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14 Feb 2003 TRACK
SELECT
The culmination of
five months of T-37s has finally arrived! Our track selection fell on
Valentine's Day, so it was doubly nice to have family in attendance for
this event. My father and step-mom came down, as did my sister and her
boyfriend. There's not a great deal to do in Columbus, but we had some
decent activities lined up Friday.
The day began at 0830
with refreshments in the flight room, where we had an opportunity to
introduce many of our family members to one another and our IPs. At
0900, we had a presentation for everyone that gave an overview of the
training process here at Columbus. We returned to the flight room at
0930 for some words from our flight commander and a demonstration of the
morning brief we give (gave) every morning, including a
"stand-up," where Brockshus was chosen to resolve an emergency
in the aircraft. It was more for entertainment value, as it was
intentionally impossible. Funny though. After the brief, we were free to
roam, so we headed over to the static displays of the T-37, T-38C, and
the T-1. We got to look and/or sit inside each aircraft, which was
really cool since I had not seen a T-1 close-up before. It will be much
nicer than flying a Tweet for so many reasons.
The actual track
select occurred at 1630. Each of our flight commanders (T-Bolt and
Lightning) stood up on stage and MC'd for their respective students. A
slide came up with our picture, our flight commander would introduce us,
then we spun a propeller on the stage while the different aircraft
flickered on the screen, ending in our next aircraft. Though it's a
non-event for Guard and Reserve that already know where they're going,
it's a huge day for active duty personnel, as it largely determines the
rest of their career. Most students were either getting what they wanted
based on their rank in class or had already come to terms that they were
getting something else (again, based on their rank in class). Most were
happy, but there were a few that were surprised and probably
disappointed. Unfortunately, not everyone can get what they want.
Following track
select, a dinner at J.Broussard's had been planned. We had reserved the
upper floor for the 100 or so guests we had invited. The dinner was very
good, and there was a slide show that was also very enjoyable. The mob
headed to CJ's afterwards to reap the benefits of cheap/free beer that
had been set up with the owner for us. A good time was had by all.
Phase III will be a
new start, with new people and new dynamics. Many of the people that are
leaving I will see again at Little Rock for C-130 training. While I am
excited about getting a fresh start, there is also anxiety and
apprehension induced by going back to "square one" again.
Hopefully the study habits learned in phase II will ensure success in
this phase as well. So long...
07 Feb 2003 (Week
21)
The past week has been
a nice change of pace for me and the others that have finished T-37s
already. Most of my time has been spent working on administrative things
like preparing gradebooks for the new class and making arrangements for
Red Carpet Day, which happens on the 14th. Everyone has been working
together really well, so most of the big things have been taken care of.
Next week should be more of the same.
I was given today
(Friday) off, but do have to go in later for a presentation by the
squadron commanders of the T-38s and T-1s. I imagine they will present us
with a big picture of what to expect from each of their programs and what
they expect from each of us. Should be interesting.
01 Feb 2003 (Week
20) FORMATION check-ride
I made it through my
last check-ride (and last flight) in the T-37 yesterday! It was a pretty
busy week, finishing up my last four formation flights. We were cancelled
due to weather Thursday, so I was worried I was not going to check before
the runway closure, but they snuck me in at 4pm on Friday afternoon.
Though I was waiting
only on my check-ride, the other student I was flying with had a flight
earlier in the day, and would then be rushing right into the check with
me. The weather was marginal, but clear above 6,000', so we would be able
to get all our required items in. Mike and I taxied to the runway and
performed the takeoff, then the IPs took the jets through the weather
until we were clear. Then it got interesting. The other aircraft made the
standard call to us to "check us in" on frequency, and kept
repeating the call as if they couldn't hear our response. My IP and I
checked all our switches and radio settings and finally realized his
transmitter was inoperative, so we could hear each other in the aircraft,
but he could not speak outside the cockpit (but my side worked). At that
point, the IPs decided the sortie would be incomplete and requested
recovery back to base with the air traffic controllers. We started heading
back when the controller told us to return to our area due to saturation
returning to the base. As we loitered in our area, my IP decided to mess
with the radios one last time and got them working! Though we had burned a
quarter of our fuel by this time, we still had enough to perform the items
required for the check-ride profile. Mike did his few items, we changed
lead for my few items, then the IPs took the jets and pointed us
home.
The recovery to base
was solid clouds from 6,000' down to minimums for the instrument approach
we were flying. We got a little concerned when the aircraft in front of us
recommended the controller close the approach due to low ceilings after he
barely broke out of the clouds. I got out our instrument approach book in
case we had to change plans, but our IPs continued and we eventually broke
out at (maybe a little below) our minimums and saw the runway. Since we'd
already had our "emergency," my IP did not give me a
hypothetical one to solve. He did ask me 8 or 10 general knowledge
questions, but they weren't too bad.
My overall check-ride
experience was pretty good. All the check-IPs were really cool, and
generally cut you more slack than your normal IPs do on daily flights. I
wound up with four "Excellents" with a total of 15
"downgrades" for the four T-37 check-rides. I never would have
thought that during the first few weeks of flight line.
