Okay, a lot has happened in the last few weeks.  Almost too much to tell.  Yes, I have been falling down on the whole journal thing, been too busy.    The flight-line has taken quite a lot of my time lately.  Not complaining though, because it has been interesting.

            I had my Dollar-Ride (and no I have not given my IP a dollar yet, because I have been taking care of studying, etc.)  It was fun.  You wouldn’t believe how many people got sick.  Barf everywhere.  Hehehe.   Not me, but I didn’t feel exactly right in the head after the flight.   It was almost like I was cross-eyed.   Everything happens much faster than the little ol’Piper.  That and 60 degree bank turns, pullin 2 G’s just take a little bit of getting used to.  Sickness for the majority of those that got sick, it was debilitating and made them very worried.   Not to worry though, cause it all subsides pretty fast.  You might barf, you might not.  Who cares, worry about that when it gets here.  It was awesome finally being inside the jet.  Yeah, yeah I’ve heard “The tweet sucks”, but screw it; it was fun for me, SO BACK OFF!  Hehehe.  The main feeling I had when I landed was that I had a lot-of-work-to-do.   I am doing it now.

            2^nd ride was like night and day, I did really well, I thought.  Yeah, I still can’t fly worth a crap, but I felt like I knew a lot more of what was going on and what was about to happen.   I got to fly the plane a lot more the 2^nd ride and was surely not surprised when I hosed up the landings.   Well crap, you pull the power and still continue to dive into the runway, and you “feel” like you’re about to be an accident statistic, but you’re not gonna.  The IP’s are really good about telling you when to flare (pull back on the controls).  Be careful don’t pull too much or you will just float on up until the IP takes the jet away from you (good thing cause you’d kill yourself). 

            We changed call signs right after my 2^nd ride, so all of the practicing that I had done with radio calls, ex: “Rocky 17, departing”, now had to be changed in my melon to “Lynx 17, departing”.  Sounds easy right?  Yeah, sure.  As you are trying to maintain altitude, heading, wings level, and do ops checks, and listen to the IP, and make sure your gear is up or down, and your flaps are up or down, and your speed brake is in/out, or about 40 other things, it’s not exactly that easy.   So, I screwed it up, as did everyone else.  All you have to do is put 25 cents into a pig jar on the way back in, for each screw-up.  Being a buck fitty lighter ain’t no thang.

            I spent a lot of time in the Links Trainer, which is a cockpit with all the switches and knobs and everything else, but doesn’t move and isn’t a simulator.  You practice your “Flow” (Turning the jet all the way off, all the way on, starting engines, pre-taxi, taxi, takeoff, etc)  Its basically a great place to practice.  I have about 40 hours in it since we got here and about 15 since hitting the flight-line.  Word of advice here, if you show up to the flight-line and don’t have a flow, your IP will hate you, your classmates will laugh, and YOU will feel like a boob.  Get in there early and practice often.  There are guys 4 months further along than we are and you still occasionally see them in there.

            There is a massive amount to know when you get started.  Smile, and study your ass off.  I have never studied this hard for anything, save one thing.  COBOL in college was a serious biznatch.   Anyway, if you come to pilot training ready to par-tay, you will feel dumb, look dumb, and be dumb, unless you are a genius.  Don’t worry, I am sure that you are.  

            Morning stand-ups = FUN.  If you like it rough.  Hehehe.   It’s very formal, and you must sit at attention and one of you lucky wanna-be’s (I am too) will get to stand up at attention and talk your way through an emergency procedure.  This sounds easy, but, you’ll see.   1^st of all, your brain takes a dump right as you hear your name called, 2^nd, there are all these little rules that you have to follow to be able to even speak.  I’ll give you an example. 

IP:  You are on final approach and you hit a bird, your left engine spools down, and all of your gauges are winding down, and blah blah blah more information.

YOU:   Uhhhh SHIT!

Just kidding

YOU:  Sir, I will maintain aircraft control, analyze the situation, take proper action and land as soon as conditions permit.  (This you must say verbatim, everytime!!!!)

Then you have the joy of painstakingly walking your way through every little thing.  VERY DETAILED. (I’m tired of writing so you don’t get that example).   Just know that if you get “sat-down”, you don’t fly for that day, your IP’s see that you are unprepared, AND you WILL get picked again very soon to do another one.

            On a lighter note, you can get sat down for being really on your stuff.  Not bragging here, but the other day, I got stood up for an EP and about halfway through he sat me down and I was stunned, I thought I had hosed something up, but afterwards, I went to him and asked what I did wrong and he was like “You knew your stuff so well that it would have been a waste to have you continue, so I picked someone else to finish”.  So that was mega-cool and all the IP’s got to see that I was Mr. Shit-Hot (Luck, was with me).  So, wahoo, I ain’t the shiznit, but I did get it right.  Makes ya feel good.  And the best part is, that if I ever have to eject in the pattern at 1000ft and 170knots, I’ll be able to.  Yipee, skip-to-my-lou.

            That is all for now, because I am tired of writing and concentrating.  I need to prepare for tomorrows standup AND an EPQ (A test over general knowledge stuff, you have 1 every week). 

Lynx 17, departing……for now.