I couldn't have done it without the many prayers from my family and girlfriend, my partner Eric Christiansen and the studying that I did with Kurt. Thanks guys for your extra patience. It's almost like a speech that I'm giving, but seriously, this is big for me. It's not like when I passed the MD-90 check only because I'm actually going to be hopping up onto this aircraft and fly people around.

It was the first time that an Aircrew Program Designee (APD) gave me an Atomic Fireball during a check. He said, "If you could take a checkride with a fireball in your mouth, then you have to be pretty good." So, we took the challenge and popped them into our mouths. I haven't had one for a while and the burn surprised me but it did take my mind off of the pressure a little bit. Thanks for that!

I oral exam went better than I thought with only a small slip and the ride itself went great. I could have done better, but I like to think that it was good. It was like the A+ that I had to follow, but I'll give myself an A. I start my first flight on Thursday, March 8th, 2007 early morning. But till then, I have to sit on a couple of observation flights. Should be exciting!

Check out my new ride!