Well, I made it. Last Monday I had my checkride, and I passed, so they gave me the keys. I took the bird out for an hour and a half, all by myself.
It was really great. I had smooth and precise airwork all through the flight, and flew four of the best landing patterns I've ever done. Too bad nobody was there to see it!
Last week I got in two more flights doing "precision aerobatics." It was really a blast, but I didn't much like what it did to my stomach the first time around. I didn't barf, but it really didn't take long before I was feeling pretty lousy, and I didn't get to do everything we wanted to do on that flight.
But the second one was much better. I still haven't seen an Immelman yet, but we slugged out an aileron roll, three or four wingovers, at least three tries at a barrel roll, a loop, a half cuban eight, and a demonstration of a spilt-S.
My next flight is a solo. This time, instead of practicing landings at an outlying field, I'll have an hour and a half to work on my aerobatic maneuvers. I'm not allowed to do a split-S, an Immelman, or a spin, but pretty much anything else is fair game. I was scheduled to fly it today, but it was too windy for solos. Better luck tomorrow, I guess.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Socked In
Through some combination of bad weather and bad scheduling, it's now been a week since my last flight.
I'm scheduled to fly after lunch today, but they've also scheduled an occluded front and some thunderstorms to be passing by about that same time, with low ceilings and poor visibility. I'm not very hopeful, but at least I'll be able to go in today and get some academic work done. Being scheduled to fly also means I don't have any other duty or watch scheduled for today.
This is getting kind of frustrating. I felt like I had a really good flight last Tuesday. But at this point, my skills have a very short shelf life, and the only way to reinforce and improve them is to fly daily, if possible. That's the way the program is designed to work. The other unfair thing is that my grades are competing with others who HAVE been flying these flights every day.
Since it has been seven days since my last flight, if the clouds miraculously disappear and I DO go fly, I'm eligible for an optional warm-up, which means the grades don't count. I'm going to take it, if I can, and hope that my next graded flight will be before the end of the week. If not, I guess I can always do another warm-up next Tuesday, too.
I'm scheduled to fly after lunch today, but they've also scheduled an occluded front and some thunderstorms to be passing by about that same time, with low ceilings and poor visibility. I'm not very hopeful, but at least I'll be able to go in today and get some academic work done. Being scheduled to fly also means I don't have any other duty or watch scheduled for today.
This is getting kind of frustrating. I felt like I had a really good flight last Tuesday. But at this point, my skills have a very short shelf life, and the only way to reinforce and improve them is to fly daily, if possible. That's the way the program is designed to work. The other unfair thing is that my grades are competing with others who HAVE been flying these flights every day.
Since it has been seven days since my last flight, if the clouds miraculously disappear and I DO go fly, I'm eligible for an optional warm-up, which means the grades don't count. I'm going to take it, if I can, and hope that my next graded flight will be before the end of the week. If not, I guess I can always do another warm-up next Tuesday, too.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Time Flies When It's Flying Time
It's been five flights and almost two weeks since my last post.
Mid-stage fams are definitely tough. Gauges "malfunction" nearly every time the instructor knows I'm checking them, and my highly reliable Pratt and Whitney PT6A-25 turboprop engine "fails" at least 4 times every flight, sometimes less than a thousand feet off the ground. My gentle, stable trainer somehow manages to get into a steady-state spin and an approach-turn stall every single time I fly. But through a miraculous combination of my embryonic skills and the patience of my instructors, the engine relights, the houses in my windscreen stop spinning, and the trees start looking small underneath us again.
All this is part of a great effort to get me ready for my first solo flight in the T-34C. Before they give me the keys, they've got to break me down, teach me what I need to know to fly the plane out of any disorienting situation, and then reinforce that knowledge until I can do it automatically and mechanically while spinning toward the dirt at 12,000 feet per minute.
I have only two more flights before my "check ride." On that flight, an instructor I've probably never flown with before will make the final judgement as to whether or not I should be allowed to take the plane out on my own.
I feel like things are finally starting to come together for me. I had a good flight yesterday. I don't think I had a single one of the "uh... I don't know"-moments that had plagued some of my previous flights. It's still not perfect, but I've got two more flights to smooth out as many of the bumps as I can. The first one is scheduled to brief at 5:30 tomorrow morning.
The solo itself is a tremendous rite of passage in the aviation community in general, and the fraternity of Naval Aviation in particular. Most of my squadron mates say it gets a lot easier after the solo- even that the instructors start treating the students better. In any case, it should be a huge boost to my modest aviator ego... ;)
Mid-stage fams are definitely tough. Gauges "malfunction" nearly every time the instructor knows I'm checking them, and my highly reliable Pratt and Whitney PT6A-25 turboprop engine "fails" at least 4 times every flight, sometimes less than a thousand feet off the ground. My gentle, stable trainer somehow manages to get into a steady-state spin and an approach-turn stall every single time I fly. But through a miraculous combination of my embryonic skills and the patience of my instructors, the engine relights, the houses in my windscreen stop spinning, and the trees start looking small underneath us again.
All this is part of a great effort to get me ready for my first solo flight in the T-34C. Before they give me the keys, they've got to break me down, teach me what I need to know to fly the plane out of any disorienting situation, and then reinforce that knowledge until I can do it automatically and mechanically while spinning toward the dirt at 12,000 feet per minute.
I have only two more flights before my "check ride." On that flight, an instructor I've probably never flown with before will make the final judgement as to whether or not I should be allowed to take the plane out on my own.
I feel like things are finally starting to come together for me. I had a good flight yesterday. I don't think I had a single one of the "uh... I don't know"-moments that had plagued some of my previous flights. It's still not perfect, but I've got two more flights to smooth out as many of the bumps as I can. The first one is scheduled to brief at 5:30 tomorrow morning.
The solo itself is a tremendous rite of passage in the aviation community in general, and the fraternity of Naval Aviation in particular. Most of my squadron mates say it gets a lot easier after the solo- even that the instructors start treating the students better. In any case, it should be a huge boost to my modest aviator ego... ;)
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Sunrise, Sunset
What a week. I didn't fly once. We had lousy weather almost every day, the lousiest of which was always at exactly the time I was scheduled to fly. On the one day of the week where the weather was actually great for flying, I was scheduled to brief at 4 in the afternoon. With an hour and half to brief, and sunset at 6:14, half of the "day contact" flight would have been in the dark. When I brought this to the attention of the Flight Duty Officer, I was told to come in an hour or so early so I could get my flight in. But the airplane and instructor were still on their same schedule for the previous flight. Things went exactly according to plan and the brief started at 4. The instructor concluded that we couldn't get enough training done to justify the flight, and we cancelled. That was the most frustrating part of the week, since they basically scheduled me for a flight that was impossible to fly, even if the weather was perfect (which it was).
It's been nice to have the time off, but I'm ready to get back to doing what I'm here to do. Tomorrow will make 10 days since my last flight.
I went camping with my scouts again on Friday. The weather is really getting nicer for sleeping outside. It was cool enough to make a nice big fire and I even had to wear a jacket for a while in the morning. The Florida winter is settling in... sure a lot better than the real winter we had in Albany!
It's been nice to have the time off, but I'm ready to get back to doing what I'm here to do. Tomorrow will make 10 days since my last flight.
I went camping with my scouts again on Friday. The weather is really getting nicer for sleeping outside. It was cool enough to make a nice big fire and I even had to wear a jacket for a while in the morning. The Florida winter is settling in... sure a lot better than the real winter we had in Albany!
Monday, October 16, 2006
Cloud Surfing
It doesn't look good for me to go flying today. Nothing but rain clouds for a hundred miles in any direction. But we'll see. Maybe I'll at least get the briefing done so next time I can just go fly.
Friday, on the other hand, was a wonderful flight. It started off looking like we might not be able to do everything we wanted because of a broken cloud layer around 5,500 ft. There were reports of lowering clouds, decreasing visibility, and a squall line north of the field. But after careful analysis of the weather situation, my instructor decided to launch. Montgomery was reporting clear skies, so we would head north.
He called it right. Once we punched through the squall line, the visibility got better. We found a hole in the cloud deck and headed for it. On the first attempt, we were about 400 feet of altitude shy of making the hole, so I did a level 360-degree turn to accelerate. On the second try, we were charging toward the base of the cloud hole at over 150 knots, and we vaulted through into the bright sunlight on top of the clouds. Our working altitude put us only a thousand feet or so above the tops of most of them, but we had to turn frequently to avoid some of the taller ones.
On a clear day, it sometimes seems like we're just hovering up there. But with all the clouds close to us, there was a definite sensation of speed. "Cloud surfing" is one of the great pleasures of flying.
When our "high work" was done, it was time to head down. The presecribed method of descent for this flight was my introduction to the "spin." A spin is basically just an aggravated stall that results in autorotation of the airplane at about 150 degrees per second and a descent rate of 12,000 feet per minute. I'd been dreading it, but I was feeling good on the airsickness meds the doc had given me, and it was time to face the music.
The hole we'd come up through was now about three miles wide. We set ourselves up over it at 9,500 feet. Power off, 30 degrees nose up, rudder at the shakers, full rudder at the stall... The airplane flopped over on its back to the right and settled about 45 degrees nose down with the whole world spinning around us. After a few turns, my instructor put in full left rudder, and in a few more turns the airplane stopped spinning. It took at least five more turns for my head to stop spinning, but I'd survived, and I felt fine. Now, suddenly, we were only at 6,500 feet.
The clear skies over Montgomery had by this time worked their way south into our practice area. Our northernmost outlying field was totally clear and beautiful. After about 7 laps around the bounce pattern, we headed home, back into the goo. By the time I left the base, though, the skies were clear all the way down to Pensacola, and we enjoyed absolutely beautiful weather this weekend. Life is good!
Friday, on the other hand, was a wonderful flight. It started off looking like we might not be able to do everything we wanted because of a broken cloud layer around 5,500 ft. There were reports of lowering clouds, decreasing visibility, and a squall line north of the field. But after careful analysis of the weather situation, my instructor decided to launch. Montgomery was reporting clear skies, so we would head north.
He called it right. Once we punched through the squall line, the visibility got better. We found a hole in the cloud deck and headed for it. On the first attempt, we were about 400 feet of altitude shy of making the hole, so I did a level 360-degree turn to accelerate. On the second try, we were charging toward the base of the cloud hole at over 150 knots, and we vaulted through into the bright sunlight on top of the clouds. Our working altitude put us only a thousand feet or so above the tops of most of them, but we had to turn frequently to avoid some of the taller ones.
On a clear day, it sometimes seems like we're just hovering up there. But with all the clouds close to us, there was a definite sensation of speed. "Cloud surfing" is one of the great pleasures of flying.
When our "high work" was done, it was time to head down. The presecribed method of descent for this flight was my introduction to the "spin." A spin is basically just an aggravated stall that results in autorotation of the airplane at about 150 degrees per second and a descent rate of 12,000 feet per minute. I'd been dreading it, but I was feeling good on the airsickness meds the doc had given me, and it was time to face the music.
The hole we'd come up through was now about three miles wide. We set ourselves up over it at 9,500 feet. Power off, 30 degrees nose up, rudder at the shakers, full rudder at the stall... The airplane flopped over on its back to the right and settled about 45 degrees nose down with the whole world spinning around us. After a few turns, my instructor put in full left rudder, and in a few more turns the airplane stopped spinning. It took at least five more turns for my head to stop spinning, but I'd survived, and I felt fine. Now, suddenly, we were only at 6,500 feet.
The clear skies over Montgomery had by this time worked their way south into our practice area. Our northernmost outlying field was totally clear and beautiful. After about 7 laps around the bounce pattern, we headed home, back into the goo. By the time I left the base, though, the skies were clear all the way down to Pensacola, and we enjoyed absolutely beautiful weather this weekend. Life is good!
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Hundred-Dollar Hot Dog
Ahhhh, Columbus Day... Nice to have Monday off, right?
Yes, it is. But instead of me getting a three-day weekend, they just made last week a six-day work week. I had two flights yesterday. Fortunately, they're my last two under the hood for a while.
I almost didn't get to go flying. The instructor I flew with really grilled me on my emergency procedures during the brief and promptly convinced both of us that I really don't know them as well as he thought I should. He almost gave me a "ready room unsat" which would mean not only no flights, but some extra disciplinary paperwork in my training folder. Ouch.
Fortunately, he didn't, and we went flying. Fortunately again, I flew much better than I briefed. My partial-panel timed turns were so good (on one of them I rolled out within two degrees of the assigned heading) that I got my first 5 in the airplane. Most of the other procedures were 4s.
