A very fun July is over!

This July has been a great month for me...as you may have noticed by the recent lack of postings! I really have been enjoying life by traveling around the Caribbean and Puerto Rico. I have been spending time in St. Maarten and also Rincon, Puerto Rico. Everyday I love life more and more because of moving to Puerto Rico.

When I was a smaller kid than I am now, I used to dream about living on an island with the ocean on all sides. I also used to dream about flying airplanes and being a pilot. With the help of my parents and family, I am living my dream today. I would be lying if I said that I have ever been happier in my life. Having at least 15 days off per month, flying over beautiful terrain, having challenging experiences in the air with weather and volcanic ash, and spending lots of time with a very kind Puerto Rican girlfriend, really makes me realize how priviliged I am today.

Yesterday was a very challenging day flying for me. I had a Puerto Plata, D.R. turn then a Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles overnight. We were scheduled for a 1:00pm departure for Puerto Plata for about a four hour round trip flight. Over the west coast of Puerto Rico the weather started to really get bad...large Cumulonimbus clouds and heavy precipitation. We knew we were in trouble about 40 miles from Puerto Plata when we heard an American Airlines 757 having lots of trouble getting into Puerto Plata. The were attempting their second try on the VOR approach to runway 08. Our weather radar was solid red, meaning that we had no where to go to escape the horrible weather, we could not get lower over the ocean due to the AA flight doing the approach. So we entered a holding pattern over the airport. I was the pilot flying on this leg so instead of the usual reading of magazines had to take a break. To make a long long story short we came to the point where we had no extra fuel to waste and we had to fly all the way back across the Dominican Republic to Punta Cana to refuel and then turn around and land in Puerto Plata with a little better weather. A short flight over and back turned into a fiasco. We ended up missing our flight to Bonaire and we continued our schedule today like we would have. In this posting I will not even touch the subject of having to call D.R. security forces to meet the airplane as we finally landed in Puerto Plata...but I will say that we were stuck with one of the most stupid flight attendants who would not serve extra chips to the passengers! We all hated her for what she did, or mostly did not do. I now have a flight attendant that I will forever refuse to fly with. Que una cabrona!

I have been having a great time in Puerto Rico as well. The other day Keyra took me to Camuey Caverns (I think that is how you spell it). I was amazed at this cave, I have seen lots of caves, but this one really impressed me. It is a huge sinkhole in the middle of the jungle that leads to a huge expanse of caverns with underground rivers.

I also spent some time recently in SXM, St. Maarten, Dutch West Indies. It was a great time, but the most notable thing that happened there was that I tried to make a jetski fly like an airplane. The good news is that it works! All you have to do is hit a swell in the ocean going about 70 mph and then you will be airborne (for a long time). You will also become out of control if you hardly ever jetski! The result will be that you crash and almost break your leg. I am fortunate to only have ankle pain that never goes away. (My nurse is mad at me)....all I did was try to to make a jetski fly, give me a break!

My internet connection here at home is really slow so I will cut this short now and write more later. I have so much to say about my experiences over the last few weeks. I have been having a great time! Some other first officers at my work are getting a little jealous of me. They are so miserable and unhappy sometimes about living here in Puerto Rico. I feel sorry for them, they try to live in thier comfort zones going to the United States whenever they are off of work. I am so fortunate to have been able to buy a car here, live on the beach, and meet the kindest and prettiest girl in Puerto Rico. My life is changing as we speak. One thing I know forsure...I will never live anywhere where it snows again! Until next time...adios.

Grenada

Sorry for the lack of updates, but it appears that I have been pushed back into reality...I have a job and I sometimes have to "work". I am about to leave for the airport. I have a Tortolla turn then a Grenada overnight. Tomorrow I come back from Grenada in the morning then have a Dominica turn. All in all I have 10 hours in the air ahead in the next 30 hours! I really do love my job and the sights that I get to see.

I'll put more pictures up when I have time! Adios.

777

DFW to MIA

Today I had a new first...flying in a Boeing 777. My first experience in a 777 was very nice...first class with fully reclining and revolving seats...my own personal TV...and a guy next to me who really liked to talk. I have a few pictures but I will put them on later. The airplane was very new and after MIA was continuing on to Brazil.

Now I am staying in a Crowne Plaza hotel until my return to SJU on Thursday. My bed is extremely comfortable and I just came in from a few hours at the pool...I can't believe this is "work". Even though I am not making much $ right now, I really am fortunate to have this job. Time to go next door with the whole crew and eat seafood!