25 Jan 2003 (Week
19) INSTRUMENT check-ride
I passed my instrument
check-ride today! There were a few hiccups along the way, one of which
should probably have landed me with a much worse score than I actually
got, but I passed and it's over. I scarcely had time to enjoy it when I
arrived back in the flight room and had to immediately brief for a
formation ride, which I had not been focusing on since preparing for
instrument flights. The formation flight was a little rocky, but I
remembered most of what I had learned so far and my hands remembered how
to fly most everything. I have only three rides remaining before I check
in formation now, which means I'll be "Tweet-complete" some time
next week. Pretty cool. The timing could not be better, as the T-37 runway
will be closing February 1st for repair and a whole new set of rules is
going into effect. I'll still have to deal with it in T-1s, but all the
bugs should be worked out by the time I get back to flying again following
academics.
18 Jan 2003 (Week
19)
Heidi and I had a great
weekend in Birmingham. Did some hard-core shopping and actually had a
choice over which good restaurant we wanted to dine at. It was a
very nice change of pace.
I finished my last
instrument sim the other day and am now sim complete for tweets! I have
only seven more flights left, two of which are check-rides. I would have
liked to instrument check tomorrow, but did not fly for some reason today.
Flight scheduling is sometimes a mysterious undertaking.
17 Jan 2003 (Week
18)
Our twelve-day stint is
finally over. It seemed to me that the IPs took it easy on us this week as
far as the schedule. I know I was grateful for the lull in my flying. I'll
return next week with my game-face on, however, as I have two instrument
rides and a sim before my instrument check-ride, which I'm not looking
forward to. The majority of Lightning, our sister flight, did very well. I
feel like it's sinking in, but it only takes one slip-up to hook this one.
My formation check will not be far behind my instrument check since I only
have four more rides in that category. I'm not as intimidated by that one
though.
Heidi and I are
planning on a nice weekend. Not sure what we're doing tonight, but we're
heading to Birmingham tomorrow morning for a day of leisure and shopping
(those two might not go together). We'll stay the night then head back
Sunday. Heidi just got hired very part-time at Bath and Body (after months
of searching) and she has to be back for her first shift at 7pm. Very
exciting.
13 Jan 2003 (Week
18)
Today was our first day
back after a LONG weekend of cross-country flying. Everyone was pretty
beat today, and it seems like the IPs are taking that into consideration
for the rest of the week the way the schedule is coming together.
The cross-country was a
lot of fun for me, but not everyone from our flight would agree. Myself
and two other students went with IPs from a different section who had been
around awhile and wanted to have fun. They let us know where we were going
and had picked those places for good restaurants or casinos. My IP did the
vast majority of the planning and detail-work, leaving the flying to me
(as much as I was capable of). We worked together a lot of the time, which
I much prefer over a single-pilot mentality. I did five or six approaches
on Friday and stopped for the night at New Orleans' Lake Front airport. It
is similar to Meigs Field in Chicago in that it sticks out into a lake on
a man-made peninsula. The IPs hurried things along so we could get out to
Bourbon Street and to a favorite oyster bar of theirs. I watched, mostly
in disgust, as they ate several dozen raw oysters, then found a worm
swimming in the water on the tray. No thanks. We all stuck together for
another hour or so, then we (students) wandered around for awhile on our
own looking for excitement.
Saturday morning came
far too early, but we all managed to make it to the aircraft. On arrival,
I was informed my ELT (emergency locator transmitter) in my parachute had
apparently been going off all night and the Civil Air Patrol was involved.
They had tracked the signal down to my parachute, so we had to call back
to base and disarm it. We finally took off and headed for Mobile, where we
did a few more approaches and went out to lunch. Our final destination
that night was Gulfport, where we landed at a civilian field and stayed in
billeting at the Air National Guard base. The rooms weren't fancy, but
they were cheap and had lots of space. The IPs stayed locally and went
gambling, but we opted to head for Keesler AFB to meet up with the other
students in our rental car. It was about 30 minutes to the base,
then another 20 minutes following their van out to a local hotel. When we
finally met up with them, they were all pretty beat, and had a very
different mood than the three of us. They hadn't gotten to do much the
previous night, and had instructors who were having them take on much more
of the responsibility. The amount of fun you have is very much based on
the IP you go with I think. The majority of us opted to go to the Beau
Rivage (sp?) to eat and gamble. The area had a lot of casinos, but this
was the nicest apparently. We stayed a couple hours before heading back to
our rooms to try to rest up for one more day.
Sunday was not quite as
intense. Several of us went from Gulfport to Tuscaloosa direct for a few
approaches, then went to lunch. Our last leg was to Columbus for a couple
VFR patterns and a full-stop. Overall, the trip was a lot of fun and
helped build a lot of confidence in instruments.