On the first leg we flew out to Florala, AL and did all of our high-altitude work. Luckily, we didn't do any partial-panel or unusual attitudes, so my stomach was in great shape for the free lunch they had for us out there. The FBOs (Fixed-Base Operators) that sell fuel at the little airports around here give free/discounted food to fuel customers. So it's common practice for training flights (armed with government credit cards) to go out, buy fuel, have lunch, and fly back, thereby accomplishing two training flights in one day. It's also quite a boon to the local general aviation business. I'm pretty sure most of these places wouldn't even exist if not for military "fuel customers."
The trip home introduced the dreaded partial-panel unusual attitude recoveries. These require getting the plane back to straight-and-level flight with no outside reference and no "artificial horizon" or heading gyros in the cockpit. All I had was a turn needle (tells the rate of turn and in which direction), an altimeter, and a vertical speed indicator. All of those instruments have a considerable lag in their responses, and so using them to recover from an unusual attitude is a process of bracketing and oscillation until the airplane finally settles back down.
I didn't puke this time, but I was sucking oxygen all the way home and was feeling generally miserable for quite a while. I've got an appointment first thing Tuesday morning to see the flight surgeon about my airsickness. I'll probably be on drugs for my next few flights. Kinda scary, huh?
Yes, it is. But instead of me getting a three-day weekend, they just made last week a six-day work week. I had two flights yesterday. Fortunately, they're my last two under the hood for a while.
I almost didn't get to go flying. The instructor I flew with really grilled me on my emergency procedures during the brief and promptly convinced both of us that I really don't know them as well as he thought I should. He almost gave me a "ready room unsat" which would mean not only no flights, but some extra disciplinary paperwork in my training folder. Ouch.
Fortunately, he didn't, and we went flying. Fortunately again, I flew much better than I briefed. My partial-panel timed turns were so good (on one of them I rolled out within two degrees of the assigned heading) that I got my first 5 in the airplane. Most of the other procedures were 4s.
On the first leg we flew out to Florala, AL and did all of our high-altitude work. Luckily, we didn't do any partial-panel or unusual attitudes, so my stomach was in great shape for the free lunch they had for us out there. The FBOs (Fixed-Base Operators) that sell fuel at the little airports around here give free/discounted food to fuel customers. So it's common practice for training flights (armed with government credit cards) to go out, buy fuel, have lunch, and fly back, thereby accomplishing two training flights in one day. It's also quite a boon to the local general aviation business. I'm pretty sure most of these places wouldn't even exist if not for military "fuel customers."
The trip home introduced the dreaded partial-panel unusual attitude recoveries. These require getting the plane back to straight-and-level flight with no outside reference and no "artificial horizon" or heading gyros in the cockpit. All I had was a turn needle (tells the rate of turn and in which direction), an altimeter, and a vertical speed indicator. All of those instruments have a considerable lag in their responses, and so using them to recover from an unusual attitude is a process of bracketing and oscillation until the airplane finally settles back down.
I didn't puke this time, but I was sucking oxygen all the way home and was feeling generally miserable for quite a while. I've got an appointment first thing Tuesday morning to see the flight surgeon about my airsickness. I'll probably be on drugs for my next few flights. Kinda scary, huh?
Friday, October 06, 2006
Fly-By-Night Operation
After three days in a row of double-pumping through the Basic Instruments simulator flights, I finally got a little break! Yesterday I didn't have to fly until sunset, which gave me a chance to sleep in. I made out all right in the sims, though. My last flight got me all 4s.
Things went pretty well in the airplane last night, too. Taking off at sunset was beautiful, and the air at 13,000 feet was cool and smooth. The plane handled (surprise!) a lot like the simulator, and there weren't really any surprises on my maneuvers.
The big surprise came in the form of how much my vestibular (and digestive) system didn't like the unusual attitude recoveries we did. After an extreme nose high (nose 35 degrees up, airspeed below 100 knots), for which the recovery is to bank the plane over 90 degrees, then use the rudder to slice the nose down below the horizon, level the wings, and gently pull up, we did another one kind of like it. I flew them both well and by-the-books, but after that I started feeling a little woozy. So we had to knock it off and head home. I made it most of the way back all right, but suddenly as we were lining up to land, well, you can guess what happened. If you still can't, I'll just say that the first thing I wanted to do when I got home was brush my teeth.
It's about par for the course, though, and it doesn't stop me from flying two more flights tomorrow (Saturday). The good part about flying on the weekend is I fly from the civilian airport right by where I live instead of driving all the way up to Whiting. We're gonna fly out somewhere on the first flight, grab some lunch, and fly back. Should be an interesting day. And best of all, I get Monday off!
Things went pretty well in the airplane last night, too. Taking off at sunset was beautiful, and the air at 13,000 feet was cool and smooth. The plane handled (surprise!) a lot like the simulator, and there weren't really any surprises on my maneuvers.
The big surprise came in the form of how much my vestibular (and digestive) system didn't like the unusual attitude recoveries we did. After an extreme nose high (nose 35 degrees up, airspeed below 100 knots), for which the recovery is to bank the plane over 90 degrees, then use the rudder to slice the nose down below the horizon, level the wings, and gently pull up, we did another one kind of like it. I flew them both well and by-the-books, but after that I started feeling a little woozy. So we had to knock it off and head home. I made it most of the way back all right, but suddenly as we were lining up to land, well, you can guess what happened. If you still can't, I'll just say that the first thing I wanted to do when I got home was brush my teeth.
It's about par for the course, though, and it doesn't stop me from flying two more flights tomorrow (Saturday). The good part about flying on the weekend is I fly from the civilian airport right by where I live instead of driving all the way up to Whiting. We're gonna fly out somewhere on the first flight, grab some lunch, and fly back. Should be an interesting day. And best of all, I get Monday off!
Monday, October 02, 2006
Double Time
As advertised, my operational tempo has been stepped up. Today I had not one but TWO simulator flights. The first one went extremely well. My altitude control was dead on for my constant-angle-of-bank turns. The instructor said he never saw deviation of more than +/- 25 feet, if that much. The course standards are 100 feet, so that was good enough to earn me my first "5" in my flight training career. A "5" is the highest score possible, and is reserved for performance clearly exceeding course standards. The rest of my grades on that flight were all 4s. I was having a good morning. The second flight, after lunch, wasn't as good. I got an even split of 3s and 4s. I guess I'm just not as sharp the second time around.
The "simulators" I'm flying aren't what you'd probably picture as a flight simulator. It's a T-34C cockpit mounted on hydraulic rams to provide some sensation of motion, but there is no outside visual reference. I perform all of the maneuvers on instruments alone. So far, though, I'm doing better with my basic airwork on instruments than I was in the actual airplane with a distinct horizon and a million miles' visibility. Go figure.
I'm scheduled for two more sims tomorrow. At least I don't start until 9:30. That'll get me almost three more hours of sleep than I got last night. If I get two more sims on Wednesday, I'll be done with sims and back to the airplane by the end of the week. Even if I only get one a day, I could still be back in the plane by Friday.
Two events a day is exhausting, but it's really nice to be bashing through the syllabus quickly. It may be hard for someone not familiar with flying to understand how a couple of "flights" in the instrument simulator can wipe you out like a full day's work, but I can't readily think of anything else that demands so much focus and multi-tasking as flying a plane on instruments. It's tough sometimes, but it's not lost on me what an amazing opportunity I've got here. This place really is the Julliard of aviation. Life is good!
The "simulators" I'm flying aren't what you'd probably picture as a flight simulator. It's a T-34C cockpit mounted on hydraulic rams to provide some sensation of motion, but there is no outside visual reference. I perform all of the maneuvers on instruments alone. So far, though, I'm doing better with my basic airwork on instruments than I was in the actual airplane with a distinct horizon and a million miles' visibility. Go figure.
I'm scheduled for two more sims tomorrow. At least I don't start until 9:30. That'll get me almost three more hours of sleep than I got last night. If I get two more sims on Wednesday, I'll be done with sims and back to the airplane by the end of the week. Even if I only get one a day, I could still be back in the plane by Friday.
Two events a day is exhausting, but it's really nice to be bashing through the syllabus quickly. It may be hard for someone not familiar with flying to understand how a couple of "flights" in the instrument simulator can wipe you out like a full day's work, but I can't readily think of anything else that demands so much focus and multi-tasking as flying a plane on instruments. It's tough sometimes, but it's not lost on me what an amazing opportunity I've got here. This place really is the Julliard of aviation. Life is good!
Saturday, September 30, 2006
...3 ...2 ...1 ...Happy (Fiscal) New Year!
It's been said that if God had meant for man to fly, He would have given him more money. Laws of aerodynamics notwithstanding, it's well-known in the community that the primary force which holds aircraft aloft is not "lift" but rather "funding." Even military flight training is not exempt from the grasp of the all-powerful bean counters.
So, I was quite lucky to get my fourth flight in on Wednesday. At least half of the squadron's flights were cancelled. On Thursday, the only sorties were a section of two aircraft going out on a formation flight. I'm not sure if anyone flew on Friday. But Monday, I'm told, is a new "fiscal" year. And while this has no actual physical significance, it does mean that our squadron's purse will be fat with flying hours to spend. Word on the street is "stand by." Apparently there are a lot of instructors getting anxious to get more hours in the cockpit, and the training schedule is expected to intensify greatly.
I've got a few things left to do before I get back in the cockpit. I have three more simulator "flights" left in the Basic Instruments syllabus. The first one was last night (Friday) at 6:50. The Mrs. and I were both thrilled when we saw that on the schedule. Much more fun than the camping trip we had planned. But it went well for me. I followed my instructor's advice with regard to instrument scan patterns, and it payed off. I nailed all of my maneuvers and exceeded course standards on everything we did. I guess I just felt like I'd better not be spending Friday night at work if I wasn't going to do a good job.
The next two sims are scheduled for Monday. If I do the fourth on Tuesday, I could be back in the saddle by the end of this week. I'll have three instrument flights (in the back seat with a big hood over me so I can't see outside) before I get to go back to the Contact syllabus with my onwing. At the expected operational tempo, though, it might not take very long at all to get there.
So, I was quite lucky to get my fourth flight in on Wednesday. At least half of the squadron's flights were cancelled. On Thursday, the only sorties were a section of two aircraft going out on a formation flight. I'm not sure if anyone flew on Friday. But Monday, I'm told, is a new "fiscal" year. And while this has no actual physical significance, it does mean that our squadron's purse will be fat with flying hours to spend. Word on the street is "stand by." Apparently there are a lot of instructors getting anxious to get more hours in the cockpit, and the training schedule is expected to intensify greatly.
I've got a few things left to do before I get back in the cockpit. I have three more simulator "flights" left in the Basic Instruments syllabus. The first one was last night (Friday) at 6:50. The Mrs. and I were both thrilled when we saw that on the schedule. Much more fun than the camping trip we had planned. But it went well for me. I followed my instructor's advice with regard to instrument scan patterns, and it payed off. I nailed all of my maneuvers and exceeded course standards on everything we did. I guess I just felt like I'd better not be spending Friday night at work if I wasn't going to do a good job.
The next two sims are scheduled for Monday. If I do the fourth on Tuesday, I could be back in the saddle by the end of this week. I'll have three instrument flights (in the back seat with a big hood over me so I can't see outside) before I get to go back to the Contact syllabus with my onwing. At the expected operational tempo, though, it might not take very long at all to get there.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Back to School
Since my onwing had duty somewhere else today, I pulled an interesting job: Berryhill Elementary School. I was scheduled to spend two hours there this morning, and not really told what I'd be doing. I ended up in the fourth-grade class of a very brave substitute who seemed glad for some extra adult supervision. A few minutes after I got there, another guy from my squadron showed up. The sub wasn't sure what to do with us, but the kids seemed to know. I guess it's a standing arrangement with teh squadron to have "VT-2 volunteers" at the school. It was a good, deal, though, and the kids loved having us there. We even got a school lunch on the house. Brought back a lot of memories. School lunch has sure come a long way in the last 15 years, too.
Yesterday's flight went wonderfully. Of course there's still plenty for me to work on, but my airwork is, in the estimation of my instructor and myself, coming along nicely. I think they'll make a pilot out of me yet.
The best part about the flight was I got to do five touch-and-go landings at an outlying field. Pattern work is probably my favorite part of flying, because it's challenging and bears so heavily in the evaluation of any pilot's skill. Good, solid airmanship in the landing pattern covers a multitude of other sins in the cockpit. The first few passes were kind of rough, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. Naval landing patterns are much tighter and faster than civilian traffic patterns. Instead of two 90-degree turns and a base leg before the final approach, the naval pattern uses a single, descending 180-degree turn which should spit you out on a short (1,000-ft.) final approach with 10-12 seconds before your wheels hit the pavement. It feels like even less time than that. By the third lap around, I was setting the plane down on centerline, on the right spot, and even with a nice little bit of flare for a reasonably soft landing.
