No longer the baby class!

So today marked a big step in that after being on the flightline for six weeks 09-10 has joined us in the 37th making them the new 'baby' class of the squadron! It's great seeing them all running around, looking so lost, so scared, so...new...Hehe, I got a good number of friends in that class, so I just have to pick on them a bit. But a lot of them were getting there dollar rides today and I know that really is a fun and exciting time! Seems like so long ago that we were in the same place...but I guess it's really just been 6 weeks. Let me tell you, a LOT has happened in that time!

And a lot is happening right now! We are continuing our grueling pace this week. I literally spent the whole day after formal brief all the way up almost until release over in the sim building double-turning from an EP sim to another I-sim. Another step: that's my last EP sim besides the night-flight EP sim! So that's exciting, no more sims focused on everything going wrong in the plane that possibly ever could! In all reality, though, they are a great part of the program and really give you a good chance to experience things that would be too dangerous in the plane, and that in all reality you never want to have to experience in the first place! I don't know how many times I've ejected in the sim, I think it was 5 today alone!

The instrument sim was a tough one mentally. I like the instrument sims as it's like a game of sorts just using the instruments and flying the plane by them. But, it's a REALLY draining because you have to focus so hard. And in the brief today my instructor introduced so many things that it literally gave me a headache that lasted until I took some advil a few hours ago. It's just a lot of stuff. On top of that, I'm double turning 2 I-sims tomorrow and I've got to get all that I learned today memorized and down before those. Thankfully we're on the late week now as the first we have tomorrow is class at 0930, which is really a nice change of pace.

I was hoping to get my checkride done before the break but it looks like that's just not going to happen and I'll be checking now within a couple days after the break. So that's a wonderful thing to be looking forward to, yay!

On of the guys in our class today, Matt, asked to talk to me after we got out for the day. Turns out he's thinking about starting some sort of get-together for some of us in the class who would be interested and using the time in prayer for the class. It sounds like an awesome idea and I think the Lord could really use that. I know we could easily get about 4 or 5 of us to start out with, and who knows what the Lord will have after that. If nothing else it will be a great way for the believers in the class to get together once a week or so and really support one another in the Lord. We'd really like to reach out to the lost in our class, and will be anxiously waiting to see how the Lord will bring that about. So hopefully some time next week we'll start getting together and see where it goes from there. Please be in prayer for that; I know it can go a long way for those 'on the border' to see others really taking a stand for the Lord who they can relate to and rely on to support each other.