I was lucky to have gotten my first choice out of my 3 given for the base to do my supernumerary flights out of. Â This was less than an hour away from home, and so it was very convenient. Â These flights also gave me a good opportunity to get to know the base and the people that work there.
I have sat on the jumpseat previously, when I was following my friends at Luton and Stansted, and those were early morning flights.  However, this was the first time I got the opportunity to see some night flying.  We were all rostered for a minimum of 12 sectors and I went to Alicante, Bergamo, Murcia and some shorter sectors to Ireland.  I carefully observed how the first officer organised himself with the paperwork, as this was in particular, a new element to line flying and was interesting to see how it was put into the flow to ensure a quick and efficient turn around.  I also got some advice on the essential items to carry in the flight bag – such as a torch to use during the night time when doing the walk-around, a print-out of useful volmet/ATIS frequencies we use to get the weather, a map of Ryanair destinations & bases and “The Pilots’ Atlas”.  I also bought myself a Sennheiser headset which has active noise-reduction (HMEC 25-KA), which made the environment much more comfortable.
I enjoyed the night flying – the flight deck had a very relaxed atmosphere at night. Â The lighting was dim to ensure good night vision and it almost felt like mood lighting! Â The flight deck really does look pretty at night.
I helped out with the paperwork to gain further practice at completing it, and also followed the first officer around on the walk-around to get a better insight into it. Â I tried to absorb as much information and gain as much advice as I could, as I will be flying next week.