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There I was, number one for takeoff. "Pogo 16, number one, static, patterns" I call over the radio. "Pogo 16, cleared for takeoff" I hear back. Down the canopy comes, and on goes the transponder. With one sweaty hand on the stick and another shaking hand on the throttle, I taxi onto the active, and give her some power. 2000lb of thrust starts shooting out the back, and I begin to roll. The T-37, strapped onto it's hyperventilating student pilot, defies Newtonian physics, and leaps into the air. Sucking down 100% Oxygen, with knees shaking and eyes watering, I extend my left hand and bring up the gear and flaps. Four patterns, two landings, and one half hour later, myself, five pounds lighter, and my sweat drenched flightsuit, five pounds heavier, bring it into a full stop. And with that, I completed my first jet solo.


Now it's time for my class to congradulate me in the only way they know how: a dunk in the pogo pool.

Congrats man!

Well done man.

Congratulations!

Er...did you know about that tradition beforehand?

Wow.

I, having never even flown on a commercial airline, am totally impressed.

Congrats, Pilot.

that rocks, good job!

When my brother solo'd for the first time, he got buckets of water dumped on him, a similar tradition.


Unfortunately, it was through CAP, but it's still pretty damn cool.

What are you training to fly?

My freind's Dad commands the 1st Recon squadorn out of Beale. He flies the U-2.

Congratulations on your first solo!

Huzzah!

Agent Fisher wrote:What are you training to fly?

Right now I fly the T-37. I'm shooting for my next plane to be the T-38, followed by a fighter of some sort.



EDIT: And just to clarify, this was not actually my first solo, that was in April of 98. This is my first solo in an Air Force aircraft. It was also my first solo in a jet, and a multi engine.

Congratulations WP. Nice to see someone reaching a goal they've long sought after.

Love your expression.

Congradulations.

Congratulations, man! I'll be doing the same soon, only via the civilian route, and one day hopefully find myself on the left seat of a widebody Boeing or Airbus.

Coolness. Pity I'm legally blind, or I'd try that.

Way to go! Must have been a blast.

I tried to join CAP, but just before I finished signing up I went thru some emotional problems and I was already right at the age limits, so that idea got blown out the airlock. It would be great to learn to fly, just probably not something that will ever happen.

Cool story. What's a pogo pool?

Congrats!

Hyperion wrote:Way to go! Must have been a blast.

I tried to join CAP, but just before I finished signing up I went thru some emotional problems and I was already right at the age limits, so that idea got blown out the airlock. It would be great to learn to fly, just probably not something that will ever happen.

Eh... You didnt miss much. I was in it for a year, and we went flying ONCE. God damn, that was a waste of my time.

Clear skies, biznatch

cool stuff Multi Engine Military Jets eh? cool stuff...

Im still flying around at 110 knots in fixed pitch props hehe.

Gandalf wrote:Cool story. What's a pogo pool?

'Pogo' is the callsign given to initial solo sorties in my squadron. Hence the big tub of water you are tossed into after your flight is known as the 'pogo pool'.

Congratulations!
I understand that being in the Air Force limits your options somewhat, but maybe someday you'll leave those blowtorch thingies behind and graduate to areal aircraft.

So any idea of what plane you want to go to after you're done with
your flight training, WP?

Oh yeah, congrats, hehehe, reminds me of how the USAF got a swimming
pool into Afghanistan for personal use by labelling it as a "parachute washing
facility".

Congrats pilot! I hope everyone can be telling similar stories about what they love to do.

Mine will be about the first time I practice germicide in a lab