Nav Check Complete!!!

WOW!  What a relief to pass the hardest, most involved check-ride in all of UPT.  It was a very long day that started very very early with pre-flight planning and gathering things needed to brief and fly the check ride.  Luckily I had the help of some dudes in my class that also showed up early to help me get my preparations ready early so I can focus on the brief, the ground (general knowledge) evaluation, and the complicated flight that I had planned.  We were warned that the ground evaluation was more involved than any other check ride to date.  There is a large amount of information that I am responsible for and all of that was fair game for the check pilot to ask me.  Good thing I studied a lot, the ground evaluation went off without a hitch.

The flight went as good as I had hoped it could go.  I made a few bonehead mistakes but nothing that would make me 'hook' the ride.  There is something to be said about the stress involved in a check-ride.  It makes you say and do some of the strangest things you may have never done before.  For some reason, my public math was equivalent to that of a 2nd grader.  For the life of me I struggled to make simple math computations in my head necessary in flight.  Also...I forgot to retract my speed-brakes for about 20 min during the flight when I did not need them.  LOL.  The speed brakes are just as they sound...they help slow you down in a more aggressive manner.  We don't use them often, but I had to during a descent into my planned airport where I was to fly approaches.  Anyway, my IP found it funny...as did I...after I knew I passed.

So I passed and that weight is now lifted off my shoulders.  Yet, there is no rest for the weary who are exhausted and are eager to graduate pilot training.  The very next day I flew my first formation flight in the T-1.  Formation in a larger aircraft is much different than what it was like when I flew the T-6.  We stay much further away from each-other and the maneuvers are less aggressive.  Nonetheless, it is very fun!  I'm almost finished with the formation block of training and then I move on to Air Refueling and Air Drop flying.  Both should be fun, especially air refueling.  These are relativity short blocks of training.  After they are completed...I will be done with all the flying requirements in pilot training!!!  Needless to say, graduation is rapidly approaching.  I am so excited to see my family when they visit for graduation.  As I type this, there are 44 days remaining until I graduate on September 30th, 2011.  I CAN'T WAIT!

NEXT:  Mission Fam (Form, Air Refueling, Air Drop) Check Ride, Drop Night, and Graduation!