31 March 2003,

I am done!   Well, not really, I still have a low-level to fly on Wednesday, but after my formation check-ride today, there is no more stress.  It is a great feeling.   All the weigh of having to perform well and be sharp every single day is over, at least for the next 4 days, until I go to fly a T-1.  Then it all starts all over again.   Either way, I am excited, and not just a little sad to be leaving the Tweet.   I look forward to the next great challenge but also will miss the friends (IP’s and Students that will be either tracking to a different aircraft or just ushering in the “new” flight).  I will miss the hardships as well.  Nothing unites people like suffering, hehehe.  

I showed this morning, early, and was not scheduled to have my check-ride until the afternoon.   Yeah, I was nervous, cause that is what you are before you go check.  I studied with the guy that I was going to check against (ie fly the other plane in the formation).   You could tell we both just wanted to get it over with.   Check-rides are fun…………after you’re done.  But, as it was my last check-ride in Tweets, it was kind of sad to know that I will never fly 3 feet from another aircraft (unless I am about to hit it). 

We went upstairs to check-flight and filled out a Boldface/Ops Limits sheet and then waited for the check pilots to call us.  Nothing exciting for the brief, and then I had about 10 minutes to kill until we had to go to the jet.  I was nervous mainly because I just didn’t want to screw anything simple up.   It worked out, I had a really pretty decent flight.   I got a 6E, which means that I did 6 things that were less than Excellent, however, the check pilot said some really nice things about my flight.  I am certainly not bragging, but something that really made me feel good is that the check-pilot said that “I know you are going to C-5’s but I think you have great hands (ie I fly well) and that you should be a fighter pilot because I think you would be really good”.  Now, I have no desire to go fly fighters (mission) but I consider that a very high compliment coming from a fighter guy (which he is).   It made me feel that, yes, I can hang with the best of them.  Either way, no big deal, but I will never forget it. 

So, now for all intensive purposes; Done with the Tweet.   We track select on Thursday and I am SO VERY excited to see what everyone gets.  It will be very interesting to see peoples reactions (both good and bad).  My folks are coming down and I have reserved a “Red Carpet” Simulator ride for them, so I will get to “wow” them with my mad pilot skillz, HA!   I will write more after the Track Party, which by the way, we got the Miller Girls from Austin to come to, yee-haw.  And no, the Miller Girls, are not two 300 pound twins from Bracketville,………………………………

…. Or maybe they will be, hehehe.