It is REAL ... I'm a PILOT .. people, I said PILOT

Yesterday was the day. The day that I became a pilot in. I did it finally and I became a pilot. A dream comes true. So, I will add the details of the checkride (exam) at the end. I don't want to explain how stressed I was before it. It was crazy.
anyways, here is the email I sent to my instructor about the checkride details and his replay:

Brian,
So, it's either that the examiner is really easy, or I was well prepared.Either way, I'm a PILOT : ))He is very nice guy, and I don't have to stress how much he is relaxing. Hebriefed all what we will do at the beginning. Then started the oral withchecking the maintenance logs. Asked me about the ADs, my answer was theseats example in the 172s. Then, we covered the weight and balance, noproblem. He skimmed the flight plan, and paid an extreme attention to the3000 ft at the beginning. A couple of very simple question about the plan.Like total time, and total fuel used. Then VFR fuel rules. Then asked me totell him everything I can know from the sectional about orange countyairport. Also, he covered main engine issues and airplanes systems. Hisquestions were more like fill in the blank. There was no judgment questions.The only time he gave me a scenario is for communications with classes. Heasked different questions about runways lightnings and rotating beacons.Then there was the time with his artistic drawing. He gave me right of waysituations, wake turbulence. I almost missed one of the wake turbulencequestions but I caught it quickly. My answers were just enough, which madethe oral pretty quick.So, the flying part was next. At that point I was little relaxed andreleased, that he was impressed with the oral. I preflighted on my own, butwhen he came he asked me to show him the pitot and the static port. He askedme about the stall alarm opening at the edge of the wing, I didn't know it,I guessed it has to do with the fuel vent. Off course it didn't, but I threwa guess. My guess opened the door for his questions, but I knew all aboutthem fuel vents.Staying in the pattern at the beginning I think did help me. He asked for ashort takeoff, then soft field landing transitioned to a soft take off,pretty easy. Now I thought the short landing is upon us, but it wasn't. Itwas the no flaps landing. I have to mention that he didn't choose touchdownpoints at all. Moreover, he stressed that we have 7000 ft runway!landings where pretty good. Cross country part, took us to the first checkpoint, and a minute later asked me to point where I'm on the chart, noproblem. Also, tracking MHT VOR wasn't a problem. After that, we did theinstrument part, and unusual attitudes. He threw in some interestingattitudes, they were fun. "Alright, that was fine. NOW, we will do slowflight with ONLY 20 degrees of flaps," he said. Slow flight was followedwith only power off stall, for which I had to to do my one clearing turn.Every time I said I will do clearing turn, he would say we are clear, orsteep turns are clearing turns! Then he threw in an engine out right next tothe closed airport. then I was worried the most, I thought he would put mereally low then ask me to do turns around a point. With that wind, I wasn'tlooking forward for circling over the tower. But he didn't. we onlydescended for about 500 ft. I showed him my flow and procedures, and hereally liked the fact that I looked where the wind coming from and turned,keeping the runway in sight, to land on a upwind. When we recovered from theengine out, he said look ahead, take me back to Bedford. I forgot to tellthe tower, TWICE, that I had echo. He really didn't like that. With wind of14 and 23 gust, he asked me for a normal landing. I said that I have to comein on 70 kts, I added full flaps. Right on final, we are above the chevrons,he starting telling me that I could've been better with only 20 degrees offlaps. At that point, with the echo thing, I thought that I need to ace thislanding or I'm screwed. So, I put up 20 degrees of flaps. Leveled off abovethe runway, I used the power trying to perfectly landing it, and that didn'tdo more than giving me more altitude. It was getting bad, so I took out thepower, got close enough to the runway and flared, and nicely on the groundand barely turned left on Fox! (That is how long it took me to land.)During the longest taxi back to the runway, I was thinking of another 350$for a new checkride. When we stopped the plane, before we even shutoff theengine, he said, "well before I give you where you can improve, you havepassed." After that I'm not sure what happened, my smile covered up theview!He noted that I replayed with cleared for landing, instead of cleared forthe option. Add the echo one, he said I need to work on the communication."I don't need to be professional, but I have to sound professional," hesaid. He also noted that I didn't use the carb heat. I did use it inlanding, however, he said that I have to use it every time my power is belowthe green arc.Again, if those were his only things on me, that is a compliment.He jumped out, and said,"you get the tail, I will push the wing."It was all over, and the student thing is all over : ))I will try my best to stay in touch with you. Before I proceed anywhere withaviation, I want to keep up with flying and recover from the financial holeI'm in, just to get in another hole with another rating! I'm thinking moreof taildraggers and aerobatics. It seems it is instrument what everybody doafter private, but for me instrument just kills it. I feel instruments takethe freedom out of flying. I mean I want to get the plane up and down, flipit and roll it! (Now I'm talking big, couple of weeks ago I was strugglingin steep turns!) Then with my degree, maybe land in a job where I have todeal with flying and planes regularly. Making living out of flying doesn'tseem very tempting, though the idea of setting in some office sound ratherscary. Oh well, I can worry about that in a couple of years. Now, I willjust smile.Thanks, appreciate your help and working with me. For a long time, it lookedlike I would never get it, and I will be one of those student pilots withfew hundred hours, not to mention the frusteration.I have to give you some serious props if you made it to the end of thisemail. : ))
Ammar Asfour--
I'm a PILOT ...
I'm a PILOT ...
It is real ...
Allhadmulillah ...

