Week 3 & 4

Week 3

I had two big tests this week on aerospace physiology and aircraft systems 1. Between the two tests I only missed one question, but because its me, I was still disappointed. I spent a lot of my free time looking for a way that our family could come to Utah. Also this week I had to do the Fighter Aircrew Strength Test. This is basically a weight lifting (six events) and endurance test (three events). It goes off of body weight to give numbers. Such as, I weigh 184 and my event weights were (all in lbs): arm curls – 105, bench press – 170, lat pull – 145, leg press – 325, leg curl – 135, leg extension – 140. The endurance test consisted of how many pushups, sit ups and another similar test to the leg press you could do in a minute. The minimums were 10 repititions for the strength test and 30 for the endurance. These reps were not the hard part, it was the count you had to maintain. For instance, 1,2,3,4,5,6 – 1, 1,2,3,4,5,6 – 2, and so forth. It was a hard test I have been training for since before we left. Luckily I passed with an outstanding. The rest of the week was just filled with classes. On Friday we attended the graduating class’s graduation. It was a neat experience, I can not wait until that is me.

One other thing I forgot to include was a comment a guy in my class made. We were discussing scenarios that could happen in flight, I think it was involving some emergency situation. Anyway, it was a serious question and the instructor asked us what we would do in response. The class was silent for a while, then one guy raised his hand and said, "well the first thing I would do is (he paused for a second and continued) I would take out my good buddy's dog tags and rub them while asking him for his help." The whole class erupted in laughter and even the instructor was laughing. It was one of those situations where you had to have been there to really fully appreciate it. For those of you who did not put it together, that is from Top Gun.

Week 4

Well another week down the pooper. This one seemed to go by really quickly. That is probably because it was only 4 days long thanks to Columbus. I had a SIM every day this week along with my flying fundamentals classes and the test. We also had a couple of aircraft procedures classes. I can not believe how entailed flying here is and how much you have to know. It ranges from pattern altitudes to frequencies to arrivals and departures, radials, VORTAC, TACAN, VOR, IFR and a million other things that boggle my mind. Today we got the brief on what to expect during Phase II also called the flightine. I start this on Monday. I am so nervous. They do something called EPQ’s which are weekly tests that have to be memorized and recited exactly correct and also STAND UP’s which are very formal. There are 14 chairs, seven on either side of the room, and the IP’s take turns drilling the students (who all must be at attention) with question about pretty much everything related to flight. If you get it wrong you have to sit down and get humiliated with hazing and “motivational correction.” This is not something I am looking forward too, but hey, I get to start flying on Monday! Larissa had her spouses SIM on Tuesday, which she enjoyed. She ran the plane off the runway a few times but once she got airborne she flew like a bird, unfortunately that bird happened to be an ostrich.

My last weekend before I enter into a zero free time for a year, state. I am not really sure if I should feel excited or sorry for myself. I am pretty nervous right now. My first flight is on Monday, my takeoff time is at 1007 hrs. I have been doing a SIM every day this week along with operation and emergency procedure classes on top of contact classes and the contact test. It has been an off and on busy week, with some down time in the middle of the day, however, the stress of the SIM’s and the test and with studying for what is to come makes it go by very quickly. This week just flew by. I hope I do well with the STANDUP, because if you get what they ask you wrong they sit you down and take you off the flying schedule for that day. We were briefed by our class leader that they expect you to know everything on day 1 of the flightline and they know we will know nothing, so expect to get yelled at and belittled and hazed. What a comforting thought. I am just glad I have a supportive family in my corner and a strong faith to fall back on.

Week 1 & 2

Week 1

I started my class finally. It is weird that after everything I have gone through to get here I have finally started. Monday and Tuesday were strictly briefings that dealt with getting started and what to expect through the next year. On Wednesday the majority of the day was spent getting poked and proded again. It seems they can never do enough physicals and tests on you. Anyways, great news, when my eyes were tested again I passed with 20/20, so no glasses. These first two days of class were primarily survival. I learned quite a bit about how to survive in many different climates, building shelters, finding water, finding food (and how to skin and prepare it, as well as edible plants and other things) and a bunch of first aid. It was pretty interesting for the most part, we even took our first test. I got a perfect score. After the test we jumped into aerospace physiology, learning about the body and the eyes and how altitude can affect you. Next week I get to go into the altitude chamber again and experience that. Also, we get to parasail (learn how to eject from the aircraft and safely make it to the ground). Larissa gets to come and she will take videos of it. I am really excited to get moving with all this. Hopefully, this year will go by quickly

Week 2

Well, another week down, only 51 more to go. Wow, that sounds crappy. We were able to spend a lot of this week outside learning stuff, so that was good. Monday we spent the day learning about aerospace physiology and quite a bit of anatomy. Later in the day we started practicing our PLF’s or parachute landing falls. This is basically a way to land that wont break your legs when you eject. We did about 18 from a 2ft platform and then graduated to a 6 ft platform. After that, we hooked up to a high tower and did jumps from a harness on that. After hanging for a while the harness really starts to dig into you. Also, we learned how to disconnect from your parachute while being dragged (literally). We were hooked up to a harness while guys drug you around like a parachute would. That actually hurt, the Texas ground is not exactly soft. The rest of the week consisted of aircraft systems classes, as well as classes on task management, cockpit resource management, emergency egress training, stress management, g-tolerance, the anti-g strain maneuver (basically it looks like you are severely constipated sitting on the toilet) and a few other classes.

The highlights were definantly the para-sailing and the altitude chamber. Para-sailing was awesome. I could not believe how fast it throws you in the air and how high it went. Another thing that surprised me was how fast it comes down. These parachutes are not like the ones you see on T.V. where you can flare at the end. These come down at one speed and are very unforgiving. The landing went well; luckily they gave us a ton of practice falls. Right before it was my turn on the second run, the guy before me started his ascent and got about 20 feet off the ground before his chute began oscillating and flipped him sideways crashing into the ground hard. He is alright, but he broke his finger and had a slight head injury. At the time we all watched it stunned. He just laid there while a bunch of the instructors ran to him. They called for an ambulance because at first he did not know who he was or where he was. So, that was scary and guess who had to go next. The altitude chamber was pretty close to the last one I did in February. It takes you up to 35,000 feet and makes you pressure breath into your mask. Then, descends down into FL 250, or 25,000 feet. Once there you take off your mask and start taking a quiz while trying to find your symptoms for hypoxia (oxygen deprivation from you brain, makes you confused, dizzy and so forth). My symptoms were confusion, dizziness, and a bit of nausea. The nausea did not really go away until I got out of the chamber. One guy in the class lasted for about 4 minutes, but by that time could not respond to anything the people were telling him and someone had to put his mask back on him because he did not have the muscle coordination to do it himself. The quiz is crazy, after a bit of time you can not even do simple things like basic addition, subtraction, a maze, and I even had trouble signing my name at the bottom. Everything just seems like a dream where you can’t concentrate. Luckily, no one threw up during this. I almost did (j/k).

Reading material for the T-6 as well as basic instrument flying and operating procedures.

This is the Barony Chair aka "the puke chair." This is what we get spun around in to feel the effects of vertigo while flying. It is also the apparatus used when young pilots are unable to get over the effects of air sickness.

Learing how to hook up the basic life support equipment (g-suit, helmet, oxygen and harness).

Swing training. This is us learning how to eject and steer using the risers of our parachute.

Getting drug around trying to simulate hitting the ground and the wind dragging you and your chute.

This is the morning of my first para-sailing adventure.

Para-sailing in the Texan sunrise.

Not all of it went according to plan. This is Felix right before ground impact.

The altitude chamber.

Better then superman!