Hopefully they'll have me on the schedule for my fourth flight tomorrow. The weather here is amazing this week- clear, not humid, and not even hot. It's a shame I'll be back in the simulators for a week or two after tomorrow's flight. But after that, it's only about 10 more flights until I get to solo!
Yesterday's flight went wonderfully. Of course there's still plenty for me to work on, but my airwork is, in the estimation of my instructor and myself, coming along nicely. I think they'll make a pilot out of me yet.
The best part about the flight was I got to do five touch-and-go landings at an outlying field. Pattern work is probably my favorite part of flying, because it's challenging and bears so heavily in the evaluation of any pilot's skill. Good, solid airmanship in the landing pattern covers a multitude of other sins in the cockpit. The first few passes were kind of rough, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. Naval landing patterns are much tighter and faster than civilian traffic patterns. Instead of two 90-degree turns and a base leg before the final approach, the naval pattern uses a single, descending 180-degree turn which should spit you out on a short (1,000-ft.) final approach with 10-12 seconds before your wheels hit the pavement. It feels like even less time than that. By the third lap around, I was setting the plane down on centerline, on the right spot, and even with a nice little bit of flare for a reasonably soft landing.
Hopefully they'll have me on the schedule for my fourth flight tomorrow. The weather here is amazing this week- clear, not humid, and not even hot. It's a shame I'll be back in the simulators for a week or two after tomorrow's flight. But after that, it's only about 10 more flights until I get to solo!
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Clear and a Million
"I'm already running late," I thought to myself as I got ready to run out the door this morning. I looked at the clock. 5:03 am. It occured to me, at that instant, that no one, anywhere, should ever be late for anything at five in the morning.
I wasn't late. I got to Whiting Field just after 5:30 for a 6:15 brief. My brief wasn't actually scheduled until 10:15, but my onwing was flying the same hop with the guy before me, so he let us brief at the same time, allowing for a quicker turnaround and getting us all home sooner today. So I had to get up earlier, but I got to be done and home for a late lunch, and I got to fly before the hottest and bumpiest part of the day.
It was a beautiful day to fly today. 60 degrees at dawn. Ceiling and visibility were, as we say on days like today, "clear and a million." I was a little disappointed to have to wait my turn for almost two hours on the ground, but it gave me a few more minutes to study the maneuvers and, more importantly, plenty of time to just sit on the bench behind the line shack watching the planes taxi in and out and enjoying the cool, clean morning air. In that time I was able to wake up, calm myself down, and get my mind in exactly the right spot to have a very solid second flight. I flew well, and even though it was bumpy and hot down low on the way home, I made it through the flight without even "passive" airsickness this time.
There are still a few things I need to work on, but for the most part my airwork was very much improved today. I'm even getting the hang of taxiing the T-34, which is harder than it looks since the nosewheel pivots but is not directly steerable by the pilot. My instructor said in the debrief that I'm already performing above average for this stage in the syllabus, even though the grades on the first four flights don't count. He pulled duty for tomorrow, though, so I won't get to fly again until at least Monday. Believe it or not, I'm actually quite contented to have a three-day weekend.
I wasn't late. I got to Whiting Field just after 5:30 for a 6:15 brief. My brief wasn't actually scheduled until 10:15, but my onwing was flying the same hop with the guy before me, so he let us brief at the same time, allowing for a quicker turnaround and getting us all home sooner today. So I had to get up earlier, but I got to be done and home for a late lunch, and I got to fly before the hottest and bumpiest part of the day.
It was a beautiful day to fly today. 60 degrees at dawn. Ceiling and visibility were, as we say on days like today, "clear and a million." I was a little disappointed to have to wait my turn for almost two hours on the ground, but it gave me a few more minutes to study the maneuvers and, more importantly, plenty of time to just sit on the bench behind the line shack watching the planes taxi in and out and enjoying the cool, clean morning air. In that time I was able to wake up, calm myself down, and get my mind in exactly the right spot to have a very solid second flight. I flew well, and even though it was bumpy and hot down low on the way home, I made it through the flight without even "passive" airsickness this time.
There are still a few things I need to work on, but for the most part my airwork was very much improved today. I'm even getting the hang of taxiing the T-34, which is harder than it looks since the nosewheel pivots but is not directly steerable by the pilot. My instructor said in the debrief that I'm already performing above average for this stage in the syllabus, even though the grades on the first four flights don't count. He pulled duty for tomorrow, though, so I won't get to fly again until at least Monday. Believe it or not, I'm actually quite contented to have a three-day weekend.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's DAVE!
Well, today was the big day... my first ride in the mighty T-34C! We had massive thunderstorms rolling through all day yesterday, all night, and into the morning today, but just before I left for my brief this morning, the rain stopped, the clouds broke, and everyone and their dog at Whiting Field made a mad dash for the flight line to go fly. My brief ended up being delayed by about an hour while I waited for my onwing to get back from his previous flight. But I had a good brief and we went out to fire up our plane.
The flight went about as well as it could be expected to go. It was quite a rush to go zooming past puffy clouds at an effortless 170 knots. We flew around the practice area above and around the clouds, checking out important and defining landmarks below while we practice some turns and stalls. My airwork was far from perfect, but I actually got above the course standards on several maneuvers.
I got a little woozy doing some of the airwork, but after a few minutes on oxygen and a sip of water I was feeling better. When we went back down low for the trip home, though, we got down into some bumpy air again, and I really started feeling it. I didn't throw up, but what happened counts as "passive" airsickness. By the time we landed, I'd pretty much drained our oxygen bottle. But that little thing got me home without seeing my lunch again, so it's the hero of the day in my book. I'm sure I'll be fine once I acclimate, probably with just another flight or two.
The T-34 is really a fun little airplane. It's very responsive, but also quite stable and I don't think I'll have much trouble at all getting it to fly just how I want it to on future flights. It's basically a 4,400-lb. Beechcraft Bonanza with a 425-hp. engine on the front of it. And for the next six months, it's my office.
The flight went about as well as it could be expected to go. It was quite a rush to go zooming past puffy clouds at an effortless 170 knots. We flew around the practice area above and around the clouds, checking out important and defining landmarks below while we practice some turns and stalls. My airwork was far from perfect, but I actually got above the course standards on several maneuvers.
I got a little woozy doing some of the airwork, but after a few minutes on oxygen and a sip of water I was feeling better. When we went back down low for the trip home, though, we got down into some bumpy air again, and I really started feeling it. I didn't throw up, but what happened counts as "passive" airsickness. By the time we landed, I'd pretty much drained our oxygen bottle. But that little thing got me home without seeing my lunch again, so it's the hero of the day in my book. I'm sure I'll be fine once I acclimate, probably with just another flight or two.
The T-34 is really a fun little airplane. It's very responsive, but also quite stable and I don't think I'll have much trouble at all getting it to fly just how I want it to on future flights. It's basically a 4,400-lb. Beechcraft Bonanza with a 425-hp. engine on the front of it. And for the next six months, it's my office.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Love is in the Air
And I should be, too, come Tuesday. The title of today's long-overdue post, however, takes inspiration from the sudden and overwhelming appearance of what the locals call "love bugs" which, by my scientific estimate, have taken over the entire state of Florida. These bugs fly around all day, well, let's just say, in VERY close formation. The trouble is, in this state, they lose any semblance of maneuverability and frequently collide with people, cars, other bugs... everything. It's annoying, at least, and kind of disturbing...
Anyway, in other news: I've officially jumped through every hoop to start flying. Friday I did my "Fam Zero" with my "onwing" (the instructor I'll have for 9 of my first 12 flights) and now I'm ready for "Fam 1" as soon as the schedule clears up. My instructor was unavailable to fly me tomorrow, so instead of just giving me the day to study and adjust, they scheduled me to stand watch as Squadron Duty Officer from 8 in the morning to 8 at night tomorrow. For 12 hours, I'll be sitting behind the front desk at the squadron, in khakis, and not doing much more than answering the phone. I'm really not excited about it at all. But, it's better than getting the PM shift (from 8 at night to 8 in the morning) so I really shouldn't complain too much. At least I'll have plenty of time to study and maybe even do some recreational reading.
Friday night I went camping. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it here or not, but I was asked by my church to be scoutmaster when I showed up and they found out I'm an eagle scout. Friday was the second time I've been camping with this outfit. It was a good time. The boys are all really good. The other leader is a salty retired firefighter known to his friends as "Butch" and to the boys as "Brother E." He's a great guy and he's been doing a phenomenal job with the scouts, but he's getting older and has trouble keeping up with them. That's where I come in. I've committed to take them camping on the third Friday of every month. It's tough to spend a Friday night away from my wife, but it's a good thing for the boys and it's a good chance for me to pay back some of the good I got from my time as a scout.
This time I messed up and accidentally took my wife's toothbrush camping with me... I was sure I'd be in the doghouse when I got home, so I stopped at the store and got here a new toothbrush and stuck it in the middle of a boquet of flowers. By the time I got home late in the afternoon, though, she'd pretty well gotten over it and we had a good laugh. And, after hardly seeing me at all for the last six days, it was finally her turn to have me for the rest of the weekend. Today we spent the afternoon cooking an Indian feast of beef-and-spinach curry, naan, and mango lassi. We emptied the dishwasher before we started and had to run it, jammed full, as soon as we were done. But the apartment smelled like a five-star Indian restaurant, and the meal was phenomenal- well worth the effort. Once again, life is good.
Anyway, in other news: I've officially jumped through every hoop to start flying. Friday I did my "Fam Zero" with my "onwing" (the instructor I'll have for 9 of my first 12 flights) and now I'm ready for "Fam 1" as soon as the schedule clears up. My instructor was unavailable to fly me tomorrow, so instead of just giving me the day to study and adjust, they scheduled me to stand watch as Squadron Duty Officer from 8 in the morning to 8 at night tomorrow. For 12 hours, I'll be sitting behind the front desk at the squadron, in khakis, and not doing much more than answering the phone. I'm really not excited about it at all. But, it's better than getting the PM shift (from 8 at night to 8 in the morning) so I really shouldn't complain too much. At least I'll have plenty of time to study and maybe even do some recreational reading.
Friday night I went camping. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it here or not, but I was asked by my church to be scoutmaster when I showed up and they found out I'm an eagle scout. Friday was the second time I've been camping with this outfit. It was a good time. The boys are all really good. The other leader is a salty retired firefighter known to his friends as "Butch" and to the boys as "Brother E." He's a great guy and he's been doing a phenomenal job with the scouts, but he's getting older and has trouble keeping up with them. That's where I come in. I've committed to take them camping on the third Friday of every month. It's tough to spend a Friday night away from my wife, but it's a good thing for the boys and it's a good chance for me to pay back some of the good I got from my time as a scout.
This time I messed up and accidentally took my wife's toothbrush camping with me... I was sure I'd be in the doghouse when I got home, so I stopped at the store and got here a new toothbrush and stuck it in the middle of a boquet of flowers. By the time I got home late in the afternoon, though, she'd pretty well gotten over it and we had a good laugh. And, after hardly seeing me at all for the last six days, it was finally her turn to have me for the rest of the weekend. Today we spent the afternoon cooking an Indian feast of beef-and-spinach curry, naan, and mango lassi. We emptied the dishwasher before we started and had to run it, jammed full, as soon as we were done. But the apartment smelled like a five-star Indian restaurant, and the meal was phenomenal- well worth the effort. Once again, life is good.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
The Longest Day
Ground school is still going swimmingly. I had my second test today and only missed one question. I'm still right on track for the commodore's academic award. I've also been doing Cockpit Procedures Trainers (CPTs) this week. Today was the first one with in-flight emergencies. Even when I know it's not real, there's still something unnerving about seeing that big, red "FIRE" light flashing at the top of the panel.
I'm finding out that it's one thing to be able to remember an emergency procedure from a flashcard while you're sitting on your couch, and a different thing entirely to do it while you're sitting in a mock cockpit with red lights flashing and your altimeter unwinding before your eyes. I imagine it's more difficult still to do it in an actual airplane, which is why I'm grateful for the training I'm getting now, even if it is kind of tricky.
The hardest part so far is just the schedule. Tuesday, the day after a lovely three-day weekend, I eased back into this stuff with a 13-hour day, starting with an exam at 6 in the morning and ending up with a CPT at 4 in the afternoon. I got home at 6:30, had dinner, watched a movie with my wife, and collapsed into bed at 9. Yesterday wasn't so bad- another early morning, but I was home by about 5. Today was actually quite civilized, and tomorrow will be fine, too.
But having a different schedule every day is difficult for the human body, which likes to find equilibrium and predictability in sleeping and eating patterns. I guess it's all part of the program to get us acclimated to the demands of operational aviation. My mind truly enjoys the variety of doing things a little differently each day, but it's just hard for my body to keep up sometimes. When the body shuts down, the brain might as well go offline for a few hours, too. Speaking of which.....*yawns*.....
