17 July

I had a good flight last night. I was more prepared, had all my equipment and it was a little cooler (either that or I am getting used to it). 120 is a lot like -40, it’s never comfortable or enjoyable you just learn to survive in it. That being said it only takes a few minutes at -40 to realize it would be life threatening whereas 120 would be a longer, more painful death. I digress, back to the flight – we were able to get some good Heads up Display (HUD) training in and it reconfirmed for me that I really do enjoy teaching people. I was a lot more comfortable with the aircraft and the equipment than last flight. I am sure I am going to say this many times over the next year – we have a really good group of guys. From the pilots to crewmembers to staff we have a lot of experience and those who don’t are sharp and willing to learn. Of course our experience didn’t keep us from crashing one last time – complacency is going to be our biggest problem. We are starting to have a few maintenance issues but now is the time to get them fixed. My biggest fear is damaging an aircraft during training down here. It was sad missing Wendi’s birthday again – I have missed well over half since we have been together but this one affected me more than most.
Clear H 114 L 82