How did I do? Well, I didn't crash. No V1 cut, but on the first take off,
just past 80kts and approaching
V1 there was some sort of malfunction, fire or something, don't really
remember, but I got a Master
Caution light and some sort of warning horn. Figuring that can't be good I
cut the throttles, deploy the
speed brakes, stomp on the wheel brakes and come to a nice stop on the
runway. Reset.

Next we're cleared for departure again and my first officer says we're
cleared to depart. I look out the wind
screen and ask my FO to call ground and ask for taxi clearance to 28R.
Apparently some people have just
departed from the taxi way before. Reset.

OK. Real departure (or simulated, depending on how you want look at it).
Spool up, brake release, set
take off thrust, 80kts, V1, rotate, V2, WE'RE FLYING the B-737. YEEEE HAAAA!
Oh yea, positive
rate, "Gear up please". 1000msl, lower the nose, speed up, raise the flaps,
level at 3000msl, set speed to
230kts. Basically a short field takeoff procedure.

So now I flying around and Wayne is playing ATC and giving me headings. The
feelings and the visuals
are FANTASTIC. You really feel like you're flying. Left turn to 090.
Right turn to 360. Hey this isn't
too hard - what the.... Number 1 hydraulics is out. OK, number 2
hydraulics picked up the slack.
Damn, number 2 hydraulics gone. That Wayne!!! So now I flying the plane by
muscle and cable. Talk
about HEAVY control forces, but I'm doing a good job. Headings and altitude
right on. OK, enough
laughs for Wayne so my hydraulics come back on-line. Now for the approach.

ILS 28RL at SFO. Localizer alive and now, in the back of my head, my IFR
instructor's voice says, "Go
get it". Now I'm flying a B-737 like a Warrior. Hard right bank. What's
that warning now? Over bank?
Did you know that if you bank a B-737 to 40 degrees and not pay attention to
maintaining the right
amount of back pressure you can lose 500 feet in altitude really fast?
Well, you can. So now I nose up to
get back to altitude and the glide slope comes alive. Gear down, set speed
146. But here comes my IFR
instructor again, "Stay on the glide slope, no matter what". Little high,
little low, little high, little low,
flaps 15, flaps 30. OK, finally stabilized. Better later than never. 1000
feet, 500, 200, auto throttles off,
100, 50, reduce power, 30, arrest decent, 10, look to end of runway.....hold
it....squeak. Yea baby. FO
cleans up plane, take off thrust, rotate and off we go again.

Now Wayne stops the sim at 1000 feet and resets it for the approach. "Capt.
are you Instrument rated"?
"Yes". "Well, we'll see for how long". That Wayne's a funny guy. Ceiling
to 500msl and 1 mile
visibility. Not too bad. He had the higher time CFI guys down to 200 and
1/2. "Ready"? Here we go.
Now that I have the hang of it this approach goes better. Break out, "Don't
level off - ride the glide slope
down"!!! This time my IFR CFI's advice is welcome. (actually all of my IFR
CFI's adivice has been
good). Just a little right of center line and another smooth touch down. A
couple of pictures and it's over.
Now it's time to sit in the back of the sim and observe the other two guys.
About 5 minutes later I get this
feeling like I had after my first solo, where the excitement of the whole
thing finally hits and I want to
scream out a,"YYYYYYEEEEEEEE HHHAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!! But I figure it might
mess up the crew
flying.

More pictures with everyone and it's off to the hotel for beers. And some
more beers. And some more
beers. This Shoney beer is GOOD.

It was a great experience. The other 6 pilots in the class were all nice.
Wayne gave us all a nice picture
of a B-737. And now I have a high altitude endorsement in the log book.
Will come in handy when I
finally save up enough money for that Malibu.

"Attention passengers this is your flight attendant speaking.. We have a
problem. The flight crew is
incapacitated from the bad fish we served at dinner. Can anyone land a
Boeing 737?" Hand goes up.......