I'm finding out that it's one thing to be able to remember an emergency procedure from a flashcard while you're sitting on your couch, and a different thing entirely to do it while you're sitting in a mock cockpit with red lights flashing and your altimeter unwinding before your eyes. I imagine it's more difficult still to do it in an actual airplane, which is why I'm grateful for the training I'm getting now, even if it is kind of tricky.
The hardest part so far is just the schedule. Tuesday, the day after a lovely three-day weekend, I eased back into this stuff with a 13-hour day, starting with an exam at 6 in the morning and ending up with a CPT at 4 in the afternoon. I got home at 6:30, had dinner, watched a movie with my wife, and collapsed into bed at 9. Yesterday wasn't so bad- another early morning, but I was home by about 5. Today was actually quite civilized, and tomorrow will be fine, too.
But having a different schedule every day is difficult for the human body, which likes to find equilibrium and predictability in sleeping and eating patterns. I guess it's all part of the program to get us acclimated to the demands of operational aviation. My mind truly enjoys the variety of doing things a little differently each day, but it's just hard for my body to keep up sometimes. When the body shuts down, the brain might as well go offline for a few hours, too. Speaking of which.....*yawns*
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Sipping from the Fire Hose
I sure am glad it's a long weekend. It's only fair that a long weekend should follow such a long week!
This week was my T-34C Systems Familiarization Course. Basically, that means that in three days of class from 8-4 (plus studying at home every night) I have learned way more about every mechanical and electrical component of the old Turbo Mentor than I ever wanted to know. I only missed one question on the exam, which means the first score on my card for primary is a 98%. I'm satisfied.
In the midst of doing all that, I've been getting ready for the work I have this coming week: Cockpit Procedures Trainers (CPTs). For this, they put us each in a fully-functional mock cockpit and have us go through cockpit checklists and emergency procedures. Each event lasts about two hours. I've got one every day. The first one will be fairly easy, as it's just the "normal" checklists for starting the plane up, taking it off, flying it around, and shutting it down after landing. All checklists are to be read (we're told NOT to memorize checklists), so the first one should be pretty easy. But after that they're going to throw in emergency procedures, which MUST be memorized. So by the end of this week I will have memorized all 32 emergency procedures.
There are also two more written exams which I have to complete on my own time (the classroom training is on the computer from here on) in addition to a few other lectures sprinkled throughout the week.
But in two more weeks I'll be back with my squadron and ready to get on the flight schedule for my first ride in the front seat of a T-34.
Life is still good, even if my work schedule leaves me gasping for air sometimes. It's tough, but enjoyable. So far, so good. We'll have to see how it goes in the "cockpit" this week...
This week was my T-34C Systems Familiarization Course. Basically, that means that in three days of class from 8-4 (plus studying at home every night) I have learned way more about every mechanical and electrical component of the old Turbo Mentor than I ever wanted to know. I only missed one question on the exam, which means the first score on my card for primary is a 98%. I'm satisfied.
In the midst of doing all that, I've been getting ready for the work I have this coming week: Cockpit Procedures Trainers (CPTs). For this, they put us each in a fully-functional mock cockpit and have us go through cockpit checklists and emergency procedures. Each event lasts about two hours. I've got one every day. The first one will be fairly easy, as it's just the "normal" checklists for starting the plane up, taking it off, flying it around, and shutting it down after landing. All checklists are to be read (we're told NOT to memorize checklists), so the first one should be pretty easy. But after that they're going to throw in emergency procedures, which MUST be memorized. So by the end of this week I will have memorized all 32 emergency procedures.
There are also two more written exams which I have to complete on my own time (the classroom training is on the computer from here on) in addition to a few other lectures sprinkled throughout the week.
But in two more weeks I'll be back with my squadron and ready to get on the flight schedule for my first ride in the front seat of a T-34.
Life is still good, even if my work schedule leaves me gasping for air sometimes. It's tough, but enjoyable. So far, so good. We'll have to see how it goes in the "cockpit" this week...
Sunday, August 27, 2006
What's a "Doerbird"?
Tomorrow I officially begin my primary flight training with Training Squadron Two (VT-2), the legendary "Doerbirds." VT-2 has the disctinction of being the oldest primary training squadron in the Navy. That leaves me wondering why, if they ostensibly had first pick of squadron mascots, they would choose a "doerbird." I have no idea what a "doerbird" is. Hang on... Google might know...
Okay. VT-2 officially made up the word "doerbird." But that's fine. I will be a proud "doerbird" anyway, whatever they are! Looks like I'll have a few weeks of ground school before I actually start flying. But once I do get off the ground, I'm supposed to solo after the first 10 or so hops. So far the Navy hasn't trusted me with very much, so I imagine I'm going to have to work REALLY hard before they trust me with my very own T-34C for an hour.
I am expecting this to take no less than my best efforts all around. But it's thrilling to know that I've got a shot at something like this, and I'm thoroughly prepared. Our household goods finally arrived this week, and I've had two weeks off to finish getting settled here and spend some time with my wife. If I'd have had another week off, we would have gone camping in Alabama or Tennessee for a couple of nights. But I suppose our little vacation will have to wait.
Life is really, really good. I'll be classing up tomorrow with a bunch of good friends from my API class, so I've got good prospects for a study group/carpool. Morale is high all around. Here we go!
Okay. VT-2 officially made up the word "doerbird." But that's fine. I will be a proud "doerbird" anyway, whatever they are! Looks like I'll have a few weeks of ground school before I actually start flying. But once I do get off the ground, I'm supposed to solo after the first 10 or so hops. So far the Navy hasn't trusted me with very much, so I imagine I'm going to have to work REALLY hard before they trust me with my very own T-34C for an hour.
I am expecting this to take no less than my best efforts all around. But it's thrilling to know that I've got a shot at something like this, and I'm thoroughly prepared. Our household goods finally arrived this week, and I've had two weeks off to finish getting settled here and spend some time with my wife. If I'd have had another week off, we would have gone camping in Alabama or Tennessee for a couple of nights. But I suppose our little vacation will have to wait.
Life is really, really good. I'll be classing up tomorrow with a bunch of good friends from my API class, so I've got good prospects for a study group/carpool. Morale is high all around. Here we go!
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Hurry Up and Wait... For Now
After our inauspicious API graduation on Friday, I checked in at Whiting Field on Monday morning with equally little glamour. A few briefs in the morning, the obligatory spiel from the Commodore, and I was on my way home shortly after noon.
I'll be classing up for Primary on the 28th with VT-2. I think our mascot is a little red bird of some kind. Not quite as mean-sounding as the VT-3 "Red Knights" or the VT-6 "Shooters," but it'll do.
The nice thing about this little mini-stash is I don't have to drive over to Whiting every day. Monday through Thursday I just have to phone in sometime between 7 and 10 in the morning. Friday morning is the only time I have to be physically present. The Mrs. and I are thinking of taking a camping trip to Tennessee (the nearest mountains) next week after the rest of our furniture arrives on Monday or Tuesday.
Life is good. I feel like I struck a good balance between work and other things in API, and I hope it continues to work through Primary.
I'll be classing up for Primary on the 28th with VT-2. I think our mascot is a little red bird of some kind. Not quite as mean-sounding as the VT-3 "Red Knights" or the VT-6 "Shooters," but it'll do.
The nice thing about this little mini-stash is I don't have to drive over to Whiting every day. Monday through Thursday I just have to phone in sometime between 7 and 10 in the morning. Friday morning is the only time I have to be physically present. The Mrs. and I are thinking of taking a camping trip to Tennessee (the nearest mountains) next week after the rest of our furniture arrives on Monday or Tuesday.
Life is good. I feel like I struck a good balance between work and other things in API, and I hope it continues to work through Primary.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Taking the Plunge(s)
With a few splashes, a few solid thuds, and the roar of a helicopter over the bay, API has drawn to a close for class 0637. Last Friday was the dreaded helo dunker, which turned out to be not nearly as bad as I thought. One of the rescue swimmers on hand took some video footage, which I'll try to get posted as soon as I can find a way. Monday was our last day in the pool, with practice escaping from parachutes in the water. Yesterday we practiced escaping from a parachute harness while being dragged across a field (by three classmates) and descent procedures in a virtual-reality parachute flight simulator. We also practiced parachute landing falls into a gravel pit.
The technique we practiced for parachute landings came in really handy for today's training: overland parasailing at a grass airstrip in Alabama. The parasailing was a blast. I was a little nervous about being dragged through the sky behind a pickup truck and then falling down like a sack of potatoes. But I had two good rides and we got done by a quarter to ten.
All that's left between me and primary flight training at Whiting Field is a one-hour checkout briefing tomorrow and a handshake from the CO on Friday morning.
The physical challenges of "Disney Week" have reminded me how much I love this job. I'm not the kind of person who likes to do manual labor outside all day, but it would also drive me nuts to be stuck in a cubicle doing drawings of wing nuts or counting beans or something. This is a perfect blend. And no two days at work are really the same. The job literally changes with the weather. I can't wait to get my hands on a T-34!
The technique we practiced for parachute landings came in really handy for today's training: overland parasailing at a grass airstrip in Alabama. The parasailing was a blast. I was a little nervous about being dragged through the sky behind a pickup truck and then falling down like a sack of potatoes. But I had two good rides and we got done by a quarter to ten.
All that's left between me and primary flight training at Whiting Field is a one-hour checkout briefing tomorrow and a handshake from the CO on Friday morning.
The physical challenges of "Disney Week" have reminded me how much I love this job. I'm not the kind of person who likes to do manual labor outside all day, but it would also drive me nuts to be stuck in a cubicle doing drawings of wing nuts or counting beans or something. This is a perfect blend. And no two days at work are really the same. The job literally changes with the weather. I can't wait to get my hands on a T-34!
Friday, July 28, 2006
School's Out! Sort of...
Today was our last graded test- Flight Rules and Regulations. I know I passed, but I don't have my score yet. There are still two weeks of API left, but from here on out, it's more hands-on stuff and one-day courses. We've got an all-day land survival course on Monday, and some fun stuff next week leading up to the helo dunker on Friday. I used to be really worried about that particular evolution, but after all I've been through in the pool in the last few weeks, it suddenly doesn't seem so bad. Sure, I'll be strapped in a tube with five other guys, dropped in the water and flipped upside down, but all I have to do is get out of the thing. I can surface when I'm clear of it, and I'm not even allowed to kick with my legs (for fear of hitting folks behind me) so this thing won't be nearly as painful as the fifteen yard underwater swim after a 12-foot tower jump. There's a video of it here. Those guys are Marines, but we'll be using an identical piece of equipment with our flight gear on.
I made it through the API coursework just fine. Going into the sixth and final exam, I'd missed a total of five questions on the previous five exams, giving me an overall average of 98%. The doesn't put me at the top of the class, but probably in the top 5 or so.
Not all my friends have been so lucky. One guy I went to IFS with, who rolled into our class after failing some exams in a class ahead of us, failed another exam and ended up being removed from the flight training program. Another good friend of mine who started in our class failed two exams and is now rolled back to the class a week behind us. Yet another guy in the class (whom I didn't know as well) failed some exams and has also been removed from flight training. It's been tough. But it should be tough, and not everyone should pass. As sad is it is to see my friends go, and although they might be disappointed, there is also no shame in failing out. Those who are no longer with my class are still excellent officers and will go on to serve our country with distinction in other communities.
Anyone who is worried about the moral quality of the youth of America need look no further than naval flight training, or even the military in general. Sure, there are some jerks here, too, but by and large the folks I go to work with every day, both officer and enlisted, are some of the finest, strongest, smartest, and most dedicated people on the planet. I am truly lucky just to be here.
I made it through the API coursework just fine. Going into the sixth and final exam, I'd missed a total of five questions on the previous five exams, giving me an overall average of 98%. The doesn't put me at the top of the class, but probably in the top 5 or so.
Not all my friends have been so lucky. One guy I went to IFS with, who rolled into our class after failing some exams in a class ahead of us, failed another exam and ended up being removed from the flight training program. Another good friend of mine who started in our class failed two exams and is now rolled back to the class a week behind us. Yet another guy in the class (whom I didn't know as well) failed some exams and has also been removed from flight training. It's been tough. But it should be tough, and not everyone should pass. As sad is it is to see my friends go, and although they might be disappointed, there is also no shame in failing out. Those who are no longer with my class are still excellent officers and will go on to serve our country with distinction in other communities.
Anyone who is worried about the moral quality of the youth of America need look no further than naval flight training, or even the military in general. Sure, there are some jerks here, too, but by and large the folks I go to work with every day, both officer and enlisted, are some of the finest, strongest, smartest, and most dedicated people on the planet. I am truly lucky just to be here.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
The Extra Mile
Well, API goes on. I can't believe I've only got 3 exams and 7 days of classes left. Seems like I just started this business...