Everyone looked pretty
ragged this morning, but we all managed to get back in the saddle for what
promises to be a difficult week. There are inspectors running around from
higher headquarters, so everyone is pretty uptight, plus the majority of
us are coming up on instrument check-rides, so we're getting hammered with
instrument stuff. I had another I-ride today and didn't feel too bad about
it, but I'm still missing things I shouldn't be. I've only got three more
rides to iron things out, so I hope that's enough. I counted today, and
I've only got thirteen events left in T-37s before track select.
Wow.
09 Jan 2003 (Week
17)
I survived two more
solo flights without any incidents! I went formation solo Tuesday, but
didn't get to do any work as wingman because the lead aircraft experienced
a fuel gauge problem right after I gave them the lead (about half-way
through the flight, when we switch roles). After landing and returning to
the flight room, I found out I was 0.1 hours short of my required solo
time. Consequently, my next flight was another solo. The second solo went
well, and I had a lot of fun during each. There's just a lot of emotional
build-up prior to each formation flight, and perhaps more-so when you're
solo, so it takes a lot out of you.
I finally had my first
couple instrument activities today since returning from leave. I flew a
sim ride to Tupelo for some instrument work, then took an aircraft to
Meridian right afterwards. The sim ride went pretty well, and I think my
radio work and situational awareness is coming along. The actual aircraft
rides are a little harder, mostly because there is more radio congestion
and things don't usually go as planned. I missed one important turn during
the flight, which I think brought my overall grade down a notch. Still got
a 'good,' but it was irritating nonetheless. Fortunately, I'll have PLENTY
of time to practice over this weekend, as we are going cross-country. We
depart tomorrow at 2pm and fly two sorties each day until returning
Sunday. I will be going to Meridian, New Orleans (stay overnight),
Gulfport, Tuscaloosa, and finally back to Columbus. The whole point is to
practice 'unfamiliar' instrument approaches, which I will see plenty of. I
was given two instructions by my IP for tonight: Plan as much as possible,
and hydrate. Hmm...
06 Jan 2003 (Week
17)
Friday was my first
flight back to work and it went better than any formation flight I'd had
to that point. I was pretty happy about that, but then my flight this
morning didn't go as well for some reason. Some flights are just like that
it seems. It went well enough, however, for me to go solo tomorrow, which
I think I'm pretty excited about. It'll be a lot different without someone
chattering in my ear the whole time. After that, I'll be done with
formation until I finish instruments.
We started some heavy
planning for our cross-country flights today. My IP had already done the
majority of the legwork for the flight as a whole, but several of us are
flying with IPs that do not belong to our flight and they have their own
ideas about where they want to go. That's not bad, necessarily, but makes
for more work. I've never flown with the IP assigned to me, but I hear he
likes to have fun on these trips. I think I'll be pretty fried from all
the instrument work, not to mention going to a number of fields I've never
been to before. We don't have a day off for awhile, so I'll just keep my
nose to the grindstone.
02 Jan 2003 (Week
16?)
While Christmas break
was anything but relaxing, it was everything I hoped it would be. My wife
and I got to see many of our friends and family during leave and
celebrated the holidays with our loved ones. I hope the holidays
treated all of you even better.
Work starts tomorrow,
and I'm on the schedule for two flights. Many students are getting
"87 rides" (freebies) to shake off the rust before getting back
into the swing of things. For better or worse, I am not one of them. I
would just assume get going again, as every syllabus flight is another
flight closer to being "Tweet complete."
We were told before
break that our cross-country flights are coming up this coming week and to
think about where we wanted to go. They also said that anywhere colder
than MS was pretty much off limits, so I'm planning on just going with the
flow and heading south somewhere. Our sister flight (lightning) went on
their cross-countries in December and had a pretty good time, so I'm
looking forward to it. That will total six events in one weekend. Not too
shabby. I can't have more than fifteen left after that.
20 Dec 2002 (Week
15)
It didn't seem like
this day would ever come, but Christmas break is finally here! After being
weathered Thursday, I was scheduled for a very long day today when all I
really wanted was to go home. We started at 0715 for a Physiology class,
then reported at 0900 to the flight room. I was scheduled for a dual
formation ride, followed by my formation solo (an IP and student in
one aircraft, and just me in the other). Formation flights take a lot more
preparation and skill, so I knew I would be in for a hard day. The weather
was beautiful, and the first flight went very well. Formation is
difficult, but also very rewarding once you get the hang of it. When we
got back to debrief, however, we found that all flying had been
stopped due to an accident at Sheppard AFB between two T-37s (see article
below). Fortunately, everyone was alright, despite the loss of one
Tweet.
After everyone got back
from their flights, we hung around for awhile to say goodbye to one of our
IPs that is moving on to Little Rock for C-130 training. Then we all left
and went our separate ways. Merry Christmas everyone!
T-37s collide in midair
12/20/02 - SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) -- Two T-37
Tweet trainer aircraft assigned to the 89th Flying Training Squadron
here collided in midair about 9:20 a.m. Dec. 20.
The incident took place during a training mission near Lake Waurika,
located about 40 miles northeast of Wichita Falls, Texas.
Each aircraft had an instructor pilot and a student pilot on board.
