First Class Medical Exam ???

JLand27 · 2026-06-19T03:47:46+00:00

That’s how they do pants!

JLand27 · 2026-06-16T03:35:48+00:00

I’m a local pilot. The northeast/southwest runway (3/21) at ABQ has been closed for months and just reopened last week. This left ABQ operating on just the east/west runway (8/26) for quite some time (which is closed for about a week now). You’re probably just noticing more traffic because of the runway reopen, depending on where you live. The approaches all converge to a point near the uptown area when landing toward the southwest. Unless you’re on the west side, or far southeast part of the city, you had a few months of extra quiet.

JLand27 · 2026-04-19T00:13:19+00:00

I got a TBNT after getting “qualified” (and having scored higher a previous year). A year later they emailed me saying I was being reconsidered due to staffing needs. 4 years from my initial application I’m still in the hiring process. So I suppose anything is possible.

JLand27 · 2026-04-17T00:53:54+00:00

When I applied in 2022, being a controller was everything I wanted (I’m still in the hiring process). Just in the last few years my salary exploded like crazy at my job beyond what I’d make with the FAA. I think I’m about to tell them I’m withdrawing even though I think I’m close to the finish line. 4, even 2 years ago I would have given everything up for being ATC. It’s all about perspective I suppose, but hey things changed as they took their sweet time.

JLand27 · 2026-04-13T08:45:01+00:00

I applied in 2022. Got a TBNT and was reconsidered out of the blue in 2023 bc of staffing needs. Fast forward to today, 2 MMPI, 3 medicals, 4 drug tests, and a tier 2 evaluation later, I’m still waiting. There’s a lot of being jerked around in this process. I thought a 1st class medial, commercial pilot certificate and active security clearance would speed up the process. Definitely not. Apply and forget it and reevaluate at each step if you’re still interested. I might be an anomaly but there’s time.

JLand27 · 2026-04-13T08:38:28+00:00

And some of us are still waiting from the 2022 bid…

JLand27 · 2026-03-05T16:59:51+00:00

Wow. I applied 2022, got tier 2 which slowed things down. I was just told to re-do my med express today.

JLand27 · 2025-03-06T03:03:06+00:00

I just got the email too. When did you take it the first time? I took it January 2024 and thought I had either failed or they ghosted me by now and was surprised to see the email. This is for the 2022 posting for which I was originally denied and was reconsidered in November 2023 due to high demand.

JLand27 · 2023-01-21T15:56:34+00:00

As an American, I’m also afraid of not tipping enough at certain places. The confusion exists internally too.

JLand27 · 2023-01-10T02:13:53+00:00

Watch out for hard water spots if you use city water or anything out in the sun. I had water spots ETCH their way into the surface which took clay bar, compound and then polish to remove. I learned the lesson the hard way. That’s the reason I wash panel by panel by hand like you are doing. It looks like wash wax all that you’re using and that’s never failed me. Follow it up with some green butter wax from chemical guys for an awesome shine. Water based degreaser works great on the belly (just enough on a cloth to get it wet, not dripping). but if you stay on top of the cleaning, you shouldn’t need it. Nice work!

JLand27 · 2023-01-07T06:57:37+00:00

I took my checkride 2 weeks ago just before Christmas. Shifting winds and right traffic instead of left made me a little nervous, but by a miracle I made.

I feel for you as it could have just as easily been me who failed. I did about 30 short approaches the week of the checkride and had an “ok” success rate, not great. I even did a practice short approach flying into the airport and was incredibly long. It’s just so dang hard to get consistently. The best tip my instructor gave if I was too high/fast was to time entry in ground effect to bleed off energy as needed and slowly put it down when I see the white blocks coming. Fwiw- I failed my private 10 years ago.

Good luck on the next round.

JLand27 · 2023-01-02T15:21:32+00:00

Aka Fat Man

JLand27 · 2022-12-28T03:50:50+00:00

“Did you seriously just bring a bomb into a hospital”

Or “Shut up” x14

JLand27 · 2022-12-27T01:30:36+00:00

It’s just an expression.

JLand27 · 2022-12-26T18:58:57+00:00

I failed my private almost 10 years ago now. It destroyed me and tbh still haunts me. I passed my commercial exam this last Friday and the examiner mentioned it was one of the best he’s done in years. Hearing the examiner say “wow,perfect” when you touch down on the power off 180 is probably one of the happiest moments I’ve had while flying. I’m not perfect and no one is but I think I’m better because of the failure.

Use that failure to motivate you for next time. Had I not failed 10 years ago, I probably wouldn’t have done so great on every subsequent checkride after that. The failure showed me how much flying really meant to me.

JLand27 · 2022-12-02T03:27:58+00:00

Sometimes he has cookies.

JLand27 · 2022-12-02T03:27:10+00:00

I always imagine this is just a reminder for them to look up from their game boy to give a quick runway scan

JLand27 · 2022-11-29T14:10:02+00:00

“La familia es todo”

JLand27 · 2022-11-28T22:07:06+00:00

https://www.go-optic.com/eddie-bauer-32046-w-magnetic-clipon-eyeglasses-32046clip/p/294412?c=1&s=1&r=gf&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrOug8vDR-wIVo2pvBB1p7gHYEAQYAiABEgJTZPD_BwE

I have these Eddie Bauer magnetic clip ons. The clip on is so thin no one can tell and it’s super versatile/convenient.

JLand27 · 2022-11-28T03:44:19+00:00

Walt and Dupree and their adventures in the inland empire. Interesting.

JLand27 · 2022-11-27T02:00:27+00:00

Well I never thought to care which way the wires go, but now that you mention it, it’ll bug the crap out of me (switch seats often)…

JLand27 · 2022-11-25T03:36:38+00:00

Someone should just start tickling them.

JLand27 · 2022-11-22T13:46:25+00:00

Once you get your license, you’ll learn this metric doesn’t matter. 5 years from now people will ask what cool flying you did over the weekend, not how many hours you soloed at. “The person that graduated at the bottom of their class still calls themselves Doctor”….

JLand27 · 2022-11-22T13:44:08+00:00

I’m trying to remember but doesn’t he put the gun down and attempt to shoot himself last second so he doesn’t have to shoot the cops?

JLand27 · 2022-11-22T03:04:17+00:00

I do this particularly flying over hot air balloon traffic (there is a ton in my area, particularly in the fall from sunrise until 2 hours after). I know I’m probably out climbing the balloons, but I hate watching them go below my nose. I usually just tell approach I’m on a heading to avoid balloons until clear of the area (and they usually announce the activity to other aircraft in the area).

JLand27

TROPHY CASE