Today was also the final installment of our Water Survival series: a mile swim in a flight suit. It turned out to be a lot easier than I expected. After carb-loading with massive amounts of pasta last night and a healthy oatmeal breakfast this morning, I finished the mile in 50 minutes with energy to spare.
Tomorrow is a great day: Flight Gear Issue. I'll be getting flight suits, a helmet, gloves, a leather jacket (if they've got 'em... no big deal if I get an IOU since it's currently about 95 degrees out every day) and all sorts of other cool Navy pilot stuff. If everyone has them ready this weekend, the class can start wearing our flight suits on Monday. After this week, I probably won't wear khakis to work on a regular basis for about 4 years.
Sure is nice to be in our own apartment. The furnishings are rather sparse: We got some folding camp chairs and set up the tent in the living room, going for a sort of "camping" motif until the Navy decides to ship the rest of our furniture down from New York.
Today was also the final installment of our Water Survival series: a mile swim in a flight suit. It turned out to be a lot easier than I expected. After carb-loading with massive amounts of pasta last night and a healthy oatmeal breakfast this morning, I finished the mile in 50 minutes with energy to spare.
Tomorrow is a great day: Flight Gear Issue. I'll be getting flight suits, a helmet, gloves, a leather jacket (if they've got 'em... no big deal if I get an IOU since it's currently about 95 degrees out every day) and all sorts of other cool Navy pilot stuff. If everyone has them ready this weekend, the class can start wearing our flight suits on Monday. After this week, I probably won't wear khakis to work on a regular basis for about 4 years.
Sure is nice to be in our own apartment. The furnishings are rather sparse: We got some folding camp chairs and set up the tent in the living room, going for a sort of "camping" motif until the Navy decides to ship the rest of our furniture down from New York.
Friday, July 14, 2006
Splash Ensigns
Well, the last few weeks have been the roaring start of my journey in the Naval Aviation training pipeline- Aviation Preflight Idoctrination (API). We've been in the pool almost every day doing everything from regular swimming to jumping off a 12-foot tower with flight suit and boots on and then swimming underwater for 15 yards. Next week we'll finish up the water survival syllabus with a final test of our strokes technique, a 75-yard swim in full flight gear (suit, boots, gloves, helmet, and survival vest) and the final evolution of the course: a one-mile swim in a flight suit.
For me, it's the water survival that's been the most exciting and challenging part. Yesterday on the tower jump it took me a practice jump and three graded attempts and to make it to the line underwater. By the time I was done, my lungs hurt and I had a pretty nasty headache. But the high I got from actually passing a test I'd been dreading for months lasted much longer than the physiological consequences.
For most other people, it seems like the academics are the central challenge of the preflight program. We take six week-long courses two at a time. Two courses in Aerodynamics, and one each in Weather, Engines, Navigation, and Flight Rules and Regulations. It comes out to two exams per week for the last three of our four weeks of class. For me, most of the material is a review/regurgitation of what I just spent four years learning about in the Aeronautical Engineering program at RPI. I'm doing all right so far- 98% on Aero I and 100% on weather.
I'll have to write more later. The Mrs. and I are finally moving into our own place tomorrow morning (also a topic for another entry) so there's plenty to do around here tonight!
For me, it's the water survival that's been the most exciting and challenging part. Yesterday on the tower jump it took me a practice jump and three graded attempts and to make it to the line underwater. By the time I was done, my lungs hurt and I had a pretty nasty headache. But the high I got from actually passing a test I'd been dreading for months lasted much longer than the physiological consequences.
For most other people, it seems like the academics are the central challenge of the preflight program. We take six week-long courses two at a time. Two courses in Aerodynamics, and one each in Weather, Engines, Navigation, and Flight Rules and Regulations. It comes out to two exams per week for the last three of our four weeks of class. For me, most of the material is a review/regurgitation of what I just spent four years learning about in the Aeronautical Engineering program at RPI. I'm doing all right so far- 98% on Aero I and 100% on weather.
I'll have to write more later. The Mrs. and I are finally moving into our own place tomorrow morning (also a topic for another entry) so there's plenty to do around here tonight!
Saturday, June 24, 2006
T Minus One Week
I suppose my comment in a previous post about the coming weeks holding adventures I didn't know about was even more prophetic than I intended it to be. A wise old Beatle once said "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." Indeed, hurricane season started off here with the winds of change blowing.
After reviewing our family situation, the Mrs. and I decided that living 1,400 miles apart wasn't as good an idea as we thought it was. So instead of starting API at the end of May, the Navy let me drive back up to Albany to pick her up and bring her back here. Instead of doing my primary flight training with the Air Force at Vance AFB, I will now be doing it here with the Navy at Whiting Field.
I'll be starting API on Friday, June 30. I can't wait. It's great to have my wife here and know that she'll be able to support me more directly as I get into the real meat of flight school. Even though they'll keep me pretty busy, I'm sure we'll still find time to enjoy together some of the nicer things about living in this place. I told her: "It'll be just like college, except now we've got more money."
After reviewing our family situation, the Mrs. and I decided that living 1,400 miles apart wasn't as good an idea as we thought it was. So instead of starting API at the end of May, the Navy let me drive back up to Albany to pick her up and bring her back here. Instead of doing my primary flight training with the Air Force at Vance AFB, I will now be doing it here with the Navy at Whiting Field.
I'll be starting API on Friday, June 30. I can't wait. It's great to have my wife here and know that she'll be able to support me more directly as I get into the real meat of flight school. Even though they'll keep me pretty busy, I'm sure we'll still find time to enjoy together some of the nicer things about living in this place. I told her: "It'll be just like college, except now we've got more money."
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Life's a Beach
Today was one of my last times doing the A-pool muster. My wife flew down on Tuesday morning, and tomorrow we're hitting the road to drive back up to Albany together. I'll be on leave until just a few days before I start Aviation Preflight Indoctrination (API) on the 19th. The timing has worked out very well, and I'm lucky and thrilled to be able to be at home with my wife on our second wedding anniversary next Friday.
We went to the beach today and I built a sand castle. You'll see my masterpiece if I can get the picture upload to work. My wife added the seashell fence as a finishing touch.
So far my workload has been light. But once I start API, all that is expected to change. Today I found out for sure that I will be doing my primary flight training (right after API) with the Air Force at Vance AFB in Enid, Oklahoma. I volunteered for Vance because they said it would get me through my training pipeline about six months faster. Another perk is that I will be flying the nice, shiny, new T-6 trainers instead of the usual old Navy T-34s. The T-6 is a wonderful plane, with more power, more speed, ejection seats, and a much better air conditioner than the T-34.
But, I digress. This road trip tomorrow should be fun. We're going to try to leave early in the morning and make it to visit my sister in southern Virginia tomorrow night. Then we're hoping to make it to Washington, DC by lunch time on Saturday and see some sights there Saturday afternoon before we press on to Albany late Saturday night. It seems like a pretty ambitious itinerary, but we're young so I think we'll be able to pull it off.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Down Time
Well, another day of A-pool muster has come and gone. Today there weren't even any announcements. I had a good mile-and-a-half run afterwards. It's really a beautiful day today- clearer and cooler than we've been having. I haven't even had to run the air conditioner. Unusual, perhaps, but I'll take it.
My wife is flying down on Tuesday, so today I went over to the sailing marina to talk to a guy about renting a boat and taking her on her first sailboat ride. I'm going back Monday so I can prove to him that I actually can operate a small sailboat without breaking anything before he will let me rent from there.
Speaking of my wife- Yesterday she bought a piano. She's been wanting one for a long time, and this week she found one on Craigslist, close to where she lives, for under $500. Turns out it was in really good shape. It's also about the smallest piano she's ever seen, which is good, because it will probably travel all over the country. So, it'll be in her living room as soon as we can have it moved and tuned.
I'm glad she found a good piano at a good price because I promised her she'd have a piano before I get an airplane. Now I've just got to start saving my pennies...
My wife is flying down on Tuesday, so today I went over to the sailing marina to talk to a guy about renting a boat and taking her on her first sailboat ride. I'm going back Monday so I can prove to him that I actually can operate a small sailboat without breaking anything before he will let me rent from there.
Speaking of my wife- Yesterday she bought a piano. She's been wanting one for a long time, and this week she found one on Craigslist, close to where she lives, for under $500. Turns out it was in really good shape. It's also about the smallest piano she's ever seen, which is good, because it will probably travel all over the country. So, it'll be in her living room as soon as we can have it moved and tuned.
I'm glad she found a good piano at a good price because I promised her she'd have a piano before I get an airplane. Now I've just got to start saving my pennies...
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
April Showers
All the folks who thought we were behind on rain this year must be loving life now. It's been raining pretty steadily since last night, although it didn't rain for muster this morning. I took myself for a run after muster and got rained on enough that I couldn't tell what was water and what was sweat. But it really cut loose right after I got home, which made me glad I didn't postpone my run.
My Lieutenant called me yesterday and said he'd approve my leave. So I'll be outta here at the end of next week for a couple weeks with my wife, including our second anniversary. Then it's right back here and right into API. The timing is working out perfectly so far. Even though I've been here three months and only done about 5 weeks worth of real work, my progress can still be considered very rapid. It's just slow getting through here. But I've waited all my life for this, so a few more weeks won't kill me.
My Lieutenant called me yesterday and said he'd approve my leave. So I'll be outta here at the end of next week for a couple weeks with my wife, including our second anniversary. Then it's right back here and right into API. The timing is working out perfectly so far. Even though I've been here three months and only done about 5 weeks worth of real work, my progress can still be considered very rapid. It's just slow getting through here. But I've waited all my life for this, so a few more weeks won't kill me.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Drowning in the "A-Pool"
Now that IFS is done, I am back in the "A-Pool," a sort of limbo where Student Naval Aviators and Student Naval Flight Officers are essentially kept in a tank until they are able to be placed into classes for Aviation Preflight Indoctrination (API). When a class is getting ready to start, they open up the tank and siphon off as many of us as they need.
A-pool used to be a pretty sweet gig. Checking in by phone once or twice a week was all that was required. But, as with all good deals in large organizations, people abused it. Someone got caught thousands of miles away without leave. So now we all have to muster, in person, at 0730 five days a week. Some Ensigns get fished out of the A-pool for "stash jobs" filling menial positions in offices around the base. The common refrain among these is "killlll meeeee."
Case in point: Today. I showed up at 0730 and fell in with the herd. Two stash Ensigns with clipboards made a couple of announcements. Then comes the critical moment where the one speaking says either "I have A through N" or the other half of the alphabet. The herd of Ensigns then separates itself into two gaggles and begins swarming around the poor guys with clipboads. We muscle in as close as we can and hold up our ID cards until he crosses our names off his list. And that is a day's work for a commissioned officer, unless they cull out large numbers of bodies for odd jobs around the base which could take an hour or two.
But I wasn't quite done. I had some leave papers to submit, so I went into the Student Control office, where one stash Ensign helped me fill out the papers and another inspected my car. Finally I went across the hall to the flight management office (the tank-siphoners) and waited in line with a dozen other Ensigns to hand in my leave papers to yet another stash Ensign. Friday morning I will go to the quarterdeck (staffed 24/7 by stash Ensigns) to see if my leave was approved.
So after my long day at the office, I was home at 9. In the morning. Fortunately for me, I'll be on leave in another week or so and then when I come back I'll be starting API on May 19. But there are some guys (mostly SNFOs, not pilots) who have been here since November and haven't started yet. Those guys are hurting from boredom. But, we live in a place with beautiful white sand beaches, so it's hard to complain about working 7:30-9:00 in the morning.
A-pool used to be a pretty sweet gig. Checking in by phone once or twice a week was all that was required. But, as with all good deals in large organizations, people abused it. Someone got caught thousands of miles away without leave. So now we all have to muster, in person, at 0730 five days a week. Some Ensigns get fished out of the A-pool for "stash jobs" filling menial positions in offices around the base. The common refrain among these is "killlll meeeee."
Case in point: Today. I showed up at 0730 and fell in with the herd. Two stash Ensigns with clipboards made a couple of announcements. Then comes the critical moment where the one speaking says either "I have A through N" or the other half of the alphabet. The herd of Ensigns then separates itself into two gaggles and begins swarming around the poor guys with clipboads. We muscle in as close as we can and hold up our ID cards until he crosses our names off his list. And that is a day's work for a commissioned officer, unless they cull out large numbers of bodies for odd jobs around the base which could take an hour or two.
But I wasn't quite done. I had some leave papers to submit, so I went into the Student Control office, where one stash Ensign helped me fill out the papers and another inspected my car. Finally I went across the hall to the flight management office (the tank-siphoners) and waited in line with a dozen other Ensigns to hand in my leave papers to yet another stash Ensign. Friday morning I will go to the quarterdeck (staffed 24/7 by stash Ensigns) to see if my leave was approved.
