19 Jul 2002 Off to Columbus!
29 Jul 2002 Tomorrow is, as they say, the first day of the rest of my life. I am starting over a year of training to become a pilot with the United States Air Force. Beyond merely being "cool," the reality had yet to set in until now. The routines, the rigors, ,the arduous schedule will all soon turn a fantasy into stark reality. The speculation, brewing for the past year, is about to be replaced by class work and studies. I am anxious, excited, terrified, and at ease all at once. It's a strange place to be. I know I want it, and I have only to prove to myself I actually deserve it.
30 Jul 2002 (Phase I - First day of academics) My first day has come and gone. The day was filled with guest speakers, lectures, briefings, some class work, computer-aided programs, and finally a full night of reading. Despite the work, which I knew was coming, they also gave us hope and encouragement. Try hard and have a good attitude and you will succeed. Take things a day at a time and learn those things well. They want us to be successful. I am more excited today than I was yesterday. I knew quite a bit of what we talked about today... granted, it was basic, but it was something. And perhaps most surprising of all, everyone has been very civil so far. I imagine that will change somewhat when I hit the flight line in six weeks.
05 Aug 2002 (Phase I - Second week of academics) One week down and 52 to go! Ouch. Actually, the first week was not too bad. More relaxed than I'd thought it would be. We were in our flight suits Wednesday, which required the whole class (28) passing our "bold face" test. The "bold face" is a series of emergency items that must be memorized and written verbatim. We had our first test Today, which I'm told is the hardest during academics. I scored 100% (with nine others), so I was pretty happy. Everything we do here is graded, however, so that's a drop in the bucket. The study habits are paying off I guess.
09 Aug 2002 (Phase I - Second week of academics) Just got our second test completed after three days of "fundamentals," which included performance charts, navigation charts, maintenance forms, and numerous other items that do not fit anywhere else in the curriculum. I was able to keep the 100% average along with seven of my classmates. No one has failed anything yet. I can't remember what we start out with next week, but we get into Physiology Thursday, which lasts several weeks. There, we'll learn about the effects of flying on one's body, how to wear all the gear in the aircraft, how to eject, and how to land with a parachute if we do eject. Should be kind of fun as far as the blocks of instruction go.14 Aug 2002 (Phase I - Third week of academics) I got to enjoy my 100% average for a little over a week before missing a question on the Aerodynamics test. Oh well. It's better to have the pressure off anyway, right? We start Physiology tomorrow. I'm not sure what the exact schedule is, but it's a lot more hands-on than the classroom. I'll describe it more after I've been over there a few days. Our helmets were issued to us today as well. They do a fit-test in the shop, which was interesting. One of my classmates said using the oxygen mask was like "breathing through four pillows." My experience was similar. I hope it's less restrictive in the aircraft [we use the oxygen in the T-37 continuously since it is unpressurized, and we will routinely operate over 20,000 feet].
15 Aug 2002 (Phase I - Third week of academics) We started Physiology today, which seems quite a bit more disorganized than our previous classroom environment. We are told that the schedule must remain more fluid, as many of the activities are outdoors and depend on the weather. Today, we received more "death by Powerpoint," as they call it, then rode on the "spatial disorientation" chair. Basically, it's a chair with a ring surrounding it that is used to spin you. They have you move in certain positions to simulate feelings you might have in the aircraft. I did not get to see everyone, but the chair left at least a couple people feeling under the weather. Tonight we have a dinner sponsored by the Air Force Association (they're hoping we'll all get involved). It's not all work down here (yet).
19 Aug 2002 (Phase I - Fourth week of academics) We reported at 0545 this morning for what turned out to be PLF training (parachute landing fall). We practiced landing techniques from the ground, a two-foot platform, a four-foot platform, and finally on a harness from a fifteen or twenty-foot tower. When we had completed the PLFs, we headed over to the ejection simulator, where each of us had a turn pulling the triggers on the chair and going for a short ride (about eight feet up a track). The real thing is a lot hairier we're told.
