So yesterday went as well as I had hoped. The Captain and I worked well together and he had some very flattering things to say about yours truly. Basically that I flew the plane very well and that I was very easy to work with in the cockpit. He said that I communicated clearly and efficiently and was a pleasure to work with. So my big head just keeps getting bigger.
The checking instructor had kudos for us as well, saying that we exceeded expectations and passed us with no issues. So this whole event is done for another year. I hopefully won't have to worry about the things that we did in the sim happening for real, but if they do I will be ready!
So yeah, the sim is a love/hate relationship. It's a great opportunity for learning when you are learning a new plane or just receiving general instruction. It can be insanely exhausting as one thing upon another happens and you struggle to keep it all together. It can be stressful when you are expected to perform to a certain level of proficiency and you just can't seem to pull it together. The stress can build as you fight with yourself to do better, to keep it together mentally while performing physically. You can fly a single engine approach over and over and over again until you get it right, so many more times than you could for real in the plane. The sim condenses everything and forces you to stay focused on what you are doing and where you are. In the end though you always get to walk away. It can be fun at times as well, but it's certainly where a lot of the money is made.
I'm now home for some well deserved time off. This was one of the breaks that the Mrs and I were going to try and get away with some friends of ours but that plan fell through. We still have the plans at the end of July/first of August time in the works, pending my days off in August. My bed is happy to have me back again.
So my big shock of the day was finding out that Shipley Do-nuts (and another favorite of mine Panchitos Mexican) in the B terminal is closing next week. I'm assuming because some larger entity is forcing them out for more expensive food options. No matter what it's crushing. These doughnuts are possibly some of the best I've ever had and I'm sad that they won't be there anymore. So I bought 2 dozen of them and brought them home for everyone to enjoy. Sorry, but you can't have one.
