Man its been a while

So, a lot has gone down since the last post so strap in for a long one....

I think that the last time i posted I was getting ready to solo. I have since soloed several times. The first solo is absolutely one of the most harrowing/exciting experiences. They give you the keys to a couple of million dollar jet/prop and expect you to remember everything that they taught you. I got to go up at the same time as a couple of friends and that made the pattern (where we fly) interesting. It is really different not having an IP in the backseat correcting you on everything that you do. After you solo, they pretty much leave all of the decision making up to you. Your training is in your own hands is a favorite saying of most of the IPs.

This is me right before we went to the plane.

I am wearing my IPs wings since it is bad luck not to

where them on your first solo.

Me and Bervig waiting on the truck to take us out.

Some people strap into the jet, but I strap the jet onto my back.

Engine start

Getting carried to the tank

That was some cold, nasty, water.

Stapp, Bervig, and Me after being dunked.

After we solo we only have four rides until we take our first check ride. I took mine exactly four days later. I usually don't get nervous about taking check rides, and that day was no different. I went in there exactly the same way as if it were just a regular flight and briefed to fly. When we went out to fly everything was going perfect until the takeoff. I did one thing that took me out of my rhythm and I missed one of the few things that will instantly hook (fail) you on a check ride in the T-6. I forgot to turn off the nose wheel steering (NWS) before I started the takeoff roll (it gets really sensitive at high speeds and can lead to a really dangerous situation). The plane was one of the better ones and the IP didn't even notice until we had already started to lift off. I knew as soon as he said something that I had hooked my ride. The ride isn't over though. The way that they score your check rides here you can actually get a better grade even after you hook it, than someone who just has a mediocre flight. I managed to get my head back in the game before I even got my landing gear up. That is a first for me because I used to have a tendency to think about my mistakes and let that effect the rest of my flight. I flew a pretty solid sortie and managed to only get a few downgrades. Even after I hooked it I still had the 7th highest score in the class (the next closest hook was 14th). The check pilot (the guy who grades you) told me that I flew like a test pilot. He said that he thought that the NWS would completely snowball into a bad flight, but he said you couldn't even tell I had done it. He said some really complimentary things about my flying and then sent me on to do my makeup check. I flew my 88 ride the next day with one of the ADO's and that flight was over as soon as I turned off the NWS. The makeups only really grade you on what you hooked for. After that we just went out and had a pretty normal sortie.

After the check rides we go into advanced aerobatics. Those are pretty neat. We do a lot of maneuvers like loops, cuban 8's, immelmans, split-s, barrel rolls, etc. They are pretty neat but they are pretty tireing because of all the G's. We also get two area solo's during this block. They are different because we are out in the area doing all of our manuevers. I only have two more sorties until my next check ride. They will be my last Contact flights. After this, we move into instruments and navigation. That is going to be a completely different kind of flying. I have never really done any kind of instrument flying so it is going to be a huge change in types of flying. The control of the aircraft is the same, but you aren't supposed to use outside references at all. This is what they use when you fly through weather and that sort of stuff. We also just took the hardest test in UPT......weather. That test was a total waste of government resources. Over half of our flight failed, and the rest of our class still has to take it. The best part about taking it was the fact that we only have two academic tests left.


Outside of flying, things have been going pretty well. Bill got really sick a couple of weeks ago and he had me and Rachael both pretty worried that he might be on his last legs. But in typical bill fashion he was up and bouncing around after a trip to the vet, in which the vet confirmed that he is back on track to live well into his twenties. Other than that things are pretty mellow. We are getting ready to host thanksgiving for all the people in our class who aren't going home, and don't have people coming down to visit. That should be fun. Well, I guess that is it for now..