the Emergency Equipment Training was complete.

Up to this point it was a very easy, gentleman’s course. This would change.

Upon completion of the normal procedure and Emergency Equipment Training we again returned to the classroom, but now were divided into groups of three. In the classroom we acted as a group to learn the abnormal operation of the systems but each day the classroom was suspended early and each individual group of three then went to a Ground Training Device for instruction by a dedicated Instructor.

There is a saying: Training is like drinking from a fire hose. This is where it happened.

In the classroom normal procedures were no longer discussed. We discussed systems with components inoperative through the MEL (Minimum Equipment List) or lost while in operation of the aircraft enroute. This included the theory of dropping generators, hydraulic pumps, pressurization loss, ect... and how to stabilize the situation before going to the checklist. We would then discuss continued operation with a system in partial operation and considerations that the flight crew should have for T/O climb, cruise, descent and landing.

In the Ground Training Device we would practice, under Instructor Supervision, Pre-Flight Duties followed by a simulated flight with emphasis on one system. For instance: We would go into the Ground Training Device and do a Pre-Flight. During the Pre-Flight we would find a fuel pump in-operative. This would mean we would go to the MEL for the inoperative fuel pump and find a fuel restriction. We would then simulate a flight with an inoperative fuel pump in various configuration--ending in a fuel dump with the inoperative fuel pump.

Because there were three of us with the Instructor, the Ground Training Device utilization time was divided into three blocks. When one student was operating the switches the other two would observe and make comments along with the Instructor. This was a very ideal training environment because each student was able to evaluate another’s mistakes; and everyone made the obvious mistakes at some point. The Instructor was there to guide the lesson and guide the discussion.

In addition, on non-classroom days we would go into the Ground Training Device on our own time and practice. One Student would work the Instructor Panel putting in various failure while one worked the panel and the third observed. We did this in anticipation of the upcoming Simulator Training.

We all knew that in the Simulator a poor performance would be magnified. That the men would be separated from the boys.