wrote in
:

Hey all... just figured I'd share that I passed my IFR checkride a
week or so ago. If anything, actually passing made me more leery of
going out on own. Don't want hubris, but need to figure out what I
can do.

Congratulations. I know it was a LOT of work, but admit it... now that
it's done - feels good, doesn't it?

Don't worry too much about anything "special" - your own common sense (and
if you survived this far, you have some) will pretty much keep you out of
trouble. Frankly, you are about as good at flying on the gauges right now
as you ever will be. So just apply a reasonable conservatism and expand
your envelope as you go... you'll do fine.

What you *will* learn a great deal (and eventually wonder how they ever let
you out on your own "way back when") is how to work within the system.
Until weather forecasting and flow control get down to an EXACTING SCIENCE
(I figure in about 1000 years), flying IFR is always going to be an
exercise in flexibility. You do all that wonderful preflight planning
(which *is* a good thing), and it survives precisely as long as it takes
you to get your first clearance. Huh? That's NOTHING like what I filed!

Welcome to the real world.

With practice you will eventually get comfortable with reworking everything
on the fly (pardon the pun). And you will learn the fine art of horse-
trading with ATC for something you both can live with. Just takes time...

Again, congratulations.

-----------------------------------------------
James M. Knox
TriSoft ph 512-385-0316
1109-A Shady Lane fax 512-366-4331
Austin, Tx 78721
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