The crew in one of the jets ejected safely from the aircraft before it
crashed, and they were picked up by local authorities. The crew of the
other aircraft returned to Sheppard and conducted a wheels-up landing.
They safely exited the aircraft and were transported to the base
hospital for observation.
A board of officers will investigate the incident. (Courtesy Air
Education and Training Command News Service)
16 Dec 2002 (Week
15)
I started off the week
with a bang today. I had another instrument sim today. In this block
(15XX), we focus more on unfamiliar airports on each ride to get us used
to being away from Columbus. They're going well so far, but there is
always a few lapses that need to be corrected. I came back to the flight
room to find I had another sim immediately thereafter. This one was just a
freebie, however, so I got to go with another student. It was pretty fun.
Finally, after the two sims were over, I flew my fifth formation ride.
They too are getting more natural. It always seems to be the academic
things you could study harder on the ground that throw you off track.
Funny that.
We had our solo party
Friday, which was long overdue. It took place at Ruben's Catfish House
just outside Columbus. The students, IPs, and spouses all got together for
beverages and stories. The student starts out with his/her version of
their solo, then the IP tells the "real" version. Basically,
everyone made fun of each other. Then the students took the opportunity to
read some poems we had all written about different IPs in our flight,
poking fun at each of them in turn. It turned out to be a very good time.
UPT demands hard work, but definitely encourages having fun when the work
day is over.
Everyone is pretty
focused on leaving for Christmas at this point. I'm definitely counting
the days. Most everything we learn in the next few days will seem like a
distant memory by the time we come back and start flying
again.
11 Dec 2002 (Week
14)
Not much going on so
far this week. We've had weather for much of the past two days, but it's
supposed to clear up tomorrow. I flew another formation ride Monday, a
navigation sim Tuesday, and an instrument sim today. A little of
everything. The instrument sims prepare us for the type of flying I will
be doing the most, and the nav sim puts that learning into a practical
context. Many of our instrument sims go to the same airfields a
repeatedly, so we become familiar with them. The nav sim took us to an
unfamiliar area to see if we could adapt to a different environment. This
prepares us for our cross-country, which will consist of six instrument
flights over the course of a weekend to somewhere warmer than here. Our
IPs plan on having all of us go at the same time to the same place, so it
should be interesting. Our sister flight went last weekend and apparently
have some good pictures to show for it.
Tomorrow should be a
good day if weather improves. I'll start with a low-level, which is a VFR
flight (good weather and visibility) at 500 feet above ground level (AGL)
at 200-250 knots. I'm told I'll pretty much show up and look out the
window while the IP flies, as this is more-or-less a demo flight. Sounds
like fun! When I get back, I'll go on my fourth formation flight. I'm
getting more used to the flying aspect of it, so now I can try to focus
more on planning what maneuvers to do next as the lead aircraft. There's
just never any time to sit and relax in the Tweet.
08 Dec 2002 (Week
14)
Formation is now our
emphasis until Christmas, which is when they're hoping to have many of us
formation complete by. We have fifteen rides in this block, and I have
done only two. That would mean thirteen flights and a check-ride in two
weeks, which is ambitious but could probably be done. In reality, we'll
just be getting good at it when we leave and forget everything we learned.
I wouldn't trade this break for anything though. Everyone is very ready to
leave this place for awhile.
Heidi and I were at the
mall last night and I found a very powerful, yet very simple, book. It
consisted of pictures of Americans in New York reacting to the aftermath
of September 11th. I realized while looking at their expressions why I'm
in the military. I want to do my part to ensure no American ever has to
wear a look of such sadness and remorse on their face again due to an act
of that nature.
04 Dec 2002 (Week
13) FINAL CONTACT check-ride
I just completed my
final contact check-ride yesterday. No more aerobatics or spins! I was very
happy with my score, but happier to be moving on to other phases of
training. The main emphasis will be on formation flying now, which is
quite different from flying one aircraft. You're always very close to
another aircraft, and have to take him/her into consideration in
everything that happens during the flight. It's a different mindset. It
will be difficult to adapt to at first, but looks to be pretty exciting
overall.
01 Dec 2002 (Week
13)
Heidi's parents made it
down for Thanksgiving and we had a very nice time. They arrived Tuesday,
and I was able to get them out to the flight line for a close-up
inspection of a T-37. We toured around the base as well, then ventured out
into Columbus. We wound up seeing some of the tornado damage from a few
weeks back. There was a tremendous amount of damage done, and much cleanup
remaining. We are very fortunate it didn't hit the base.
The countdown has begun
for Christmas break! 20 more days!
27 Nov 2002 (Week
12) Thanksgiving
This week lasted only
three days due to the holiday, so everyone was pretty excited. I was not
able to sneak my final contact check-ride in due to weather and scheduling,
so it will have to wait until after Thanksgiving. I did go up for my first
formation ride, however, which was pretty interesting. For most of the
flight, you are positioned less than 10' from the other aircraft, and are
doing ~190 knots. Once you get out to the practice area, you practice
turns (up to 90 degrees bank) while maintaining your spacing from one
another. You also practice "rejoining" after splitting up, or
getting back into your spacing from a distance. It was pretty cool to look
at, but kind of intimidating as well. It will take some getting used to,
but I'm looking forward to it.
Heidi's parents arrived
last night for the holiday. We're planning on eating dinner tomorrow with
them and the neighbors. Several of our instructors invited the single
folks to their homes so everyone has someone to celebrate with.
I emailed my unit back
in MN today to get their opinion on my follow-on training, so we'll see
what becomes of that.
22 Nov 2002 (End of
Week
11)
Today was pretty busy.
There has been construction in our flight room the past week, so we've
been 'homeless.' I wound up flying twice today, and am only three rides
from my final contact check-ride. I spun for the last time, as that
maneuver is not required beyond the contact phase. We ended the day with
our last T-37 academic test, which I got only one wrong on. I think I had
only six wrong at most throughout the program, which is about
middle-of-the-road.
I was asked an
interesting question today by my flight commander. He asked if I would be
interested in flying the T-38 instead of the T-1 for my training following
the T-37. T-38 is for fighter and bomber follow-ons, so I'm not sure it
would appropriate. I wonder whether I would get more applicable training
out of the T-1. They just got a glass-cockpit T-38C at Columbus though, so
it's awful tempting. Who knows if my unit would even go for it. I'll give
it some thought.
20 Nov 2002 (Week
11)
It's only Wednesday and
it seems like it's been a very long week. We're to a point in the program
where we're opted for multiple mission types every day, so you don't
necessarily know what you'll be doing. If the weather is nice, we'll go up
and do acro. If it's not, we'll go on an instrument flight. If it's
somewhere in between, we may start formation flying. Each of the three is
quite different, but we have to be prepared for all of them. On top of
that, we have our final academic test for Tweets on Friday, which is going
to be kind of brutal. Finally, several of us are only a few flights away
from our Final Contact check-ride as well. While the scores on these check-rides are generally better than on midphase, it's still a
check-ride.
I have five contact rides to go before my check-ride so it may be before
Thanksgiving break.
I just did my first
instrument ride in the aircraft today. It's supposedly a demo flight, but
I wound up flying pretty much the whole time. Everything we did today in
the aircraft has been at least attempted in the sim, so it wasn't entirely
new. Difficult, yes, but not new. Instruments will be interesting.
The last student in
T-Bolt finally solo'd yesterday, so we're having our solo party Saturday.
The IP's and students are all present, and it's supposed to be a pretty
good time. Kind of a bonding experience where we all get together and make
fun of each other. We are also presented with our class patch we get to
wear, which finally arrived in the mail a few days back. I'm looking
forward to it.
16 Nov 2002 (Week
11)
Heidi and I are
prepping for the Vikings'/Packers' game at noon. I am hopeful, but not
optimistic for the Vikes to pull it out. Gotta root for the home team.
The weather rolled in
again Friday, so the day tended to drag on. I had another instrument sim,
which went well. We then finished the day with academics. We are in our
final academic class for the T-37 block of training, and the test is
coming up this week. We are learning mission-planning, or basically how
to get from point A to point B using either instrument procedures or by
looking at maps under visual conditions. It's pretty much what I have
done working with the airlines since college, but doing it manually
instead of on a computer is much more difficult. Once we leave training
it will be back to using the computer I imagine.
13 Nov 2002 (Week
10)
I started off the
week with two sims on Tuesday. The first was my first serious instrument
sim, in which you start to fly instrument approaches and apply the
concepts and rules we learned in academics. As I have already learned
enough, there is a big difference between remembering an answer on a
test and applying it in the air. Hopefully it will all come with time.
Despite feeling less than 100% prepared, it went very well with some
coaching from the instructor. I followed that sim with another, except
the focus of the second was emergency procedures. Basically, they break
different components on you and see what you'll do, giving you
techniques and advice along the way. This was the last of three
emergency sims, so I allegedly know it all by now.
I was supposed to fly
twice today, but had my first flight cut short due to saturation of the
practice areas. Since we weren't able to do what my syllabus required we
do, we opted to land and call the sortie "incomplete," which
means I do it again tomorrow. Hey, free flight time. It did mean,
however, that I was unable to do my second flight of the day,
which was to be another solo for aerobatics. That was kind of a
bummer.
09 Nov 2002 (Week 9
complete)
This week was a
pretty exciting week for me. Having the mid-phase out of the way is a
huge weight off my shoulders, and a great confidence builder. I have
only eleven rides before my final contact check-ride now, which will test
many of the same items, but will also include advanced aerobatics. To
prepare for that, we have four solo rides where we take the jet out to a
practice area and do aerobatics by ourselves. I did my first one
yesterday and had an absolute blast. It was by far the most fun I've had
at pilot training so far. I got to the area and proceeded to do loops,
steep turns, and any other maneuver I could legally do and felt my body
(and the jet) could handle. It was pretty awesome.
I wound up going again almost immediately after the first
ride was over, but was assigned a 'high-area' (18,000-22,000 feet) and
quickly found out the airplane does not perform nearly as well up there.
I wasn't able, physically or in terms of aircraft performance, to do
nearly as much so I called it quits early and headed back for a few
landings.
06 Nov 2002 (Week 9)
MID-PHASE check-ride
After two more
weather days, I finally got to my mid-phase check-ride. When I arrived at
5am, I was planning on flying at 1300. Jokhy was to be first at 0700,
but returned to the flight room after finding out he could not check
with the instructor he had been assigned since he had flown with him
before. Suddenly, I was checking at 0700 (it was 0545) with a different
instructor than I was planning on (they tell you the day before so you
can better plan for the questions they'll ask). I quickly gathered my
stuff and went to sit on the "couch of death" (where students
wait to check).
The pre-flight
briefing was standard, then we stepped out to the jet. The flight went
well, with a few minor hiccups on my part, but nothing serious. Near the
end of our area work (stalls, spins, etc), we were notified over the
radio that the weather status had gotten worse, so our fuel required to
return to base became greater (you have to land with more fuel).
Fortunately, I had enough to complete the last two maneuvers I needed to
do before we headed home. After completing everything, the instructor
took the jet and flew us home on an instrument approach.
After the flying
portion, they test your "GK" (general knowledge) by asking you
questions out of the aircraft manual or other flying pubs we are issued.
I was pretty strong on those. Then they give you two different "EP"s
(emergency procedures), where they give you a hypothetical problem to
work through and see if you know what to do. I had an engine fire on
takeoff first, and then a two engine failure after that one was over. I
had studied those beforehand since I knew that instructor (the one I was
supposed to have) liked to ask those.
That was the end of
it. He told me the sortie was excellent overall (the highest grade), and
downgraded me in only four categories (reducing an "excellent"
to a "good"). I was pretty excited (both for the grade, and to
have one check out of the way).
After I got back,
Captain Alley asked if I wanted to go flying again, so I packed my stuff
back up and ran out to an aircraft with him. I'm now into the "2800
block," which teaches you advanced aerobatics and preps you for the
"final contact" check-ride. I'm scheduled to go solo to a
practice area tomorrow and do aerobatics by myself. Cool.
03 Nov 2002 (Week 9)
We just finished the
first of two six-day stretches in a row. They're trying to get us caught
up after all the weather days. I finished the 2600 block of training
yesterday, which means my check-ride is Monday. After the check-ride, I'll
be allowed to depart the traffic pattern by myself and go cruise around
in the MOAs (Military Operating Areas) where we do all our training
maneuvers. That's essentially what they're testing for on the check-ride... to see if you are capable of doing it on your own. After
the check, more acrobatic maneuvers are added and I'll start getting
more into instrument flight, where you do all your flying by looking at
the instruments inside the aircraft instead of visual references
outside. It'll be pretty overwhelming at first, but I'm hoping it gets
easier with time just as the contact flying has.
31 Oct 2002 (Week 8)
Less was said today
about my error yesterday. A few people gave me some grief, but more just
making fun of me than anything (which is well-deserved). I wound up
flying twice again today and got my unsat cleared up and am back on
track. They have me scheduled to fly twice again tomorrow, which would
mean my first check-ride is coming up Saturday. Yikes. I have been told
several times I am ready for it, so I just have to prove it to myself
and the check pilot.
30 Oct 2002 (Week 8)
I went up for my
first entirely solo ride today. I had flown once already, and was
informed quite suddenly when the weather improved that I was now going
to go solo again in less than an hour. I rushed to get everything
together, and wound up taking off 18 minutes late. Things were going
well enough for me until the end of the flight. I had been alternating
normal patterns and single-engine patterns the entire flight. What I
failed to consider is that the single-engine pattern is a dual-only
maneuver, meaning you have to have an instructor with you to do it. This
is a rule that I memorized long before I arrived at Columbus, but for
whatever reason, I didn't make the connection today. I had basically
finished my flight by the time the tower called me on it and told me to
land. I landed, then had to call the tower to discuss it, and was told I
"hooked" my flight (an unsat, which means you have to clear it
up/do it over before you can move on). When I broke the news to my IP,
he thought I was kidding at first. When he realized I was serious, he
informed me he'd never heard of a student doing that in his four years
here. The IPs all got a big kick out of it. At this point, I'm not sure
whether to laugh or be irritated. It should be a simple matter to clear
it up and get moving in the right direction again, I hope. That's my
first big blemish here at UPT.
29 Oct 2002 (Week 8)
Today was the big
day! I finally got to solo. It started off looking like another weather
day, and I was planning on completing the last of my basic instrument
sims. Then the weather came up a little, and our flight commander
stuffed me and one other guy that had been sitting on our solos into
jets instead of the sim. I took off with Captain Alley at 1010 and went
around the traffic pattern a few times, at which point he instructed me
to land. We landed, then taxied back to parking. He got out, asked if I
had any last-minute questions, then we traded name-patches (it's bad
luck to go up without wings) and sent me on my way. I started up, taxied
out, and did my first solo takeoff. I was flying in aircraft 340 and my
callsign was "Wings 70." I did three patterns and two landings
before calling it a day. I logged 0.5 hours. When it was all said and
done, I planned on slipping in the side door and sneaking into the
flight room (everyone buys you beverages if you get in unscathed).
Unfortunately, I passed one of my classmates as I was walking back in
and he called ahead to warn them I was up to no good. They met me at the
side door, and walked me to the dunk tank. It was fun though, as
Heidi was there, and everyone congratulates you. One more
milestone out of the way.
24 Oct 2002 (Week 7)
This week started off
on the right track, with a simulator (my second emergency procedure
ride, where they break things on you as you fly) and a flight Monday,
then two flights Tuesday. I was all set to solo Wednesday when the
dreary weather rolled in. So now I'm sitting idle, waiting for better
weather. The forecast for this weekend is pretty awful, so it may not be
until next week now.
I'm getting more
comfortable in the aircraft each time I fly now, and my
"general knowledge" (random stuff out of our aircraft manuals)
is coming along pretty good.
We had some
excitement Wednesday the day three of us were to solo. One of our IPs
took off (in a jet one of us was to solo in) and experienced a loud
'bang' and loss of power a few hundred feet off the ground just after he
had retracted his landing gear. He kept flying, and noticed his right
engine had frozen and was no longer producing thrust. He flew around the
traffic pattern and requested another aircraft join with him to inspect
the damage. He was told he had a large hole below his right engine with
fluids streaming everywhere, as if the engine had 'exploded.' He opted
to land the aircraft, but then lost his hydraulic pressure, which is
required to operate many of the components (including the landing gear).
He requested another chase ship and was told that his gear had indeed
come down before the hydraulic loss, but opted to use an emergency
extension (an air bottle that 'blows' the gear down) to make sure they
were locked. He finally did land and emergency ground egressed (got the
hell out of the aircraft). The rationale for spending so much time on
emergency procedures suddenly became very clear.
19 Oct 2002 (Week 6 complete)
The weather finally
improved and I was able to make some good progress. I flew four times
over the four-day week, including two flights on Friday. Each flight
feels gradually better than the last, though there is still a lot of
anxiety going into each flight as I transition from "ground
speed" to "flying speed." Basically going from hanging
out in the flight room to all the decision-making and sensory overload
that goes with flying. It's getting a little better each time as I get
more comfortable with the environment.
We had our first two
solo students Friday. The sortie starts out with your instructor flying
with you, then you taxi back to parking, drop off your instructor, start
back up, then go out for takeoffs and landings on your own. Both
students did well, and each got dunked afterwards. I'll stick some
pictures on soon. It may be my turn as soon as next Friday. Hopefully
the weather will hold out.
12 Oct 2002 (Week 5 complete)
Unfortunately, this
week was just as slow as the past two weeks. I flew Tuesday to finish up
the 2300 block (our initial seven flights), but was grounded due to
weather the remainder of the week. I have seven flights in the 2400
block, then I'll be flying solo. I did my first spins Tuesday, which
were pretty interesting. From 19,000 feet, you stall the aircraft and
then turn the nose either direction and watch the horizon go whipping
every three seconds. They tell me it's a controlled maneuver, but it
sure didn't look like it from where I was sitting. We have also done
nose-high, nose-low, and inverted recoveries. These maneuvers simulate
you getting yourself into an unusual attitude (while performing another
maneuver, probably incorrectly) and then recovering to level flight.
Inverted, you simply roll the wings until the sky is up again. If you're
inverted and pointing to the ground, you have to slow down rapidly, roll
wings to the horizon, and pull the nose back up. If you're inverted and
nose in the sky, you have to go full power, roll wings perpendicular to
the horizon, then let the nose drop to pick up airspeed. These all
prepare us for more complex things, like loops and other advanced
aerobatics.
06 Oct 2002 (Week 4 complete)
Another week, another
Tropical Storm/Hurricane. This week, it was Hurricane Lili that rained
on our parade. It hit Thursday night/Friday morning and produced some
rain and windy conditions, but was further away than Isidore, so it was
not as bad. It was nice again by the afternoon.
We had Monday off,
which was nice. I had an "87 ride" on Tuesday, which was
basically a refresher after not having flown for five or six days. Most
of our flight had one after all the weather cancellations from the
previous week. Unfortunately, that was my only flight or simulator all
week. I was in the RSU (T-37 air traffic control tower) as recorder on
Wednesday morning. I did have a flight Thursday, but we only got as far
as the end of the runway before our radio stopped working properly. It
eventually started working again, but we had already wasted too much
time to start over again that day. Finally, I was cancelled again on
Friday due to weather. Several people are scheduled to solo this coming
week, but I still have a ways to go. When it happens, it happens, right?
28 Sep 2002 (Week 3
complete)
This past week was
pretty slow due to Tropical Storm Isidore. It rained from early
Wednesday until Friday morning, and the clouds and winds persisted
through late afternoon on Friday. It never got very severe here, but it
kept us on the ground. This week also marked the end of the military
fiscal year, so hours were limited. We will likely be into a lot heavier
flying when we return. We are fortunate enough, however, to have a
three-day weekend with which to prepare. I plan on enjoying it to the
fullest.
