I preflight the airplane while John takes care of some personal business. The plan is up for some simulated NDB approaches, and then possibly looking for some actual IMC. For some reason, I keep forgetting to maintain course after passing the navaid. John has asked Boston Approach to keep an eye out for us while we're working, but after a while the controller loses interest in watching us flicker on and off the screen as we dip down to 1000 ft and tells us to squalk VFR and stop bothering him. We go to Lawrence NH, and John asks for a straight in so I can fly the VOR 23 approach. I do it, but just barely.

Over lunch, John comments that the Boston controller's heart was probably in his mouth every time we dipped off the screen. so he decided to lose us. I commented that it probably wasn't anguish so much as practicality: he didn't want to fill out all the forms he'd have to if he was working us when we went into the trees.

The burgers in Lawrence are better than average.

After lunch I call for fuel and go out to the plane to pick up some flight plan forms. The fuel truck pulls up, and I wave to him; he drives over and fills the plane. Just as he's finishing up, *another** fuel truck pulls up. Turns out the second one was the one I'd called and the one that topped off the plane was a renegade.

I file my very first IFR flight plan for a short hop to Manchester, NH. We do a 0-0 takeoff (which, by the way, scares the heck out of me), and I fly the trip and the approach. I'm behind the plane all the way, and John is constantly coaching me, but I'm flying IFR!!! I get 0.1 actual, but I never see it since I'm under the hood.

At Manchester, we take a while to debrief, and I file and fly back to Hanscom. We do another 0-0 takeoff and this time John is the one who is terrified; by my attitude control during the rotate. During the flight there's a lot of coaching involved, but the mission comes off without any major disasters. We go through some rain and clouds, which I can't see (the hood is on), but the pounding of the rain can't be missed. I'm tired, but I feel good about the experience. I can see that, even if I do learn all the material, It'll be quite a while before I feel comfortable with this. Even more than the PPL, my instrument ticket will be a license to learn.

The day has been exhilarating, satisfying, and tiring. we do about an hour of classroom work on ILS, and John goes home.

I do a few more hours of simulator, wash my cloths, and go to sleep before 10:00, not so much because I'm excited about tomorrow, but because I'm exhausted.