And his replay was:

Hey Ammar,
Thanks for the write-up. sounds like you did great. Carb-heat - whenever you have reduced RPM you should have carb heat on. Ifyou read up on the various types of carb ice you can get you will see why.Cessna's are more prone to carb ice than other types of planes from whatI've seen. Full vs partial flaps on gusty landings. Some teach to use reduced amountsor no flaps for gusty landings. I don't teach it that way, but do teach thatyou should be able to land either way. Which we did do some practice. Thisis more of an issue in the C172's since the flaps are so large andeffective. "say again please" is a good book on pilot communications that you may wantto review. I have a copy if you promise to return it. What did you get wrong on the wake turb. question ? I am amazed he asked for soft landing transition to soft takeoff. We didthat a week ago and I said there was no way he'd ask for it. Oops! and the student thing is all over : )) most people say that getting the Private Pilot Certificate is a licenseto learn and that the best pilots are always a student and forever learning.On that note, you may want to sign up for this excellent e-newsletter ofBob's. http://overtheairwaves.com/ Iguarantee you will learn something from it. Aerobatic/tailwheel training is a great choice and will surely make you abetter pilot.Have you heard of the book "stick and rudder"? It's a must read at somepoint. I told you you'd finish up! Enjoy the Pen ! If you'd recommend me, put my card on the bulletin board at Avidyne.
Congrats,
Brian PS
"Allhadmulillah" I think you spelled that wrong. (d m transposition)

It is a dream came true. That is all what I can say.
below is the pic of the examiner Ray Collins, a 737 captain.

And here is me right after the checkride. it will my picture on the wall of fame in the club : ))


Then I got to work with the head really high, and the ego is barely going through the doors. People that I never met would come to me and congratulate me. Oh, the hand shake is something else. Even though the company is full of pilots, and all of them have higher ratings, but all of them knows how exciting it is to get the private pilot lisence. A freind then sent this email through the email to the company:

Overcoming flooding rains, severe clear, hard nosed instructors and the short time until he leaves for Jordan, Ammar passed his private pilot check ride this morning!

Wish him Congratulations when you see him!

May.23.2006 is a historical day. It is the day that I became a pilot. Just the beginning and a lot more to come.

PS. If you are in the northeast, and want to contact my instructor, Brian Carr, send me an email, and will email you his email.