Instrument complete! It feels like a miracle, or maybe a dream. What a miserable experience, not as bad as initial flight screening, but boy was it rough. I am sure you are thinking, how was it rough? you were flying an airplane, couldn't be that bad. This is where you would be wrong. You see, I am a perfectionist, and the T-6 is a horribly unstable plane, which makes for a glorious aerobatic flight, but a terrible instrument platform. Instruments is all about being steady and smooth. The T-6 is not meant to be either, at least not in that way. But now it is over and I get to fly formation. That will be fun.

I had a good talk with a friend today. It made me think about how we live life. Most things we do for the greater good, or at least for our greater good. Some people work in a tiny cubical, answer whiny phone calls, deal with confused customers, or get other people's coffee for 8 or more hours a day just for the pay check they get every other week or so. To them that pay check is the greater good that comes from the long hours spent on the verge of insanity. Others serve for the greater good of others, yes the pay check is nice, but not nearly enough to compensate for the struggle. Teachers put up with other people's spoiled brats for hours each day just to see the glint of learning in a few of their eyes. Soldiers put up with the fear or death and injury to be able to sleep at night with the knowledge that they have kept the innocents who cannot defend themselves safe. Airmen face the risk of crashing or being shot from the sky to provide a shield for those fighting on the ground and to bring hope and supplies to those in need. Doctors work long hard hours and bear the pain of families losing loved ones to be able to bring health and happiness to their patients.

In every job there is reward for those who work it. And every job longs for the weekend to spend with their family and friends, whether that job includes flying the fastest planes or working the longest hours in a mine.

And now my weekend starts and I cannot think of anything else to say. It's been a long week.

Cross country was a lot of fun. It was a ton of work, and really tiring, but still cool. My instructor pilot told me that her first cross country as a student was when she first started feeling like a real pilot. I think I agree. Some times things went a little crazy with the weather and the clearances, and I wasn't sure what to do still, but for the most part it felt like I really knew what was going on and could do it all on my own.

Taking off for my first night sortie was pretty sweet too. Flying at night on a commercial plane is one of my favorite parts of flying, but being the person flying over those little lights flickering down below is even cooler.

One thing that was rough about cross country was that it took away my weekend. It is a little brutal flying a plane with no autopilot and pretty bad triming capability for long periods of time every day. But I just reminded myself that those towns we were passing over could very well have people working on the weekends as well, and their work was either more brutal hard labor or more boring desk jobs. So, really I would much rather be a pilot flying on the weekends, than have a desk job with the best hours possible.

Instrument checkride is coming up, probably next week. There is a crazy amount stuff to know for it, so most of the next few days will probably be spent studying. And then it is on to formation and low-levels!! woot!

Tomorrow, I go cross country. Though a seemingly simple sentence, it holds so much meaning. It means I have made it through a very difficult party of pilot training successfully so far. It alludes to the idea that I will be flying a plane across the great state of texas for a journey that many road trips have accomplished. It reminds me of sitting in the back of my dad's car on sunday afternoon drives - craning my head back to watch the fluffy clouds pass by the window and dreaming of zooming around in those clouds. It is such a small step in the journey of pilot training, but it seems like such a great step in the journey of a dreamer.

Another long week in pilot training. But in the end it seemed productive. Sometimes I feel like I am catching on to the whole flying thing a whole lot slower than everyone else. However, I am still alive and pushing through, so it must be going well. Next friday I go cross-country, which is supposed to be a great time. And then after that I just have a week our two left of instruments before formation.

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