F-16 Solo Flight on Wednesday!

Wow, this job rocks! I've only had three flights in the front seat and will be going solo on flight number five! It's almost impossible to explain the feeling I've had actually running the show from the front seat...the best thing in the world! The cockpit is set up perfectly and it wraps around you as you sit in the seat. The F-16 has what they call a bubble canopy, so there no canopy rail obscuring your vision like in the T-38! The visibility is great. Up to this point the flying has been pretty basic stuff just like with any other flying program. We're working on ground ops, take-offs and landings, area work to get a feel for how the thing flies and then instrument approaches...usually three per flight before hitting the overhead pattern for some touch-n-gos. This is also preparation for our Form 8 checkride, which checks us out in the jet and allows us to fly solo in the clouds if needed down to minimums of 700-2 (700 ft above ground level and 2 miles visibility). There are a few parts that make up the Form 8. The first part is testing...missed one question out of 100 there. The second part is an Emergency Procedures Evaluation, or a checkride in the simulator making sure we can safely handle emergencies in the jet and get it on the deck safely if able. I had that yesterday and received a Q1 with no downgrades, so I was pretty happy. The third part is an actual flying checkride, which I'll have the week after next sometime...then it's on to the air-to-air phase of training! So, things are moving along well and I'm ready to solo the F-16 in a few days...too awesome! I'm pretty sure I'm one of the most blessed people around!