IFS is done! Finished my check ride Friday afternoon. Wasn't the prettiest flight I've flown here, and just like my first check ride, I thought I was borderline failing it the entire time. However, this time around it was due to the residual gusting winds we've been having the past couple of days. Everything was calm and fine when I took off from Pueblo, but when I got to the airport I was flying to (La Junta), the winds were gusting up to 25 knots, which is right at our maximum limit. So, landing was extremely stressful with the winds gusting and knocking me all over the place and even just trying to fly straight and level was a chore. But it's done, I passed, and now I can go home and enjoy a couple weeks off before I start step two...Instrument Qualification, starting March 8th! I'll describe the next class I have to go through a little later, probably after I start it, but it basically involves learning how to fly an aircraft solely by reference to the
aircraft instruments. We'll be doing our training in
T-6 Texan II simulators, so no more actual flying in an aircraft from now on.
But, I'm going to enjoy my freedom for the moment, check out of this place tomorrow morning, and head on back to San Antonio to put in for leave and take a quick mini-vacation. I'll do a more in-depth re-cap post this Sunday once I get back to my apartment and get settled in. Here's a (semi-decent) picture of the four of us still left in my flight, next to the "Mighty Katana" DA-20C:
