18 Jan 04 TRACK SELECT
I hope everyone had a good holiday season, and your New Year is off to a good start.
Returning to Columbus proved to be very hard, especially since I'd already finished tweets. Regardless of when you finish flying, everyone moves onto the next phase on the same day (16 Jan 04). Several of us had two weeks off for Christmas Break and then another two weeks off before being offically done. Those two weeks were spent planning, organizing, and preparing for Track Select. This included invitations, food and beverage services, Officer club coordination, and preparations for the incoming class that replaces us! Our class was motivated to get these tasks done, therefore we finished early and had several days completely off!
The first two phases of pilot training are the most demanding for one reason - Track Select. This day is essentially more important then graduation because it determines the rest of your Air Force career. One month prior to Track Select we fill out a dream sheet, listing our track prefereces in order: T-1a (tanker/transport), T-38 (Fighter/Bomber), T-44 (C-130 follow-on) or UH-1 (Helicopters). Those finishing in the top 10% of the class will most definately get their first choice. However, after that its all based on needs of the Air Force! This day is uneventful for Air National Guardsmen becasue we already know our final destination.
Friday started off with breakfast in the Squadron Heritage room at 0800. At 0900 all the parents witnessed a typical UPT morning to include formal brief, Emergency Procedure stand-up, General Knowledge questions, and Ops Notes. At 1000 the Squadron Commander welcomed the parents with a short briefing of the 37th, and a "feel good" speech about the students! The rest of the afternoon was spent touring the Simulators, or taking pictures of the aircraft on the flightline. At 1700, class 04-12 started the Track Select process with a toast from the Squadron Commander. Starting alphabetically, each student was called up on stage, embarrassed by a true story, and then given their track. Our class had one of the best "drops" of the year: Seven T-38's, Six T-44's and 13 T-1's! Id say that 20 out of 26 studs got their first choice - so it was a great night! Immediately afterwards, we met with our new flight commanders and were given the appropriate stack of pubs! The party continued at the bar, where we told stories about our days in the tweet and said goodbye to those parting ways.
On a side note, we had a stud in our flight who failed his last checkride the day before Track Select. He was scheduled to take an 89 ride on Friday, but unfortunately was unable to finish tweets in the alotted time. Therefore, at the very least he'll be washed back three weeks into the next class. More proof that this program is never ending.
Congratulations to everyone in 04-12. Good luck in the future!
Hopefully I can get back into the study mode after 5 weeks off, becasue starting on Tuesday we're back to square one...Academics.
25 Jan 04
Coming into the T-1 program I figured academics would be just like the T-37. Unfortunately I was sadly mistaken. The T-1 is equipped with technology 50 years newer than that of the Tweet. Because of this academics is more in depth, which equates to longer days, more books, more tests, etc. For each aircraft you fly in the Military you'll be issued a set of publications. These "pubs" tell you everything you could ever want to know about the airplane, the systems, how to fly it, and local procedures. The Tweet had about 10 different pubs totalling over 800 pages...this is compared to ONE publication in the T-1 which has 800 pages! Needless to say I feel overwhelmed.
We'll have 5 weeks of academics before actually flying the "cadillac." Its called the cadillac because it has so many neat features. The entire cockpit is "glass," which means everything is digitally projected onto a number of video screens. It has an autopilot coupled to a GPS, an onboard Radar with Traffic Collision Avoidance System, a weather radar, an EADI (a really fancy attitude indicator), and a Ground Proximity Warning System. If an emergency occurs, a red or amber light on the annuciation panel will illuminate, followed by steps on how to fix the problem! The cockpit is pressurized with a max cruise altitude of 41,000 feet and it flys at around 300 Knots. The best part is not having to wear a huge parachute, or an uncomfortable helmet...we get to wear headphones just like the airline pilots and there's even a cupholder for our coffee!
Our entire first week was spent on the engine, oil and fuel systems. Monday morning starts with a test followed by 12 hours of a new subject! There are half a dozen System classes, Enroute Navigation, Instruments, Mission Planning, Crew Resource Management, Aerodynamics, Emergency Procedures and Operational Transition.
After meeting with our flight commander and having instructors who served their career in the "Heavy" world im convinced I made the right choice (versus the fighter world). They tell you right up front, the atmosphere is relaxed, that youre treated like officers/pilots, and the magic word is teamwork. We have the ability to throw our golf clubs in the back, fly to Europe, enjoy the tourist attractions and bring back a case of authentic Guiness! The T-1 emergency procedure "Stand-ups" are completely different - apparently you sit around with your crew (another stud) and talk frankly about the emergency, how to solve it, land the airplane and get home safely!
The sterotype: fighter pilots are uptight, hardcore, arrogant, and loners while the heavy pilots are laid back, calm and collective, with professional attitudes, and ALWAYS married to the hot women! ;) So far that seems to be the case! I love it!
01 Feb 04
It didnt take me long to get back into the habit of studying. After our first test on Monday morning, we had classes the rest of the day, all day Tuesday and another test on Wednesday morning! UPT Instructors give the following analogy for Studying: Your brain is like an iceberg - and Penguins are pieces of information - you can only fit so many penguins on the iceberg before it cant hold any more. Once full you have to choose which penguins to kick off. Its pretty humorous to see which penguins Ive kicked off (The location of my car keys, the lyrics to my favorite songs, phone numbers and complete addresses)!
For the first half of T-1 training each student is paired with another. This pair will study together, flight plan together, fly together in the jet as well as the simulator. I feel lucky to be paired with my partner...he's an Air Force Academy guy with the same work ethics as myself, and we get along really well. We had our first two sims this week and have to say its completely different than the tweet program. First off, the entire mission lasts about 6 hours (1.5 hour brief, 3 hour flight, and 1.5 hour debrief). Both students sit in the cockpit, one acting as the pilot and the other co-pilot, while the Instructor oversees everything from outside. Halfway into the sim, the studs switch roles and finish the remainder of the mission in the opposite seat. Most of this time is spent on refining Crew Resource Management skills - assigning tasks to eliminate saturation, and clear communication, while getting the entire crew (sometimes as many as 15) to focus on and perform the mission at hand.
We got issued our very own $300 headsets, and we have Flight Bags in the mail - at least the Air Force spoil pilots with good stuff! From now on, I hope to close out each journal entry with a famous quote (because ive run out of clever ways to say "have a great week or until next time")!
"Greatness is not in where we stand, but in what direction we are moving. We must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it - but sail we must, and not drift, nor lie at anchor."
Oliver Wendell Holmes
08 Feb 04
Just a quick entry because im crazy busy. This upcoming week is our last week before the flight line. Therefore, academics has been pushed into overdrive. We had several tests last week along with many hours of classes. It seems like most of the classes are being taught through "Computer Aided Instruction." Im a big fan of the computer age, but nothing compares to an actual instructor teaching and explaining things to you. Everyone seems to be doing really well in academics, no failures yet so keep your fingers crossed!
My partner and I had our 3rd sim on Wednesday. We did really well on the first half, so we got to fool around for the rest of the mission. I was the Captain while we sped through the ground operation checklists and took off right behind a KC-10 (refueler). We circled around the field and lined up at the six o'clock position ready to perform some aerical refueling! The T-1 has the capability of showing our relative/overtake speed in relation to the other aircraft (30 KTS of "smash"). It also tells our distance from the other aircraft in Nautical Miles! Just a few more fascinating options of the Jayhawk. We flew formation while getting gas for a while before doing some touch and go's. The last touch and go, we stayed 200' off the ground while accelerating to 330 knots. Then we pulled straight up, killed both engines and performed a crazy aerobatic maneuver to glide back to the field for an Emergency landing! It was awesome!
"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will"
Vincent T. Lombardi
15 Feb 04
President's day gave us a three day weekend which worked out perfect; one extra day for studying before the flightline. So far in academics, we've had classes in and been tested on the following material: T-1 Systems to include, Engines, Fuel System, DC, AC and Standby Electrical systems, Lighting, Avionics, Hydraulics, Pneumatics, Flight Controls, Landing Gear and Braking systems, Environmental, Anti-Ice, De-ice, Oxygen, Instruments (IFR), along with ALL Checklist items, Take Off and Landing Data (TOLD), Aerodynamics, Crew Resource Management (CRM), as well as Malfunctions and Emergencies on all of the above. Once on the flightline, we'll continue with Academics for another couple months.
As you can imagine, im looking forward to getting back in the air. My last flight was before christmas break, two months ago! Just like the Tweet, our first flight in the T-1 is called the dollar ride. Its tradition to pay your instructor a dollar because he does all the work, while the students enjoy the introduction ride. Our class dollar rides are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday - ill let you know how it goes!
"The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today." Franklin D. Roosevelt
22 Feb 04
Compared to Tweets, the T-1 flightline is similar in procedures. However, there are several small details that make it a different training environment. In order to take off at 800 in the morning, the studs have to show up at 0430. This leaves 30 minutes to prepare the Weather brief, 1 hour for the formal brief, plus a 2 hour brief of your upcoming flight! We're currently on the "20 day program" which is an introduction to the EP procedures of the Jet. Its a grace period where students know the daily EP beforehand. The EP is given during the formal brief to a pair of students, one acting as the Aircraft commander and the other as a co-pilot. We're allowed to sit down, discuss the EP and refernce all of the applicable publications. Becasue there's so much information we're not required to memorize it all, like in the Tweet.
My partner and I had our dollar ride on Thursday morning. We took off from Columbus, flew to the MOA to practice maneuvers including: Traffic Pattern stalls X3, steep turns X2, Vertial S X4, and slow flight. After that, we continued on to Greenville for traffic pattern work. After several patterns each, and 3 hours later we returned to Columbus. The Instructor Pilot always sits in the right seat with one stud in the left seat and the other in the jump seat. Halfway through the ride the students switch seats. I had such a blast flying this jet, and realize why they refer to it as the cadillac!
If you get a chance, I added a few pictures to my site. The top most picture is our 04-12 Class patch, and towards the bottom is my "Hero Shot" in front of the T-1, and finally a picture of the Jayhawk cockpit - BEAUTIFUL.
"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing." Abraham Lincoln
29 Feb 04
The learning curve in the T-1 program is amazingly steep. I've only had three rides so far, but I feel very comfortable with ALL the transistion (contact) maneuvers to include patterns and area work. For the next 15 flights before checkride, I need to focus on sharpening those skills. Adapting to this aircraft was out of sheer frustration.
Less than two months ago I could fly the Tweet with no problems whatsoever. I could maintain altitude +100/-0, I could fly an entire approach maintaining an exact airspeed, I could smoothly land the Tweet almost everytime, and I could perform any maneuver without thinking twice about it. Now, being thrown into a different Jet with different airspeeds, different pitch pictures, basically different everything became VERY frustrating. After my first T-1 ride I coudln't hold a simple altitude or airspeed!! Knowing that I could perform this task easily in the Tweet, frustrated me. I was frustrated that I couldnt do the checklists faster, that I couldnt find the power setting without looking, that I couldnt "grease" my landings, it seemed like I couldnt do anything right! Even though it was only my first ride, I became determined to learn "Basic Aircraft Control" as soon as possible, no matter what it took. Granted I have a long way to go with tons of stuff to learn, I think im adapting well.
My older brother is getting married this week - wish I could be there. Congratulations and Good Luck Bro!
"When you are in any contest you should work as if there were - to the very last minute - a chance to lose it."
Dwight D. Eisenhower
07 Mar 04
Hello again. Unfortunately, Im really busy this week and dont have time to write an entry. Thanks for checking in...I'll make sure to have one next Sunday.
"I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it."
Thomas Jefferson
14 Mar 04
The last two weeks have gone by so fast...one benefit of being busy all the time! The syllabus has students accomplishing at least one event per day, whether its flying, a simulator mission or a day full of academics. The only weather that prevents a T-1 from flying is severe icing, or fog with visibility less than 1SM. On those RARE days, everyone remains in doors while the students give system presentations. My presentation, due tomorrow, is the Engines and Fuel control system. I have most of the power point done, but still working on the content. I also have to study for the Monday morning EPQ (Emergency Procedures Quiz), so its going to be a long night!
The newest class to arrive in the T-1 squadron is often called the "baby class." Not only do they get stuck with bum jobs, but they also get the earliest takeoff times. Because of this, our class has been showing up at 0500 for the past three weeks. The new baby class (04-13) starts tomorrow, so we got shifted to the night week with a show time of 1230! I can actualy SLEEP IN - sweet!
A little bit about the T-1 program: Its split into 3 phases (Transition, Navigation, & Mission Familiarization). Im currently in the Transition phase which teaches the student how to fly the plane, including pattern work, and area work with tons of studying. The Navigation phase is filled with "out and backs." Often called "lunch and backs" the studs plan cross country's to an outbase for lunch, then fly back. The outbases can be up to 600 miles away! Each flight requires a ton of planning which is the main purpose of this phase. Finally, Mission Fam is used to familiarize studs with the operational Air Force. Its packed with Aerial Refueling, Formation, Low Levels, and other missions pertinent to our follow on Major Weapon Systems (MWS).
Ive refrained from making the following statement as long as i could...Phase 3 of pilot training is turning into the hardest thing ive done in my life. Ive completely given up television in order to keep up with studying but still find myself behind! If i dont have a flight or sim to prepare for, im studying for the next academic test. If i dont have a test to study for, im studying for the next EPQ, or stand up. If im not doing any of that, im preparing for my transistion checkride. All this for one reason - in four months ill be walking across the stage to get my wings. WELL WORTH IT.
"Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value."
Albert Einstein
21 Mar 04
Hello once again. Most of you have seen, my journal entries slowly diminish. This is for two obvious reasons, #1 Im always busy studying on Sunday nights and #2 Im running out of things to say! If anyone reading this has questions about anything, it youre wondering about anything, or most likely if I didnt explain something well enough - Please let me know and I'll be more than happy to expand.... [email protected]
This past week, our class was on the "late week." We had an average show time of 1100, with flights starting at 1600 and ending at 1900. I got to experience flying the T-1 for the first time at night - loved it. Nothing compares to cruising at FL210 watching the sunset, and getting paid. Those of you with flying experience probably know about the "black hole effect." Because the runway is surrounded by darkness, an illusion occurs on final approach - which feels like you're falling into the black hole. In turn the pilot reacts, causing a long and sometimes hard landing. Its interesting to see the difference - you could be landing perfect all day, then one night landing ruins your whole flight! My first night landing wasnt that bad, but it was enough to make me dissapointed.
On monday Im scheduled to fly my second Copilot ride. These rides are relatively low threat because you sit in the right seat and dont fly that much. However, our many jobs include navigation, running checklists, mission planning and most importantly talking on the radio. You never want other pilots or controllers to say "that guy sounds like an idiot." The NUMBER ONE RULE for being a copilot, in any jet, is sounding COOL on the radio.
"I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him."
Galileo
28 Mar 04
Monday morning, we started off with our last academic test in Pilot Training! I'd studied alot for this test, cruised through it, and got a 100%. Less than an hour later we had another test on the flight line - this was our 6th EPQ since starting (14 more to go). I had also studied a ton for this quiz, so I sped through it - BIG Mistake. I scored an 80% which is considered a failure. Out of the 4 questions I missed, I knew the answer to 3 of them but didnt fully read/comprehend what the questions were asking. All of this was a direct result of going too fast. I was furious with myself. All those hours of studying thrown away because I was impatient. Because of this, I was grounded for the day, and had to retake the test. Also, if I fail another quiz or stand-up I'll be placed on CAP (Commander's Awareness Program) - not good. As you can imagine, ive been studying like crazy ever since. Is it possible to study too much? I guess we'll see.
The next day I went up flying and had my best ride so far. Everything went exactly as planned, area work went great, pattern work was awesome, and landings were sweet! Four more rides until the Transition Checkride, and I feel that I'm exactly where I need to be. My partner and I should check this Friday or early next week. Ill let you know how it goes - keep your fingers crossed.
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."
Sir Winston Churchill
04 Apr 04
One of the best compliments you can receive in Pilot Training is when an Instructor Pilot asks: "do you have any previous flying experience?" The guys that do are airline pilots or prior military with 1000's of hours. They're very skilled at basic aircraft control, situational awareness, and everything else associated with flying. So, when an instructor pilot asks that question it usually means you did something very well - up to the level of an experienced pilot! Believe it or not, I was asked that question on our most recent Co-pilot ride. Apparently my communication skills on the radio were excellent - I even managed to "sound cool!" (rule #1)
For the non-pilot readers - while flying around on an IFR clearance pilots are constantly talking with different controllers updating their position, making requests, given restrictions, traffic advisories, etc. Each radio transmission has a certain order that must be followed. There are several required calls, and responses - all of them quick and concise. The biggest thing is thinking about what you want to say before actually keying the mike. Its not professional to fumble your words or make long drawn out sentances. This is one more skill I can thank the Academy for...we're required to get an FCC radio license before sailing so ive had classes and work shops on radio etiquette. Granted most calls are different, but the rules are all the same. I knew that education would come in hand some day!
My checkride is scheduled for Wednesday and to give you an idea of the things Im studying/required to know this is a random paragraph from the Tech Order Dash 1 p 3-18: "When the RH load bus loses power and the NO 1 inverter has also failed, a load shedding circuit is activated which causes the emergency bus to power the NO 2 inverter. In this condition the AC BUS SHED annuciator illuminates and the NO 2 inverter powers only the primary 115 and 26 volt buses. AC bus fault protection is provided as a function of the inverters. If either the 115-VAC or 26-VAC bus develops a ground during inverter operation, a bus fault protection circuit prevents 115-VAC and 26-VAC from being applied to the grounded bus."
The whole book reads like stereo instructions!
"You don't concentrate on risks. You concentrate on results. No risk is too great to prevent the necessary job from getting done."
General Charles E. 'Chuck' Yeager
11 Apr 04
This was a busy week, and an even busier weekend! As mentioned before, I had my checkride on Wednesday and it went very well. The day started off 3 hours prior to the scheduled takeoff time. We report to our "check pilot" in military fashion. Just like a normal ride, the stud briefs up the flight. This includes, but is not limited to, NOTAMS, Weather, routing, Arrivals, departures, area work/maneuvers, restrictions, CRM issues, pattern work, alternate airfields, and all possible emergencies that could be encoutnered. The check pilot chimes in every once in a while to ask general knowledge questions about the current topic, all in all this lasts about 2.5 hours. The IP checks our pubs for currency, while the studs check out the jet, file the flight plan and get ready to fly.
The profile breaks down like this: Stud number 1 runs all the interior inspections, starts the jet, taxi's out, takes off, does his MOA work, then his pattern work at the assigned outbase. Halfway into the sortie, I jumped into the seat and started with my pattern work which included, 30 Flap, 10 Flap, 0 Flap, Single Engine, and Localizer approachs. I departed the outbase and went to the MOA for my area work - we were low on gas so I sped through it, and returned to Columbus after 3 hours. At this point, I ran all the shutdown checklists and completed the flight. Now comes the hard part - the Ground Evaluation. This is where you get drilled with Emergency Procedure Questions and a ton of General Knowledge Questions - it can last up to 2 hours! When it was all said and done I walked away with 3 downgrades.
All 60 maneuvers are graded on a 5 point system (1=No Grade, 2=Unsat, 3=Fair, 4=Good, 5=Excellent). A good maneuver is 1 downgrade from Excellent. So, I got 57 Excellents and 3 Goods. A perfect score is 0 downgrades, so I felt VERY good about the outcome.
Yet another useful thing I learned at Kings Point: Morse Code. Each Navaid used in aerial navigation has an associated morse code identifier. While flying, pilots are required to constantly identify and monitor these Navaids for accuracy. Rather than constantly referencing charts and publications, I just listen for those all too familiar dits and dahs.
This entire weekend was spent preparing for the next phase of T-1's. The navigation phase. This is the out and back phase. One student flies a 2 hour sortie to an outbase, lands to a full stop, everyone has lunch, then stud #2 flies back home! Sounds like fun, but its filled with TONS of planning. Tomorrow my partner and I are taking off from Columbus, dropping into Maxwell AFB, then stopping in Tallahassee, FL! Ill let you know how it goes next weekend!
Happy Easter
"The most expensive thing in life is ignorance."
Unknown
18 Apr 04
The Nav phase, affectionately called "Lunch and Backs" is just that. Our entire missions are planned aroud which outbase has the best/cheapest lunch! Monday we went to Tallahassee for MoMo's pizza (each slice is the size of a small child), Tuesday we went to Alexandria for $1.00 cajun food, Wednesday we had a sim, Thursday we went to Fort Campbell AAf for an excellent chinese buffet, and Friday we went to Mobile, AL for fresh homemade cookies and FREE pizza! This phase is the best part of Pilot Training.
Of course the best part of training must come with drawbacks. As I mentioned before, its filled with tons of planning. For each mission, it requires at least 4 hours of preparation. The hardest part is coordinating with your partner on where to go...you see each maneuver has continuity issues. Several items must be graded every 3 sorties, while others must be graded every sortie. On Monday I may need to fly a Localizer back course, while my partner must fly a High Penetration approach. Therefore, we need to find outbases/drop-in bases that can cater to each of our needs. After establishing an initial plan, we check for show-stoppers - mainly NOTAMS, WEATHER and BAM/AHAS. Once confirmed, we each start our own planning which includes, routing (altituds and airspeeds, etc), TOLD, Trouble T calculations, DOH calculations, AP1 Restrictions, Airfield Suitability reports, FBO coordination for parking and fuel, planning for 5 different approaches, a Form 70 (flight plan correcting courses for winds and True Airspeed, versus Ground Speed, etc) and finally a Form 175 (for filing a flight plan). All of the above must be printed out and presented to the Instructor prior to the morning brief! This is true flying in the sense of the word - starting from scratch, planning to go someplace, and navigating there safely! I love it.
There are 5 flights within the Nav phase called Low Levels. I had my first one on Friday. This takes on a different approach to Navigation. These flights are done 500' above the ground using ONLY visual references and timing as a guide. Flying 250 KNOTS that close to the ground is pretty exciting. To give you an idea, we flew over a town and I could easily identify the name of the grocery store and the make and model of each car on the streets. These low levels are flown on Military Traning Routes (MTR's) which allow pilots to exceed speed limits and obstacles clearances. The problem with these routes is that they're only identified by Lat/Lon points in a book. Therefore we have to get a sectional chart and map out the corridor with each idetifiable landmark, any obstacles, and then plan wind corrected courses and timing to each turn point. Even more planning involved! I spent alot of time with nav charts at Kings Point, so this kind of stuff was very familiar.
"The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions."
Confucius
25 Apr 04
On a Cross Country this weekend to Texas. The plan as of Wednesday night:
THU - Columbus MS, IR070 (Low Level), Texarcana AK, College Station TX, Kelly AFB TX.
FRI - Kelly AFB, VR140 (Low Level), Corpus Christi TX, Easterwood TX, Kelly AFB.
SAT - Kelly AFB, VR186 (Low Level), Dallas Fort Worth, Navy Fort Worth, Kelly AFB.
SUN - Kelly AFB, Alexandria LA, Columbus AFB.
GO KINGS!!!
02 May 04
All the prior planning for our cross country proved to be worthless! About the only thing that went according to plan was our overnight stay at Kelly AFB. Time constraints, Weather, and Maintenance problems kept us flexible the entire weekend. We didnt get to fly any low levels, and spent friday night dodging thunderstorms. On Saturday morning we noticed an abnormal starting sequence which indicated a possible oil filter malfunction. After calling Columbus, the maintenance guys told us not to fly unless returning home! This was great news bacause San Antonio was having the annual "Fiesta" celebration. We spent the whole day on the river walk, watching parades and relaxing. If you get the chance, Durty Nelly's is a great Irish piano bar.
This last week was pretty uneventful. I flew three times, had a sim, and was off on Friday for a three day weekend! Saturday morning I drove to Birmingham to volunteer with "Dreams on Wings." This organization gives kids in hospital care a chance to go up flying for the day! Dozens of pilots donated their time and airplanes for use. There was everthing from a Helicopter, to a Cessna 152, to a Learjet! In its fourth year, Dreams on Wings picked up over 50 families from the hospital in Limousines, and brought them to the Air Force Base. Awaiting them was a full barbeque, a jazz band with dancing, clowns with facepainting, Monster trucks, a Race Car, and all the toys you can think of! I spent all day escorting families and their pilots out to the flight line. Flying is something alot of pilots take for granted, and its a dream come true for some of these kids! To see their reaction after flying was pricless. Please take a moment to check out the website:
www.dreamsonwings.org
"Flying may not be all plain sailing, but the fun of it is worth the price."
Amelia Earhart
09 May 04
Busy all weekend! Im getting close to my Navigation checkride so I'm not sure if I'll have time next week either...Thanks for checking in!
16 May 04
The past two weeks have been furious. Ive either flown or had a sim every day for the past three weeks! Im not complaining because it makes the time fly by, but it limits my free time to do other things. I'll probably take my Nav check on Friday so I've been spending my extra time studying general knowledge and Emergency Procedures.
The Nav check is by far the hardest checkride in Pilot Training, and from what I've heard its the hardest checkride in your flying career. The checkride starts at 6 in the morning and lasts for 12 hours. The stud starts briefing two and a half hours before the flight. The first ride is usually a 2 hour Low Level to an outbase, where we fly VFR patterns to a full stop. Once at the outbase, we debrief the flight and brief up the next flight. This second flight is a 2 hour nav ride back to Columbus with a drop-in for several radar patterns and approaches. After landing we have a couple hours of general knowledge questions along with an EP. It doesnt sound like much but the problem is, we must have several back-up plans...
There are several limiting factors to any flight, mainly NOTAMS, Weather and Bird Conditions. If any restriction prevents the Low Level on the first half of the mission, we must plan it for the second half and vice versa. We also have to have a backup low level planned in case we cant do the original! So, we have to show up to brief with 4 plans 8 Flights -
1. Low Level A to Outbase. Nav Ride back to Columbus
2. Nav Ride to Outbase. Low Level A back to Columbus
3. Low Level B to Outbase. Nav Ride back to Columbus
4. Nav Ride to Outbase. Low Level B back to Columbus
Saturday a couple of us went up to Memphis for the World BBQ festival, then on to Little Rock for a concert. This was by far the best concert I'd ever seen - incredible live performers! Needless to say we had a great time. I dont feel too bad about leaving town because we spent time studying while on the road!
"Seeing much, suffering much, and studying much, are the three pillars of learning."
Benjamin Disraeli
23 May 04
This has been a terrible week. After hooking several rides, I'm studying for an 88 ride on Monday...Not good! An 88 ride is a simulated checkride to analyze your progression in the program. Its given after hooking an end of block ride, a checkride, or several rides in a row. I fall under the "several rides" and "end of block" category. If I hook this ride, I'd be off to an 89 ride. If i didnt pass that ride, Id plead my case with an elimination board! Essentially I could be two rides away from getting kicked out of pilot training...Not good!
I never realized how much physical and mental ability can affect your flying until now. I had been sick with the flu all week, but never visited the flight doc - I'm stubborn. By the time Wednesday rolled around, I could barely brief a flight without going through a box of Klenex! For the first time in a long while I started to feel behind the jet, drained and worn out. I hooked 3 rides in a row including my end of block nav ride. Most of the things I hooked for were ridiculous; things I had never done before.
Im spending the weekend trying to recover from the flu, study and relax. With the exception of airsickness rides during Tweets, I havent hooked at all during pilot training - until now. Because of this, and my grades from the previous couple flights, im not too worried about the 88.
Once I pass the 88, I have 2 more low levels and the Navigation Checkride to look forward to! Wish me luck.
Its amazing what can happen in two weeks. I had my 88 ride on Monday, and passed with flying colors. The next day I had two Low Level flights to finish up the nav phase. ALL day wednesday was spent planning for my Checkride, scheduled for Thursday. It literally took 13 hours to get all my checkride plans accomplished, which included 4 plans 8 flights. Add to that an extra 4 hours of last minute studying, to make a long day!
The Nav Checkride started at 400 in the morning when I woke up to check the weather, Bird Condition, and wind analysis. I ended up using one of my backup plans as a result of Bird Condition on the Low Level. My plan took me from Columbus, to Gulfport/Biloxi, to Chennault for the first half. The second half was from Chennault to VR1072 (Low Level) back to Columbus. I met the check pilot at BaseOps to brief our plan at 0600! Three hours later we were on our way to Gulfport. My first flight went really well, with the exception of one NDB approach. Once arriving at Chennault, LA we dropped in, had a quick bite to eat, briefed up the next flight and took off less than an hour and a half later! The second flight also went really well...the main objective of a Low Level is to find all the refernce points, and arrive over top of ALL turn points at an EXACT time. I pretty much fullfilled all the objectives!
Once landing at Columbus, I sat through a 2 hour ground eval, which included an EP and several GK questions. Finally, 12 hours later I had a quick debrief and found out that I passed! In fact I did really well, a "3E" This means out of 60 graded items, 3 of them were downgraded from an Excellent to a good - ALL others were Excellent!
]
I couldnt think of a better way to prove that my 88 ride was a fluke! Now, Im shifted into the next phase of training - Mission Fam. This is filled with rides focusing on what we'll be doing in our AF major weapon system (MWS). It includes formation rides, more low levels and my personal favorite Aerial Refueling! Im looking forward to it - two months until graduation!
"Ability will never catch up with the demand for it."
Malcolm Forbes
13 June 04
Unless something REALLY exciting happens, I plan on shifting to one entry every two weeks. As it gets closer to graduation, not much changes and things slow down considerably.
Because of President Reagan's funeral on Friday, we had a four day week. I had my last simulator on Monday, my last Co-Pilot ride on Tuesday and flew formation rides on Wednesday and Thursday. With only 9 rides left and 40 days until graduation its hard to keep motivated and in the books. However, we still have an EPQ every Monday, Stand-up once a week, and one more checkride with tons of GK to know! Finish Strong...
I hope you dont mind, I need to vent...It seems like theres a stigma associated with Guard and Reserve guys. Because our commitment is one weekend a month and one week a year, we've been labled lazy and given the reputation of not caring. However, in my experience Guard and Reserve guys are the ones constantly at the top. We're giving the extra effort, usually the last ones to the leave the flight room, staying late to fix gradebooks, the ones studying on the weekends, etc, etc, etc. Specific to flying; the top third of the class is ALL guard guys, none of us have hooked checkrides or nearly as many daily rides. In my opinion Guard and Reserves are higher quality...any college grad in ROTC can get into Pilot Training on Active Duty. Guard guys need the same qualifications as Active Duty but they also need prior expereince, and acceptance from a specific unit, which is fierce competition. They also need different skills to make it in the "real world" with their civilian jobs!!
Dont get me wrong, we have the best Active Duty Air Force in the entire world - we're all on the same team with the same goal - it just an observation I've had.
On Saturday Ckass 04-12 took our Military Competancy FAA test. Upon receiving our pilot rating (wings) in the Air Force, we'll be given an FAA Multi-Engine Commercial pilots' license with an Instrument Rating and a Beech 400 Type rating. In the civilian world, with flight time, all of this would cost well over $80,000 - it cost me $215. It took 6 hours to do the paperwork, study, and take the test - I got a 98%. These pilot ratings are essential for an aviation job on the outside! Sweet!
"There are no great limits to growth because there are no limits of human intelligence, imagination, and wonder."
Ronald Reagan
27 June 04
Cross country to Maxwell AFB, AL. The plan is to station out of Maxwell AFB and fly as many Mission Fam sorties as we can get!
I thought I'd elaborate on Mission Fam sorties. The first block of training is 4 rides of formationm, pretty self explanatory. The second block is 4 rides of Air Drop. These sorties are flown on low level routes (just like in the nav phase), except they're flown in formation. The objective of an Air Drop is to simulate dropping cargo on a specific drop zone at a specific time. The actual maneuver invovles a run-in, drop and escape.
The final block is Air Refueling, also 4 rides. Two jets fly these sorties, one as the Tanker and the other as the receiver. Throughout the US, there is a bunch of airspace dedicated for refueling called AR tranks. Taking off as the tanker, its your job to coordinate with ARTCC which includes, reserving airspace, altitude blocks, and ensuring a safe joinup with the receiver. The joinup is accomplished after a series of checklists and radio calls - goes somewhat like this...
Once the receiver is established 1000' below the tanker he flys along specific predetermined course. The Tanker then flys the reccprocal course towards the receiver. The Tanker is offset 8 or 9 miles (based on airspeeds and winds). The tanker then analyzes closer rate (anywhere from 700 to 800 kts), and figures a "turn range." This number is a turn distance from the receiver (usually 15-19 miles). Once getting to this distance, the tanker begins a turn towards the reciever's course. If everything works out perfect, the tanker will roll out 1000' above and 1 mile right in front of the receiver. Following the join-up the receiver is cleard up to the contact position to start refueling. Imagine this...in the contact position a 6' person could stand on the nose of the reciever and touch the bottom of the tanker.
The easiest way to describe it - two cars driving oppostie direction on a highway. One is driving 250 mph, the other at 285 mph. Once the two cars are a certain distance apart one of them begins a turn towards the other. Once completing the 180 degree turn he should be lined up perfectly in front of the other car. As you can see, aerial refueling involves alot of mental math and visualization.
"Optimism is the content of small men in high places."
F. Scott Fitzgerald
4 July 04
This last week was very busy. Coming back from the Cross Country, I only had a few rides left, so they decided to push me to the end. I flew on Monday, then double turned on Tuesday and Wednesday. For the Mission Fam checkride, you find out the night before if you're flying refuleing or air drop and also which stud your flying against. I ended up with a Refueling profile against another stud in my class! We flew first thing Thursday morning and we were done by 1130. After the typical ground evaluation with General Knowledge questions and an EP, I walked away with a 4G! I am officially done with pilot training - no more rides!
