Day 4:
Today was mostly spent reviewing rules for IFR flight, limitations for approaches, etc. What was a real exercise was figuring out duty time limitations given different scenarios. It can really make your headspin with all the exceptions and rules for "Duty Periods" vs. sliding 24-hour limitations, reduced rest and compensatory rest, etc. We haven't even learned our contract rules yet that will change some of those figures. We also went through exercises involving company alternate minimums, the People's Express exemption, etc. Fun stuff!

Day 5:
Passed my first test written test... Indoc! Most of the ground school today involved weather and weight and balance. It was interesting to hear about the different weather patterns at the domociles during different seasons. I think we may have gone through more than a thousand slides over this past week. One thing that I have come to grips with is that much of my learning is going to be self study. They are about to change the whole training program and we are the last class that is using the old slides. I get this feeling that they don't like that they have to do one more class with these and they tend to go through many of them without saying much. That is ok though, because I'm learning a lot more than I expected by having to dig up most of the information myself.

Today we got to see the actual aircraft for the first time as well. It was very cool to walk around it, knowing that it won't be long before I will be at the control of this sexy jet. We learned a lot about different exterior items and got to stick our heads into the compartment where the APU is, as well the the avionics bay. The cockpit was exactly as I expected. It was pretty cool to realize that I already knew where the majority of switches were from studying flows in the CPT (Cockpit Procedures Trainer).

This weekend was mostly spent sleeping in, getting exercise, watching football, studying, and going into the CPT with my sim partner at least once a day. We have finally got through the profiles for a normal takeoff, rejected takeoff, and engine failures/fires after V1. We also had a Starbucks study group going today for limitations and memory items.