So after my long day at the office, I was home at 9. In the morning. Fortunately for me, I'll be on leave in another week or so and then when I come back I'll be starting API on May 19. But there are some guys (mostly SNFOs, not pilots) who have been here since November and haven't started yet. Those guys are hurting from boredom. But, we live in a place with beautiful white sand beaches, so it's hard to complain about working 7:30-9:00 in the morning.
Monday, April 24, 2006
The End of the Beginning
I learned a lot about flying today. You can probably guess that's a nice way of saying things didn't go as planned.
The weather was beautiful. There was gas in the tanks. I was alert and sharp and had a great briefing and filed my flight plan all the way to New Orleans. Our departure was smooth, and within ten minutes of taking off we were at 4,500 feet, skimming along cloud tops at well over two miles per minute. The 60-degree outside air felt great coming through the vents. Before I knew it, we were over Gulfport, MS, catching glimpses of the coastline below us as the morning sun shimmered on the water and puffy clouds.
But then something else started shimmering. In illuminated red letters, the word "VOLTS" began flickering on the instrument panel. This is the equivalent of a red flashing battery symbol on a car dashboard, and meant there wasn't enough electrical power in the airplane to go around. At first it flashed only sporadically, but within a few minutes it was flickering pretty regularly. Rocky, my helpful ghost, informed me that it was my decision what to do because he wasn't even supposed to be there on this flight. I really wanted to see New Orleans today, but I realized the safe thing to do was to turn around and head home. By the time we were established on our return course, the VOLTS warning was glowing steadily.
Airplane engines have magnetos for ignition, and therefore don't depend on a battery and alternator like a car does just to stay running. The engine would have kept running even if the battery died, but we would have lost our radios. There are procedures for landing at an airport if your radios are dead, and Rocky verified I knew them. To conserve battery power, we shut down one of our radios and some navigation equipment we weren't using. Closer to the airport, we shut down the GPS so all we had on was one radio and our transponder.
We landed and parked without a hitch. A timely decision to turn around prevented an annoying problem from becoming an emergency. However, I came up short on my required flight time to graduate IFS.
Fortunately, there was another airplane available, so Rocky and I went back out and did some landing practice at St. Elmo. I got a chance to actually see someone in the traffic pattern without a radio- there was an ultralight aircraft flying around. The second flight was a blast because the clouds had blown out and visibility was the highest I'd ever seen. It was a beautiful spring day in Alabama, and I made a few good landings before we came back home.
It'll probably be about 3 months before I get to fly an airplane again. That's kind of a bummer, but I'll always remember the good lessons I've learned so far. I think Rocky's parting advice holds true for a lot of things: "Fly the airplane until the last piece hits the ground." I guess sometimes we have to just hold on and follow through.
The next few weeks' entries here won't be filled with tales of aerial derring-do, but there will no doubt be interesting developments in the story of this naval aviator that even I can not yet imagine, so stay tuned, folks.
The weather was beautiful. There was gas in the tanks. I was alert and sharp and had a great briefing and filed my flight plan all the way to New Orleans. Our departure was smooth, and within ten minutes of taking off we were at 4,500 feet, skimming along cloud tops at well over two miles per minute. The 60-degree outside air felt great coming through the vents. Before I knew it, we were over Gulfport, MS, catching glimpses of the coastline below us as the morning sun shimmered on the water and puffy clouds.
But then something else started shimmering. In illuminated red letters, the word "VOLTS" began flickering on the instrument panel. This is the equivalent of a red flashing battery symbol on a car dashboard, and meant there wasn't enough electrical power in the airplane to go around. At first it flashed only sporadically, but within a few minutes it was flickering pretty regularly. Rocky, my helpful ghost, informed me that it was my decision what to do because he wasn't even supposed to be there on this flight. I really wanted to see New Orleans today, but I realized the safe thing to do was to turn around and head home. By the time we were established on our return course, the VOLTS warning was glowing steadily.
Airplane engines have magnetos for ignition, and therefore don't depend on a battery and alternator like a car does just to stay running. The engine would have kept running even if the battery died, but we would have lost our radios. There are procedures for landing at an airport if your radios are dead, and Rocky verified I knew them. To conserve battery power, we shut down one of our radios and some navigation equipment we weren't using. Closer to the airport, we shut down the GPS so all we had on was one radio and our transponder.
We landed and parked without a hitch. A timely decision to turn around prevented an annoying problem from becoming an emergency. However, I came up short on my required flight time to graduate IFS.
Fortunately, there was another airplane available, so Rocky and I went back out and did some landing practice at St. Elmo. I got a chance to actually see someone in the traffic pattern without a radio- there was an ultralight aircraft flying around. The second flight was a blast because the clouds had blown out and visibility was the highest I'd ever seen. It was a beautiful spring day in Alabama, and I made a few good landings before we came back home.
It'll probably be about 3 months before I get to fly an airplane again. That's kind of a bummer, but I'll always remember the good lessons I've learned so far. I think Rocky's parting advice holds true for a lot of things: "Fly the airplane until the last piece hits the ground." I guess sometimes we have to just hold on and follow through.
The next few weeks' entries here won't be filled with tales of aerial derring-do, but there will no doubt be interesting developments in the story of this naval aviator that even I can not yet imagine, so stay tuned, folks.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Gator International
Today set the record for the earliest I've had to get up for an IFS flight. I was out the door at 0530. We started off heading for Monroeville, but about 20 miles up the road Rocky diverted us to a little grass strip north of Mobile he refers to as "Gator International" because there are (I'm totally serious) alligator-infested ponds on either side of the runway at one end. I didn't see any alligators today, but there are many signs all around both ponds warning of the reptiles. Makes you really pay attention when you're turning the airplane around that you don't go off the runway.
The flight went very well. After we diverted, Rocky had me put on the hood and practice navigating on instruments, which I did just fine. I'm getting a lot more comfortable with the increased workload of cross-country flying. It's really a lot of fun, and obviously the most important skill in piloting. After all, what use is the airplane if you can't take it anywhere?
This flight was the solo cr0ss-country checkride, to sign me off for what would be a solo cross country flight on Monday except that Rocky will be a "ghost" reading a book in the right seat. Since I have some extra time available to complete my last flight, I was authorized to go somewhere besides Monroeville! Rocky suggested New Orleans Lakefront airport. It's just over 100 nm from Mobile, so we should be able to get there and back in two hours of flight time. So looks like Monday morning we're off to the Big Easy. I'm really excited to sink my teeth into a more complex flight and do some real navigation. Besides, I've never been to New Orleans, so it'll good to see something new.
The flight went very well. After we diverted, Rocky had me put on the hood and practice navigating on instruments, which I did just fine. I'm getting a lot more comfortable with the increased workload of cross-country flying. It's really a lot of fun, and obviously the most important skill in piloting. After all, what use is the airplane if you can't take it anywhere?
This flight was the solo cr0ss-country checkride, to sign me off for what would be a solo cross country flight on Monday except that Rocky will be a "ghost" reading a book in the right seat. Since I have some extra time available to complete my last flight, I was authorized to go somewhere besides Monroeville! Rocky suggested New Orleans Lakefront airport. It's just over 100 nm from Mobile, so we should be able to get there and back in two hours of flight time. So looks like Monday morning we're off to the Big Easy. I'm really excited to sink my teeth into a more complex flight and do some real navigation. Besides, I've never been to New Orleans, so it'll good to see something new.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
On the Road Again
Another day, another hop, another lesson learned. Today's flight started as another dual cross-country to Monroeville, but as soon as we got to Bay Minette my instructor informed me that we would be diverting to Jackson (AL), another airport about the same distance away but a little more to the west. Finding it was easy enough- I dialed the airport into the moving-map GPS and followed the pink line on the screen. We flew there (in a straight line this time), landed, and flew back to Mobile rather uneventfully. My only persistent problem seems to be a lack of checklist discipline, which Peggy blames on my previous flight experience in high school, where I almost never used an actual written checklist.
Tomorrow is my final check flight in the IFS program. I'll be flying with Rocky, who is notoriously tough on checkrides, so I'll have to bring my A-game. Rocky will also be on my "ghost solo" on Monday. The last flight of IFS used to be a solo cross-country, but after one student flipped a plane over and killed himself, the Navy started requiring an instructor to be on board as an observer, to intervene only if the safety of the flight was in immanent danger.
On my way home today I stopped by the Ferguson airport, near where I live, to find out what it would take to finish my private pilot's license when I'm done with IFS. The good news is, I'm really, really close- probably as close as I'll ever be. The bad news is, it would still cost about $1,500, which I'm just not sure I can come up with right now.
But, once I get winged, I can take a written test will make me an instrument-rated commercial pilot. I guess I'll just have to wait until then...
Tomorrow is my final check flight in the IFS program. I'll be flying with Rocky, who is notoriously tough on checkrides, so I'll have to bring my A-game. Rocky will also be on my "ghost solo" on Monday. The last flight of IFS used to be a solo cross-country, but after one student flipped a plane over and killed himself, the Navy started requiring an instructor to be on board as an observer, to intervene only if the safety of the flight was in immanent danger.
On my way home today I stopped by the Ferguson airport, near where I live, to find out what it would take to finish my private pilot's license when I'm done with IFS. The good news is, I'm really, really close- probably as close as I'll ever be. The bad news is, it would still cost about $1,500, which I'm just not sure I can come up with right now.
But, once I get winged, I can take a written test will make me an instrument-rated commercial pilot. I guess I'll just have to wait until then...
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
All Good Things...
Today was my last solo flight in the IFS program. it was bittersweet. I had hoped to be able to spend it flying free out in the practice area, where I wanted to fly as high as I could to get up over the haze and enjoy the view and the feeling of flying way up high. Unfortunately, two things conspired against me: Broken clouds at 1,300 ft., and the fact that I was supposed to shoot for a 0.7-hour flight because I'd gone a little long on my last couple of flights. So, I was restricted to the traffic pattern at Mobile Downtown.
It ended up being a very satisfying flight anyway. I made 5 landings, all of which were some of my very best ever. I touched down softly with the runway centerline between my main wheels on all five of them, and I'm sure the nosewheel touched down right on centerline on at least three. This was in spite of a light but noticeable breeze blowing straight across the runway.
Flying every day for the last three weeks has gotten me really comfortable in the airplane. Today I really felt like I had total, precise control over where I landed with regard to the runway centerline. It was really a great feeling. My traffic patterns were crisp and precise, with 30-degree-banked turns, rollouts right on course, and holding altitude within 20 feet on downwind. I realize these are the kindergarten skills of aviation, but it's still immensely satisfying to just do it right and know you've done it right.
The worst thing about my flight today was nobody was there to see it. ;)
It ended up being a very satisfying flight anyway. I made 5 landings, all of which were some of my very best ever. I touched down softly with the runway centerline between my main wheels on all five of them, and I'm sure the nosewheel touched down right on centerline on at least three. This was in spite of a light but noticeable breeze blowing straight across the runway.
Flying every day for the last three weeks has gotten me really comfortable in the airplane. Today I really felt like I had total, precise control over where I landed with regard to the runway centerline. It was really a great feeling. My traffic patterns were crisp and precise, with 30-degree-banked turns, rollouts right on course, and holding altitude within 20 feet on downwind. I realize these are the kindergarten skills of aviation, but it's still immensely satisfying to just do it right and know you've done it right.
The worst thing about my flight today was nobody was there to see it. ;)
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Cross-Country
Today was my first cross-country flight in IFS. By the time I got home, I was as tired as if I'd pedaled the airplane to Monroeville and back. Cross-country flying for the first time is very difficult because it combines all the skills of flying the airplane with talking to unfamiliar controllers and navigating through unfamiliar areas, usually much too high to read the road signs.
Due to some weather delays, I ended up flying with a different instructor than I briefed with yesterday. Rocky was fine with my planned route: going directly between the navigation beacons on the two airfields. Peggy (the one I actually flew with) thought that was a bit lazy and made me do most of my navigation by dead reckoning alone. So, I had some trouble finding my course, which I had planned to do simply by intersecting a beam of radiation and following it in a nice straight line. It took me a while to get back on course.
Changes in plan notwithstanding, my calculation of groundspeed based on forecast winds turned out to be right on, so I crossed all of my checkpoints at EXACTLY the time I had planned.
Lucky for me, all the rest of my cross-country flights (all two of them) will be along the exact same route as today's, so I'm sure I'll be able to do much better.
I'm back up with the dawn patrol tomorrow. My classmate Louis and I are flying the same plane on back-to-back solos first thing in the morning, and then we have a ground instruction session.
It's really sad that IFS is coming to an end. I'm really having a great time, and once this is over it will be months before I actually get to fly again. But it's been a blast, and I still have a couple of good flights left. Tomorrow is my last solo flight, so I'm gonna live it up while I can!