25 Sep 2002 (Week 3)
The benefit of being
deluged with all this information is that time is passing by very
quickly. I flew Monday and Tuesday, and have six rides under my belt
now. After my next ride, I enter the next "block" of training,
in which the bar is raised and expectations are higher.
In addition to the
actual flying, we also are scheduled for occasional simulator rides. I
flew my first basic instrument sim, I1301, yesterday. It went better
than most of my flights so far. Just basic climbs and turns via the
instruments, but you have to start somewhere. It gets vastly more
complicated from here on out.
21 Sep 2002 (Week 2
complete)
I'm not sure if I'd
ever looked forward to a Friday more than yesterday. Airsickness was
still a factor for me, but less so than the first week. Probably more
nerves than anything. I'm not sure if I would use the word
"fun" just yet, but I'm hoping it will be more enjoyable
eventually.
I've flown four times
now, and am starting to understand things a little more each time. I'm
still a great distance from where they expect us to be (so they tell
us), but everyone else in my class seems to feel more or less the same
way. We're quickly learning "what not to do" from one another.
16 Sep 2002 (Week
two of flight line)
Last week went by in
a blur, albeit with much anxiety and fatigue. I flew on Tuesday and
Wednesday, then had only a simulator on Thursday. Everything is very
basic at this point, but it still feels like everything is very complex.
There's a lot to absorb, and the standards are very high. I wasn't on
the schedule for today, but I am starting up again tomorrow. We're going
down to the auxiliary field to practice straight-in approaches, then
coming back here for some different types of landings. I feel a little
more prepared for this one. We'll see.
10 Sep 2002 (Day 2 of flight line)
We had our first
simulator flight yesterday. I studied what I could, but much of the ride
is spent nodding and smiling and things whip by. I am hoping that my
subconscious actually retains some of what I am seeing. I feel like I'm
picking up a few details each time I see something, so that's good. I'm
getting good scores on everything so far, so I must be doing something
right. It sure doesn't feel like I know what's going on most of the
time, however.
Today, I had another
simulator flight, covering much the same as yesterday, but in slightly
more depth. Then it was time for the coveted "dollar" ride.
Basically, it's a "fun" ride that doesn't count against you in
terms of grading. The IP does most of the flying, and you're basically
along for the ride. I was happy that was the case, as it took all my
energy to keep from being airsick. I think we hit the ground just in
time. Visibility aloft was pretty bad due to haze, which is apparently
the norm. The IP pointed out landmarks, which will hopefully help when
I'm supposed to find my way around on my own. So this is what they meant
by, "drink from the fire hose."
6 Sep 2002 (Day
"0" of flight line)
We got our first
taste of the flight line today. Our show-time was not until 0730, but we
decided to get there at 0630 to make sure we were all on the same page
and that we got everything done that needed to be done. Despite the hour
advantage, we still didn't quite get everything done. Our class senior
ranking officer (SRO) gave the formal brief that we have never seen nor
done. It was later described to us as "not quite the worst they'd
ever seen." We then were selected individually to say some of the
boldface procedures (memory items we must know flawlessly in the
aircraft). In the coming 30 days, we will be expected to do much more
than this, but some of us still had issues due to our new environment
and the scrutiny we are under.
When the morning
brief was completed, things relaxed a bit and we were given
miscellaneous briefings about policies, flying in the local area, and
our grade books. Each of us then had a simulator ride scheduled which
was meant to show us how all the gauges and switches in the cockpit
actually work. It was interesting to finally see how everything worked
instead of staring at a poster mock-up and pretending. I did pretty
good, but there's still a lot to be learned.
After the simulators,
we had several more briefings (I can already tell I'll be sick of that
word when I'm through here). Finally, it was time for our "formal
release," which signifies the end of the duty day. The phone was
disconnected, the doors shut, and we were all ready for one last jab
before we got to go home. It was surprising to us when Captain Zihmer
instead explained to us that Friday afternoons are a time where we as a
group let off a little steam. He offered beer to those who wanted it and
pulled out the biographies we had written at the start of the program
that explained "why we wanted to be pilots." He liked that
mine was inspired by Star Wars in particular, and had some comments
about going through a few too many Princess Leia figures when I was
young. Another student's childhood fantasy was to be a tank commander,
which the Captain thought merited the "Class Retard" label
(the individual's tags around the flight room will be upside-down
throughout our T-37 training). One student simply said, "It beats
digging ditches." Zihmer then added that this was a good time to
tell embarrassing stories about our comrades from our adventures during
the week. He was certain there would be some good ones in the near
future. I'm sure he's right.
All-in-all, it wasn't
too bad. It will be a lot of work, as we were repeatedly told, but it
will be fun and rewarding at the same time. I'm scheduled to fly at
least three times in the coming week already, and will be solo in about
a month. Thanks for tuning in.
If you have specific questions, please
contact me at [email protected].
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