Four willies here!
Finished training in 2008. Modular. IR in Florida and Spain. Never seen a real cloud.
Got a SE VFR flying job right after. Good fun. Great experience. Pretty much no pay.
Now flying as freelance FO a six seater twin. No pay but great ops.
Second flight with outfit ended with first-time hand-flying an ILS through clouds and heavy rain showers throwing the aircraft around. Not really what I had been used to... The moment we cut through the cloud base, the sound of rain hammering onto the aircraft, and spotting the RWY lights was simply over the top. Unforgettable.
On another occasion, SID. Wet runway. Heavy rain showers over airport. Low cloud base. After takeoff in complete IMC within seconds. Hand-flying all. You hear the sound of the engines. You listen to the monotonous sound of the radio. You stare at the instruments. Fiddling with the radio. Changing to 29.92. CRM as best as possible. Flying turns according to assigned headings. Climb. Level off. Climb. FL100 cutting out of the clouds and leveling off. Sun is shining. In your face. Words fail me to describe. Worth every effort.
I cannot imagine how good it feels when I will eventually get paid...
