After batting 100% I finally got my first bust. I am doing 141 training and it was the End of Course flight for the CPL ME IR course. It was done in house so no pink slip, if that matters. The flight was just about done and after the emergency descent I went to retract the gear, making sure I was well below VLO of 109. The gear didn't come up because the instructor pulled the breaker to simulate a pump failure, no big deal- just run the checklist. Ran the checklist, pushed the breaker in and like an idiot when i read- Gear Handle Up- I did it without checking my speed and in the time I ran the list I accelerated to 111, busting the flight. Did a review and passed the course.
I actually had a very valuable debrief after the bust and the instructor said what could have prevented the overspeed was to verbally say "speed check gear up/down/flaps" when making any configuration change. And after much reflecting I also looked at my thought process during checklists. I had this mentality of "hurry up and get the list done!" When in reality there are only a few abnormal procedures that need immediate attention, the gear being down isn't one of them. Get the plane stabilized, get the AP on, and take my time. So, this was actually a good learning experience for me, albeit at the cost of a bust.
I must say, I have been losing some sleep over this. Frantically googling "airline career and checkride bust." My dream since I was a little kid has been to be an airline pilot at a legacy one day flying widebodies and I feel like that is ruined now.
I'm just wondering how this will impact my future with getting on with a legacy such as DL, AA, UAL? I have a very strong GPA of 3.9, am prior military (enlisted), tutor students at school, do volunteer work. But I just can't shake this feeling that this bust is a huge black mark on my record that will cancel all the other stuff out. Phew, it felt good typing this out. I look forward to some replies and advice!