In celebration of being done and for the Holiday, a couple of us went down to Pensacola. Probably the most relaxing weekend yet - nothing to worry about!
Happy Independance Day!
11 July 04
On Friday we had our Assignment Night! As i've mentioned before, Assignment Night is the second biggest event in Pilot Training. Second only to getting your wings. Out of 24 assignments, 3 people didnt get one of there top choices. The list is below...
Craig H. C-130's to Newcastle Airport, (Delaware ANG)
Andy K. F-15C's to Tyndall AFB, FL
Nick H. KC-135's to Scott AFB, IL (Illinois ANG)
Zach J. F-16's to Luke AFB, AZ
Ryan O. KC-135's to Grand Forks, ND
Chris R. RC-135's to Offut AFB, NE
Brad B. F-16's to Luke AFB, AZ
Nick B. C-21's to Scott AFB, IL
Josh B. T-37's to Columbus AFB, MS
Jeff D. C-17's to McGuire AFB, NJ
Brooks G. B52's to Barksdale AFB, LA (AFRC)
John G. B52's to Barksdale AFB, LA
Mikah J. C-21's to Wright Patterson AFB, OH
John K. C-130's to Savannah, GA (Georgia ANG)
Alan K. KC-135's to Rickenbacker, OH (Ohio ANG)
Chris L. A-10's to Daivs-Mothan AFB, AZ
Eric M. C-5's to Dover AFB, DE (AFRC)
Matt R. C-5's to Dover AFB, DE
Ryan R. KC-10's Travis AFB, CA
Chad S. KC-135's to Mildenhall, UK
Aaron S. C-17's to Charleston, SC
Dan W. KC-135's to Lincoln, NE (Nebraska ANG)
Dennis Z. B52's to Barksdale AFB, LA
Mark Z. C-17's to Mcguire AFB, NJ
Congratulations to all the guys in 04-12! Two weeks left!
25 July 04
Without sounding too cliche, a year of hard work and dedication peaks at the graduation ceremony. All the hours studying, the EPQ's, the constant harassment, checkrides, 0400 showtimes, late nights, EVERYTHING we did over the last year was well worth it. Walking across the stage to get your pilot wings is an incredible feeling - relief, pride, confidence, liberation and happiness all rolled into one!
Here was my schedule for the weekend: Thursday afternoon I picked up my family from the airport; That night we had dinner with my adopted Columbus Family.
Friday:
0800-0930 Breakfast at the Officers Club
1000-1100 Graduation Ceremony
1100-1130 Breaking of the Wings Ceremony
1130-1300 Flightline Pictures/Pinning on Ceremony
1300-1500 Red Carpet (family and friends gather in the flight room for refreshments and award presentations)
1500-1530 Simulator Tours
1800-2000 Graduation Dinner
2000-2300 Drinks and Celebration!
Saturday I played golf with my brother, went out to lunch with the fam, toured Columbus, went to a movie, ordered-in for dinner, mixed drinks and played cards all night! Sunday morning I took everyone back to the airport...quick and easy weekend!
Here's more detail on some of the more important aspects of the weekend. First and most obvious is the Graduation itself...family and friends pack into the auditorium fighting for good seats. The graduates arrive at 1000 and seat in the front two rows. The Chaplain gives an Invocation, followed by the Guest Speaker, Graduation Address, presentation of awards, and FINALLY the presentation of Wings! Each person is called up on stage with a biography sketch projected behind them - this projection has a Hero shot, home town, where they'll be stationed and which aircraft they'll fly. The Wing commander issues your wings, smiles for a picture and gets saluted by the newest pilot in the Air Force. Once everyone has their wings, a patriotic movie is played and everyone sings the Air Force song.
Immediately following graduation in the Breaking Wings ceremony..."Since man started flying, he taken to the air with a certain amount of risk. To counter that risk, a tradition was established years ago when the Army Air Corps first started issuing Pilot Wings to their young Aviators. This tradition is called "Breaking of Wings." At every UPT graduation, the Air Force issues the Pilots their first pair of Wings. As tradition has it, that first pair of Wings should never be worn by the Pilot. The other half should be given to the Pilot's best friend or relative. To preserve good luck, the two halves should never be brought together while the Pilot is still alive. After death, the two halves are once again united with the Pilot for good luck in the next life." Incidentally, I gave the other half of my wings to my best friend - my brother.
The next ceremony is where you actually get christened a Pilot. I chose to get "Pinned-On" next to a T-1, out on the flightline. This event is pretty self explanatory...a brand new pair of wings is pinned over your heart. Its a great feeling to look down and see those wings - makes it all real.
I was blessed to share this weekend with family and friends. Thank you for all your loving support. August 16th...KC-135.
"The intelligent man is one who has successfully fulfilled many accomplishments, and is yet willing to learn more."
Ed Parker