Operating Experience (“OE”) is the final stage of training for an airline pilot new to an airplane or seat, i.e., First Officer upgrading to Captain. OE is accomplished with a check airman (instructor pilot, “cka” hereafter) in the other seat, who acts as pilot-in-command. A new captain occupies the left/captain’s seat, of course, but the check airman is still the final authority. Most cka’s are going to give the new captain a lot of discretion in decision making, while pointing out the pros and cons of a particular path and only over-riding a decision in the interest of safety (an extremely rare occurrence). OE is done on regular revenue flights.

Check airman are selected by the airline and approved by the FAA to be instructor/evaluators and are qualified to fly the aircraft from either seat. Some cka (“x-type” at my former airline) are also trained to teach and evaluate in the amazing simulators the airline has. This is what I was fortunate enough to do for the 3 years before my retirement.

Some of these x-types are chosen to be FAA designees (able to issue type ratings: aircraft specific add-on’s to the pilot’s certificate required for larger or jet aircraft). 

The x-type schedule would often be a month teaching or evaluating in the simulator and then a month working the line, giving OE and line checks (required observations of pilots from the jumpseat in the cockpit). We were allowed a month’s worth of flying during the year without the responsibilities of giving OE.

Occasionally, I gave OE to a pilot I’d worked with in the simulator portions of their training. That never failed to be a real pleasure.