My time in Dallas

Yesterday I passed my checkride here in Dallas! It was one of the worst days in my life however. It was very stressful and the check airman I had was not the nicest person in the world...neither was the person that was sitting next to me being my non-flying pilot. But it is over and now I have spent today relaxing by this pool here at the "Admiral Hotel" in Arlington, Texas. The place is actually very boring since the entire hotel is filled with American Airlines and American Eagle pilots who are stressed out for checkrides and training.

For those of you are interested here is how yesterday went. I woke up at 6am to talk to Keyra as she drove home from a double shift at the hospital (she talks on the phone in her car even though it is now illegal in Puerto Rico...she also drives a motorcycle without a motorcycle license, but that is for another posting). So after I finished talking with the girl who has bought me a dog, four books to learn spanish, and a basketball, I woke up and went to the American Airlines Flight Academy to spend a few hours doing last minute studying. I ate some eggs and a biscuit that made me feel sick! At 1130, I met my check airman who then gave me an oral examination for an hour and a half about the ATR limitations, systems, emergency procedures, and safety equipment. The captain that I was paired with then did his oral exam. When he had both passed, we went to the simulator and the captain began his checkride. This was stressful for me as well since I had to be a good non-flying pilot assiting him or else he will really get mad at me for making it harder for him. After 2.5 hours the captain was told that he had failed and would need more training and a new checkride. I then found out that I had no person to fly with me since he could no longer be allowed to be in my test! So for an hour I had to stress about coming back to Dallas in the future...something that I really didn't want to have to do.

Finally another instructor at the academy on standby was able to come in and he was mad since he did not want to be there. He mad it obvious to me that he did not care too much about me or my success or failure. Here is how my checkride went...Takeoff out of Memphis in horrible weather which required more procedures to be able to takeoff. After takeoff I did a GPS approach to minimums then an airplane was on the runway and I had to do a "missed approach" and hold over a fix computing fuel to see where I had to go and what options I had. After I passed all that I came back to Memphis for an ILS approach. Another takeoff and an engine failure at V1...again with low clouds and strong wind. Lots of memory items then lots and lots of checklist procedures to deal with then a return to the airport for landing. Another takeoff then I had to demonstrate stall recovery procedures, other emergency procedures, and simulated smoke in the cockpit. At the end was an aborted takeoff due to some indications in the instruments that it was not safe to fly. I left the test so angry at the instructor and guy sitting next to me. But I was happy to be passed and done.















This is the AA Flight Academy or the "schoolhouse" as we call it. It is the dreaded place where once a year you are stressed to 110% and let another person make you feel like a bad pilot.

It is awe inspiring to be so fortunate to train in this facility. I thank God that I have this job and passed this checkride. Next to the ATR simulator is a 777 simulator. It is amazing to think that all over the world there are American and American Eagle airplanes and each pilot has been here within the last year and been stressed out.

Somebody help me!

I am in Dallas in my hotel room with this 64 oz soda that is making me really hyper while I read these books on my bed and remember by the image on the right that I'm not wasting my time. I'm going crazy!!!! I'm sick of studying and worrying about my checkride tomorrow. I know I will be ok...but this is not fun! I'm in a nice place and in a nice part of Texas and I'm locked in my room like a madman! The soda is cool...across the street it was $1.09 and refills are $0.69. I wish I could fill it up with beer and just hallucinate that I passed my checkride already and be done with it all.

Ok...study break is over but here are a few pictures that I took in Dominica the other day. I have highspeed here in the hotel so it is easier to put up pictures.

The week ahead...

I miss this puppy so I put up one last picture of him (note the surfboard in the back and the sunblock that I never use on the table). The other picture I took yesterday, it is of Maggen's Bay in St. Thomas. I think this bay is pretty and I plan to go there and swim sometime.

This week is going to be long. On friday I leave for Dallas, Texas to the American Airlines Headquarters and Training Department. This is where American and American Eagle have their flight simulators...multi-million dollar full motion simulators that test your skills and standardization in the airplane. I have my yearly proficiency check which also happens to be my probation checkride since my year of probation is almost up. I am studying for my oral exam and flying in my head some of the approches and emergency procedures that I know I will have to do. I am a little stressed out!

I will be in Dallas from Friday to Sunday and on Sunday the plan is to fly to Miami for recurrent groundschool. This will be until Thursday morning. We have to take tests on aircraft systems and do our yearly ditching training in the pool with the extended overwater equipment that we carry on the airplane. On Thursday I will be back in Puerto Rico with some days off! I am missing (but still getting paid for) an overnight in Bonaire and Grenada and about 30 hours of flying in the 7 days that I will be gone. I have a fun July planned, I will be going to Maryland at some point and also spending some time in Rincon on the southwest side of Puerto Rico.

There may be more updates from the states next week...adios!