Due to some weather delays, I ended up flying with a different instructor than I briefed with yesterday. Rocky was fine with my planned route: going directly between the navigation beacons on the two airfields. Peggy (the one I actually flew with) thought that was a bit lazy and made me do most of my navigation by dead reckoning alone. So, I had some trouble finding my course, which I had planned to do simply by intersecting a beam of radiation and following it in a nice straight line. It took me a while to get back on course.
Changes in plan notwithstanding, my calculation of groundspeed based on forecast winds turned out to be right on, so I crossed all of my checkpoints at EXACTLY the time I had planned.
Lucky for me, all the rest of my cross-country flights (all two of them) will be along the exact same route as today's, so I'm sure I'll be able to do much better.
I'm back up with the dawn patrol tomorrow. My classmate Louis and I are flying the same plane on back-to-back solos first thing in the morning, and then we have a ground instruction session.
It's really sad that IFS is coming to an end. I'm really having a great time, and once this is over it will be months before I actually get to fly again. But it's been a blast, and I still have a couple of good flights left. Tomorrow is my last solo flight, so I'm gonna live it up while I can!
Monday, April 17, 2006
Dawn Patrol
Today's flight was great- a whole hour in an airplane all by myself. I had a launch time of 7 am, which meant I had to leave here a little before 6, right at first light. The sun was up when I got to the airport, but still low in the sky. (I took the picture this morning) The wind was dead calm. Visibility was reported at 10 miles, but was really more like 4-5 in haze.Shortly after takeoff, the tower asked if I could help him check his emergency radios. I tuned over to the designated emergency frequency (121.50 MHz) and responded as he checked out two or three radios. I guess I was the only one in the area.
The practice area was all mine, too. I practiced tracking VOR radials and navigating with reference to my chart so I'd have more than just Microsoft Flight Simulator experience in navigation when I go for my first cross-country flight with Rocky tomorrow. Then I came back for three landings at Mobile, with an increasing crosswind on each one.
The other good thing that happened today was my classmate and carpool buddy Louis Jackson had his first solo. He and Rocky had my plane right after I was done with it. Since I had to wait for Rocky for an hour of ground instruction after Louis's flight, I was there when they got back and was able to congratulate him.
Soloing an airplane is a big step in an aviator's career. To me, that's the day you become a pilot. Once you've flown an airplane, by yourself, and returned safely to earth, you are never quite the same ever again. The most important thing a solo flight does for you as a student pilot is to prove to YOU that you can do it. Like so many things in life, we are often capable of much more than we believe. I guess learning to fly, or "getting your wings" is not so much about receiving something, but finding something that's already there. Maybe we've had our wings all along, and we just need to find them and learn to use them.
Friday, April 14, 2006
Cow Tippin'
Today's hop was a lot of fun. Weather was severe clear, winds light and variable. We headed out to somewhere I'd never been- another little grass strip just west of Mobile Regional. My instructor was the same laid-back 20-something guy I went to the grass field with last time.
We used the GPS to find the airport. I was too high on the first pass, so we waved off. Second time around I nailed it, and we floated in for a nice soft landing and the dusty embrace of dry Alabama field grass. This runway was a little bumpier and not mowed as recently as the last one, but still remarkably smooth and a lot of fun. We used every inch of it the first time, as I wasn't in any particular hurry to stop.
After a couple of soft-field landings, we demonstrated short-field technique. That focuses on hitting a particular point on the runway and then pulling the flaps up and standing on the brakes. The first one of those, I brought it in a little too fast and we floated past our aim point by a couple hundred feet. That was still within the lesson standards, but I could do better. The second time around, I aimed for the same big brown spot and I totally nailed it! I think we must have hit within one wingspan of the point. With the flaps up and heavy braking, we stopped in less than half of the runway. (The picture captions, from left to right, read: aiming point, runway, and cows.)
Monday will be a great flight, too. They're giving me an airplane and one hour to do whatever I want with it (within safety, of course). Any suggestions?
We used the GPS to find the airport. I was too high on the first pass, so we waved off. Second time around I nailed it, and we floated in for a nice soft landing and the dusty embrace of dry Alabama field grass. This runway was a little bumpier and not mowed as recently as the last one, but still remarkably smooth and a lot of fun. We used every inch of it the first time, as I wasn't in any particular hurry to stop.
After a couple of soft-field landings, we demonstrated short-field technique. That focuses on hitting a particular point on the runway and then pulling the flaps up and standing on the brakes. The first one of those, I brought it in a little too fast and we floated past our aim point by a couple hundred feet. That was still within the lesson standards, but I could do better. The second time around, I aimed for the same big brown spot and I totally nailed it! I think we must have hit within one wingspan of the point. With the flaps up and heavy braking, we stopped in less than half of the runway. (The picture captions, from left to right, read: aiming point, runway, and cows.)
Monday will be a great flight, too. They're giving me an airplane and one hour to do whatever I want with it (within safety, of course). Any suggestions?
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Military Wives
They say that behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes. Nowhere is this more true than in the military. I could go on and on about all the stuff military wives put up with, but I think my own wife captured the sentiments best in her top ten list:
10. Half the amount of food lasts twice as many days
9. No one complains when you sleep in the middle of the bed
8. It's okay to be totally turned on by Top Gun
7. No. Shaving. Required.
6. Having your own personal insect collection living in the vacuum canister
5. Military discounts at New York & Co.!
4. Free tows (and mechanic work with a little flirting and the magic phrase "husband on active duty")...
3. ...all three times the car breaks down
2. TSA stops the entire airport security line for a military wife bonding opportunity
1. I get to see my best friend/sweetie May 2!!!
'nuff said.
10. Half the amount of food lasts twice as many days
9. No one complains when you sleep in the middle of the bed
8. It's okay to be totally turned on by Top Gun
7. No. Shaving. Required.
6. Having your own personal insect collection living in the vacuum canister
5. Military discounts at New York & Co.!
4. Free tows (and mechanic work with a little flirting and the magic phrase "husband on active duty")...
3. ...all three times the car breaks down
2. TSA stops the entire airport security line for a military wife bonding opportunity
1. I get to see my best friend/sweetie May 2!!!
'nuff said.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
My (Second) First Solo!
Well, today was the day. The wind was about 20 degress left of runway 18 at about 7-10 kts., and I didn't scare Rocky too bad with my first two landings, so he let me take the thing around by myself a couple of times.
Taxiing back out, I had to wait for what seemed like forever behind my flight school's Cutlass (a 172 with retractable landing gear), who had to wait forever for a couple of planes landing on instrument approaches. I took off right behind him and got through my first landing pretty smoothly.
With my confidence up from one good landing, I was headed downwind for another when I noticed an awful lot of traffic on the radio. The controller asked me to do a 360 to the right for spacing. I was almost through the first one when he said he'd need at least two or three more from me. I think I ended up doing about 5 full circles out over the bay before I got the go-ahead to land again. It was fine, though, and I appreciated some time to practice making smooth coordinated level turns.
The second landing was fine. Coming downwind for the last one, the controller asked me to turn base immediately and make a short final approach because my school's other 172 was coming right in to land behind me. I easily obliged and brought her right around for a landing. He told me to keep my speed up on the runway until I got to the taxiway, and as I turned off I looked over my shoulder and saw that the other 172 was already on the runway behind me. We landed just like the Blue Angels!
Even though I soloed three times in high school, it felt like pretty much the first time. I suppose it helped me to know I'd done it before, but I basically started all over again learning to fly in this program. But I think it's really, really sticking this time around. I was definitely back in my groove today, and it felt really good.
Taxiing back out, I had to wait for what seemed like forever behind my flight school's Cutlass (a 172 with retractable landing gear), who had to wait forever for a couple of planes landing on instrument approaches. I took off right behind him and got through my first landing pretty smoothly.
With my confidence up from one good landing, I was headed downwind for another when I noticed an awful lot of traffic on the radio. The controller asked me to do a 360 to the right for spacing. I was almost through the first one when he said he'd need at least two or three more from me. I think I ended up doing about 5 full circles out over the bay before I got the go-ahead to land again. It was fine, though, and I appreciated some time to practice making smooth coordinated level turns.
The second landing was fine. Coming downwind for the last one, the controller asked me to turn base immediately and make a short final approach because my school's other 172 was coming right in to land behind me. I easily obliged and brought her right around for a landing. He told me to keep my speed up on the runway until I got to the taxiway, and as I turned off I looked over my shoulder and saw that the other 172 was already on the runway behind me. We landed just like the Blue Angels!
Even though I soloed three times in high school, it felt like pretty much the first time. I suppose it helped me to know I'd done it before, but I basically started all over again learning to fly in this program. But I think it's really, really sticking this time around. I was definitely back in my groove today, and it felt really good.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Crosswinds
I think that's the only word for today.
For once, the forecast was right- winds this morning were ESE at 12-15 kts. With a runway heading due south, that makes for some tough flying in a 172. But, to make it worse, I let it get into my head, leaving me somewhat "distracted" for my pre-solo checkride today. I flew within standards, but I just wasn't right on like I was yesterday afternoon.
Instead of doing our bounces at Mobile, we went back out to St. Elmo, where instead of wind at 60 degrees to the runway, it was more like 70 or 80, with a smaller runway to aim for, too. I was consistently high and fast on landing approaches, and I didn't move my feet enough on the rudder to satisfy Rocky. My pitch changes were much too abrupt, and my ground handling on rollouts apparently left a bit to be desired.
But, after getting my butt kicked for 1.2 hours and 5 landings, Rocky signed me off to solo. I'm on the schedule for tomorrow. As long as the winds are more agreeable, I'll be fine.
In spite of it all, I'm glad for the experience. I may not be able to land in a crosswind as well as my 22,000-hour instructor, but I put the plane down within 10 feet of centerline, upwind wheel first, fairly consistently. It wasn't always pretty, but I wasn't anywhere close to damaging the plane, either. And for a crosswind component of over 10 knots, when the plane's maximum demonstrated crosswind component is 15, I think that's doing okay for someone with 13 hours in type.
I just need some more practice. In a place with as much wind as Mobile, I'm sure I'll get it.
For once, the forecast was right- winds this morning were ESE at 12-15 kts. With a runway heading due south, that makes for some tough flying in a 172. But, to make it worse, I let it get into my head, leaving me somewhat "distracted" for my pre-solo checkride today. I flew within standards, but I just wasn't right on like I was yesterday afternoon.
Instead of doing our bounces at Mobile, we went back out to St. Elmo, where instead of wind at 60 degrees to the runway, it was more like 70 or 80, with a smaller runway to aim for, too. I was consistently high and fast on landing approaches, and I didn't move my feet enough on the rudder to satisfy Rocky. My pitch changes were much too abrupt, and my ground handling on rollouts apparently left a bit to be desired.
But, after getting my butt kicked for 1.2 hours and 5 landings, Rocky signed me off to solo. I'm on the schedule for tomorrow. As long as the winds are more agreeable, I'll be fine.
In spite of it all, I'm glad for the experience. I may not be able to land in a crosswind as well as my 22,000-hour instructor, but I put the plane down within 10 feet of centerline, upwind wheel first, fairly consistently. It wasn't always pretty, but I wasn't anywhere close to damaging the plane, either. And for a crosswind component of over 10 knots, when the plane's maximum demonstrated crosswind component is 15, I think that's doing okay for someone with 13 hours in type.
I just need some more practice. In a place with as much wind as Mobile, I'm sure I'll get it.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Touch and Go
I had another great flight today. It was my pre-pre-solo flight, the one designed to iron out any bumps in my landings so I'll be ready and confident to take the plane around by myself. Rocky said we'd do ten landings at Mobile Downtown.
The wind was out of the south, right down the runway. After two or three of what I considered excellent laps around the traffic pattern, Rocky said I was ready to solo and asked if I wanted to go down to St. Elmo (a small airport in our practice area) and work on some crosswind landings. I knew I needed the practice to build some confidence in my crosswind technique, so off we went.
Rocky seemed sincerely impressed with my flying today, and that meant a lot to me. As we flew around the pattern at St. Elmo, I got plenty of coaching on my landing approaches and rollouts, but in the pattern we just talked about flying in general, in a much more personal and social atmosphere than I was used to having with Rocky, who usually seems to never run out of corrections to my technique.
After four or five landings at St. Elmo, we headed back to Downtown for a smooth arrival. In all we had 9 landings today. Taxiing back, Rocky said he wouldn't mind letting me solo right then, but he had to stick to the syllabus. If all goes well, tomorrow will be the day of my second first solo!
I've been surprised how well I've done in this IFS program. I expected to have much more trouble learning all the things I didn't learn flying as a teenager in Utah. I realized today that a lot of my drive and motivation to do well and stay ahead of this program comes from the hurt of being away from my wife. Even if I'm getting an okay salary for this, I'm still paying dearly, and that makes me really want to have something to show for it.
