The One Where the Maneuvers Validation Goes Better Than Expected
Today was my Maneuvers Validation, and though I originally hoped for more practice (requested an additional lesson twice), the training department apparently had other plans for us, and our instructors signed us off for the validation. I went in feeling less than fully confident, but I also reminded myself that there would be extra attempts if necessary. Once we got into the sim, though, everything came together much more smoothly than I expected. Everything went much better than any other lessons, and we both got every maneuver right on the very first try. Thinking back on it, I realize the training plan was designed that way: the sessions leading up to the MV were intentionally tougher, so when it came to the actual evaluation, it felt relatively calm.
The examiner set the tone with a thorough debrief before we started, so there were no surprises. The “captain” role in the other seat was fully capable, which meant they took care of programming and data entry. That left me free to focus on the maneuvers and procedures themselves, rather than juggling every checklist and programming task.
I was pleasantly surprised with how well I handled the V1 cuts. I stayed almost dead-on the heading bug—off by 2 degrees at most. The approaches and missed approaches also went off without a hitch, and I was proud not to have missed any callouts. We kept up a good dialogue on what to do at each phase of flight, so we were both at least one step ahead of the plan, and I nailed a level of precision I honestly hadn’t achieved in previous practices.
The only hiccup was on the no-flaps landing, where I made a bit of an overcorrection at the last second and ended up with a firm touchdown. It was still within acceptable limits, but definitely something I plan to work on. Otherwise, it felt fantastic to see everything click so cleanly, and I walked out carrying a huge sense of relief.
Tomorrow, I start SPOT training; the day after, it’s a jumpseat observation trip. After a few more lessons next week, I’ll take my final type-rating check ride—and then I’ll be an official airline pilot. It’s incredible to think how far we’ve come, and I’m excited to see how the next steps wrap up this training journey.