Airbus A330

Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Airbus Model: A330 Nickname: None that I know of!
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Large Jet
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Multi-engine Land
> Engine Description: Twin jet

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 9/2/2021
> Number of Hours Flown: 16
> Number of Times Flown: 6
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: A330, A330NEO, A330-941

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 173
> Date First Flown: 10/7/2015
> Location First Flown: Toulouse, France
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: First flight of a production A330, with Thierry Bourges

Recollections: My experience in the Airbus A330 has been unusual in several respects.  First of all, I had my A330 type rating more than a year before I ever flew the actual airplane…receiving training from US Airways right before they were merged with American Airlines (US Airways had the contract with the FAA for training in the A330).  The hours from that training (like all simulator hours) are NOT included in my flight time (I don’t count sims as “real flying”!).  

Secondly, my first flight in a real A330 was that AIRPLANE’s first flight.  While that may seem standard, I don’t know of any other OEM that would allow such a flight.  But they should.  They should because that’s what Test Pilots are trained to do (“new things”) and it shows a trust in the Company Test Pilot who flew with me…which leads to the third unique aspect to my A330 flying…who I flew with.

Every one of my A330 flights has been flown (over the course of 3 years) with Airbus Test Pilot–and my great friend–Thierry Bourges.  Thierry must have drawn the short straw one day, being assigned to “babysit the FAA guy”.  I flew with him on the first production flight (on the “older version” of the A330), and later on an actual set of Test Flights for the not-yet-certified A330 “NEO”, for propulsion testing in cooperation with the European aviation authority, EASA.  Thierry, an ex French Navy pilot and test pilot, is a calm, steady and extremely capable pilot who I am thankful for having known and flown with. For the life of me, I can’t find a picture of him, so had to use a stock photo from the internet.