But, in all humility, I'm sure I'd kick just as much butt if she were right here with me... probably even more. ;)
The wind was out of the south, right down the runway. After two or three of what I considered excellent laps around the traffic pattern, Rocky said I was ready to solo and asked if I wanted to go down to St. Elmo (a small airport in our practice area) and work on some crosswind landings. I knew I needed the practice to build some confidence in my crosswind technique, so off we went.
Rocky seemed sincerely impressed with my flying today, and that meant a lot to me. As we flew around the pattern at St. Elmo, I got plenty of coaching on my landing approaches and rollouts, but in the pattern we just talked about flying in general, in a much more personal and social atmosphere than I was used to having with Rocky, who usually seems to never run out of corrections to my technique.
After four or five landings at St. Elmo, we headed back to Downtown for a smooth arrival. In all we had 9 landings today. Taxiing back, Rocky said he wouldn't mind letting me solo right then, but he had to stick to the syllabus. If all goes well, tomorrow will be the day of my second first solo!
I've been surprised how well I've done in this IFS program. I expected to have much more trouble learning all the things I didn't learn flying as a teenager in Utah. I realized today that a lot of my drive and motivation to do well and stay ahead of this program comes from the hurt of being away from my wife. Even if I'm getting an okay salary for this, I'm still paying dearly, and that makes me really want to have something to show for it.
But, in all humility, I'm sure I'd kick just as much butt if she were right here with me... probably even more. ;)
Friday, April 07, 2006
Caution: Low-Flying Planes!
Today's hop was probably the most fun so far. I was worried at first because there were foreboding clouds about a thousand feet off the deck and a strong wind out of the south. When I got to the airport and went to preflight my plane, it was still in the hangar with the engine cowling off and a mechanic plugging away at sundry problematic electrical components. Lucky for me, there was another plane available: a nice, sweet-looking 172 with wheel fairings and about 1/3 as many hours as the other two.
We took off and headed south, making it to 1,500 feet, but coming back down to 1,000 because of low clouds. Today's lesson focused on emergency procedures, specifically engine failures during flight. The idea is to establish your glide speed and pick a place to land and then try to get your engine started again while you're on your way there. At 1,000 feet, you've only got about two minutes before you're on the ground, if you're careful. The first time the engine "failed" (instructor pulls the throttle to idle) I set us up on a nice clear field, but I was so caught up in it that I forgot to "try" to restart the engine. The next time, we were close to a small airport with a 2,000-ft. grass runway. I set us up in a landing pattern, and remembered to try restarting the engine.
But, to my surprise, as I pulled us through the turn for final approach, my instructor said "Okay, we're going to land here." We hadn't covered soft-field landings yet in my training, but I remembered the technique from my flying lessons in high school, so I quickly recited it to the instructor and proceeded to land the airplane on the grass. IT WAS AWESOME!!! The touchdown was soft, and to my surprise, the plane rolled just as smoothly on grass as it did on concrete or asphalt.
Taking off, I was a little intimidated by the tall trees on the south end of the runway, but we cleared them easily. After some more work up high, my instructor again "killed" the engine on me. I noticed that (unbeknownst to him) we were again directly above our little grass airstrip, so I put us right into a nice landing pattern. On short final we even had enough altitude that I put down full flaps and did a forward slip onto the runway, which really impressed my instructor.
We did three more landings at Mobile Downtown, but I think I'm definitely hooked on little grass runways!
We took off and headed south, making it to 1,500 feet, but coming back down to 1,000 because of low clouds. Today's lesson focused on emergency procedures, specifically engine failures during flight. The idea is to establish your glide speed and pick a place to land and then try to get your engine started again while you're on your way there. At 1,000 feet, you've only got about two minutes before you're on the ground, if you're careful. The first time the engine "failed" (instructor pulls the throttle to idle) I set us up on a nice clear field, but I was so caught up in it that I forgot to "try" to restart the engine. The next time, we were close to a small airport with a 2,000-ft. grass runway. I set us up in a landing pattern, and remembered to try restarting the engine.
But, to my surprise, as I pulled us through the turn for final approach, my instructor said "Okay, we're going to land here." We hadn't covered soft-field landings yet in my training, but I remembered the technique from my flying lessons in high school, so I quickly recited it to the instructor and proceeded to land the airplane on the grass. IT WAS AWESOME!!! The touchdown was soft, and to my surprise, the plane rolled just as smoothly on grass as it did on concrete or asphalt.
Taking off, I was a little intimidated by the tall trees on the south end of the runway, but we cleared them easily. After some more work up high, my instructor again "killed" the engine on me. I noticed that (unbeknownst to him) we were again directly above our little grass airstrip, so I put us right into a nice landing pattern. On short final we even had enough altitude that I put down full flaps and did a forward slip onto the runway, which really impressed my instructor.
We did three more landings at Mobile Downtown, but I think I'm definitely hooked on little grass runways!
Thursday, April 06, 2006
The Road Less traveled
Well, as it turns out, Monday's "rough" flight was the anomaly. I've been flying every day this week with good results. I get a little better every time. I'm one full lesson ahead now, and only two more flights before I'll be up for a solo. Today I flew with "Rocky" Kemp, a somewhat crusty ex-marine who at almost 70 years old has more than 22,000 hours of total flying time in all kinds of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. He has a reputation around the school for being a tough critic, but even he seemed to think I was on the right track and would have no trouble.
The trip home was a bit rough. For some reason, drivers in the great state of Alabama seem to have an undue amount of difficulty coping with lane closures due to construction. Even in only light-to-moderate traffic, a lane being closed causes traffic to back up to a halt for at least a mile. I've seen this happen several times. But today there was an exit along the way, with still a mile of crawling traffic to go. I decided to be adventurous and look for the back roads to take me home. No map or anything... But I knew if I headed south there was a US Highway that ran roughly parallel to the freeway between Pensacola and Mobile. It took me about half an hour and several lengthy runs in the wrong direction to finally find the road. But, it was an adventure, an excuse to see more of the Alabama and Florida back country, and I wasn't in any big hurry to get home anyway. It probably would have been faster to just wait it out on the freeway, but what fun would that be?
My flight tomorrow may be cancelled. One of the aircraft broke some little part in its electrical system that caused the battery to drain. If the plane can't get fixed before my flight tomorrow at noon, then I'll lose my plane to students who are "ahead" of me on the priority list. But, I can't complain... Flying four times in a week is still making good enough progress!
The trip home was a bit rough. For some reason, drivers in the great state of Alabama seem to have an undue amount of difficulty coping with lane closures due to construction. Even in only light-to-moderate traffic, a lane being closed causes traffic to back up to a halt for at least a mile. I've seen this happen several times. But today there was an exit along the way, with still a mile of crawling traffic to go. I decided to be adventurous and look for the back roads to take me home. No map or anything... But I knew if I headed south there was a US Highway that ran roughly parallel to the freeway between Pensacola and Mobile. It took me about half an hour and several lengthy runs in the wrong direction to finally find the road. But, it was an adventure, an excuse to see more of the Alabama and Florida back country, and I wasn't in any big hurry to get home anyway. It probably would have been faster to just wait it out on the freeway, but what fun would that be?
My flight tomorrow may be cancelled. One of the aircraft broke some little part in its electrical system that caused the battery to drain. If the plane can't get fixed before my flight tomorrow at noon, then I'll lose my plane to students who are "ahead" of me on the priority list. But, I can't complain... Flying four times in a week is still making good enough progress!
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Another Day, Another Dollar
Right now I'm in the first stage of Navy flight training, called Introductory Flight Screening. In this program, they send us to take 25 hours of flying lessons at civilian flight schools. I'm flying with an outfit called Flight Training of Mobile that flies Cessna 172SPs out of Mobile Downtown airport (KBFM).
I took flying lessons in high school, and got in 3 solo flights. So I've had a pretty good idea what I'm doing in this stage. However, I'm finding out there are a lot of differences between flying as a hobby and seriously training as a professional aviator. This is by far the best "job" I've ever had. I love flying, and buzzing around Mobile Bay in a little Cessna is a lot of fun. My first three flights were exhilarating experiences.
Yesterday (flight #4), I found out that even this can feel like work. Unlike my first three flights, this was an afternoon hop and it was almost 5:00 by the time we launched. We took off and climbed out to the southwest, right into the sun. The low sun and the haze made it look like we were surrounded by a luminous golden mist. It was beautiful, but it meant that the only view of the ground was almost straight down. Without a visible horizon, I had more trouble than usual maintaining heading and altitude, and I really didn't like feeling sloppy.
When we got back to the airport, the controller changed runways on us. Then, as soon as we'd done a touch-and-go and were about to turn crosswind, 1,000 feet up and about a half mile off the end of the runway, he changed his mind again and told us to turn 180 and land going the other way. Despite our best efforts at S-turning and flying slow, we couldn't get low enough soon enough and had to go around.
I don't consider myself a "morning person," but I definitely do my best work before noon. It's been getting hotter in Pensacola, and until yesterday our air conditioning wasn't working. I hadn't slept right in almost a week. Yesterday's flight was well within the bounds of safety, but I knew leaving the airplane that it I could and should do better.
The important realization for me was that, as a professional, I won't always be able to fly when I'm naturally feeling my best. I have to keep myself sharp ALL the time. I have to be able to do my best work even when I've had an off sort of day. I have to develop the stamina and discipline to be able to clear my head, re-cage my brain and fly the airplane spot-on, every time. I'm flying again at 4:00 today, so we'll see how it goes.
I took flying lessons in high school, and got in 3 solo flights. So I've had a pretty good idea what I'm doing in this stage. However, I'm finding out there are a lot of differences between flying as a hobby and seriously training as a professional aviator. This is by far the best "job" I've ever had. I love flying, and buzzing around Mobile Bay in a little Cessna is a lot of fun. My first three flights were exhilarating experiences.
Yesterday (flight #4), I found out that even this can feel like work. Unlike my first three flights, this was an afternoon hop and it was almost 5:00 by the time we launched. We took off and climbed out to the southwest, right into the sun. The low sun and the haze made it look like we were surrounded by a luminous golden mist. It was beautiful, but it meant that the only view of the ground was almost straight down. Without a visible horizon, I had more trouble than usual maintaining heading and altitude, and I really didn't like feeling sloppy.
When we got back to the airport, the controller changed runways on us. Then, as soon as we'd done a touch-and-go and were about to turn crosswind, 1,000 feet up and about a half mile off the end of the runway, he changed his mind again and told us to turn 180 and land going the other way. Despite our best efforts at S-turning and flying slow, we couldn't get low enough soon enough and had to go around.
I don't consider myself a "morning person," but I definitely do my best work before noon. It's been getting hotter in Pensacola, and until yesterday our air conditioning wasn't working. I hadn't slept right in almost a week. Yesterday's flight was well within the bounds of safety, but I knew leaving the airplane that it I could and should do better.
The important realization for me was that, as a professional, I won't always be able to fly when I'm naturally feeling my best. I have to keep myself sharp ALL the time. I have to be able to do my best work even when I've had an off sort of day. I have to develop the stamina and discipline to be able to clear my head, re-cage my brain and fly the airplane spot-on, every time. I'm flying again at 4:00 today, so we'll see how it goes.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
Getting Paid to Fly
One of the first things anyone who meets me finds out is that I'm an unabashed aviation junkie. I have wanted to be a pilot ever since I found out there was such a thing. The pursuit of this ambition, and my desires to serve in the military, led me to earn a commission as a US Naval Officer and be selected for the Naval Aviation program.
I arrived at NAS Pensacola on February 3, 2006, leaving my dear wife of almost two years far away in upstate New York to finish her own education. Being away is hard, but I suppose it's something everyone who has served in the military has had to deal with. It's even harder for my wife. I'm down here having the professional time of my life, at least. She's still at home doing all of the stuff she used to do, plus most of the things I did to keep up the household. So, we have come to this conclusion: I'm doing this for free. The Navy is not paying me to fly, they're paying her to LET me.
I arrived at NAS Pensacola on February 3, 2006, leaving my dear wife of almost two years far away in upstate New York to finish her own education. Being away is hard, but I suppose it's something everyone who has served in the military has had to deal with. It's even harder for my wife. I'm down here having the professional time of my life, at least. She's still at home doing all of the stuff she used to do, plus most of the things I did to keep up the household. So, we have come to this conclusion: I'm doing this for free. The Navy is not paying me to fly, they're paying her to LET me.
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Here we go...
Okay, I'm going to give this blog thing a try. Several people have suggested I keep a journal of my experience in US Navy flight training. So, here it is. An inside, real-time look at what it's like to become a top gun pilot. This is for my family, friends, and anyone else who wonders what's going through my head on a regular basis.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