20 Aug 2002 (Phase I - Fourth week of academics) Today we had mostly academics, but also got to step into the altitude chamber to test out our masks and become familiar with the oxygen regulators we'll be using on the T-37. We do not actually go up to altitude until this Friday, which is pretty humorous by all accounts. People have some pretty strange reactions to hypoxia. We also had a night vision demonstration, in which they showed us the limitations of our eyes in low-light conditions.
22 Aug 2002 (Phase I - Fourth week of academics) We put our PLF training to work today during the parasailing exercise. In this exercise, students are hooked up to a parasail and towed by a truck across a very long field to simulate a parachute landing. The first ride is a short up-and-down, and the student is "towed down" (softer landing). The second ride is up to a higher altitude, and the student is on his or her own during the descent. Though no one in the class broke anything, we did have two "casualties," including an ankle "stinger" and a very hard landing that resulted in a number of maladies. Neither individual should miss any training as a result, fortunately. We also took our first of two physiology tests. There was a lot of controversy over the exam, as the teaching method was quite different than our previous classes. We were told very specifically what to study for this exam, and perhaps let our guard down. Many felt the test was more difficult than the instructors led us to believe. I was happy with one wrong, having no one to blame but myself on that particular question.
26 Aug 2002 (Phase I - Fifth week of academics) Today was our "ride" in the altitude chamber. During this ride, we were taken from sea level to 35,000 feet, then reduced to 25,000 for hypoxia demonstrations. We were then taken to 18,000 for a night vision demonstration and finally returned to sea level. During the initial ascent, the pressure in your ears equalizes on its own. They had a vial of liquid that was visibly "boiling" as all the gasses escaped into the surrounding air. Unfortunately, the same things happen to the body, making for a rather unpleasant odor when your mask is removed. Upon reaching 25,000 feet, the students on one side of the chamber take their masks off to experience their unique symptoms of the onset of hypoxia. Once we recognized 2-3 symptoms, we were to turn our oxygen back on and don our masks. When it came to me, I quickly felt light-headed and noticed that my lips became very cold. I began working on some math problems as instructed, and awoke a short time later to the instructor telling me to turn on my air and put my mask on (both of which had been done for me when I passed out). I came to and did as they told me, my vision going from black, to black and gray, and finally back to color. My head gradually cleared, and I was back to normal. I apparently lost "useful consciousness" and remained sitting there smiling well past when I should have returned to oxygen. My classmates were happy that someone had put on a show for them. My fee was to purchase alcohol of choice for the Major that put my mask on for me.
27 Aug 2002 (Phase I - Fifth week of academics) Physiology came to an end today with the FACT test (fitness measure) and a second round of egress (practicing both air and ground egresses from the aircraft). Though Physiology was a nice change of pace, I think we were all happy to get back to the more rigorous classroom environment to get us in the right mind-set for flight line. In the next two weeks, we are covering weather (test this Friday) and instruments. We are also being visited by the class that is just wrapping up T-37s. They are supposed to tell us everything we need to know prior to hitting the flight line.
28 Aug 2002 (Phase I - Fifth week of academics) We were in our second day of weather today. I am very glad I had a good weather background prior to coming here, because the rate and depth of the lessons here is less than optimal. Their aim, as they have said however, is to provide a framework and let the IPs fill in the blanks. To coin a phrase from AMS, "trust the process." Our Flight Commander for flight line, Captain Zihmer, came to speak to us today and introduce us to our soon-to-be home. He was very solemn, and said if anyone did not want to be there, they should leave now (we didn't lose anyone). He then laid down the ground rules for the program, and what his expectations would be of us during our stay there. The days will be 12 hours, followed by several hours of homework and preparation for the coming day. We work Monday through Friday, but can be called in on Saturdays if necessary. He said those with "thin skins" should find a cure, because we will be absorbing almost nothing but criticism in the early stages of the program. He and Lt Corrigan (safety guy) then demonstrated an emergency procedure stand-up. The EP stand-up is where a student is randomly called on and stands at attention in the middle of the room. The student is given an emergency situation and then "handed the aircraft." The student must talk through analyzing the problem, resolving the problem, and getting safely back to base. In the example, Capt Zihmer included everything from how fast he was flying to what radio calls he made to what references he was looking for on the ground. In total, it lasted for about ten minutes. It's quite hard to imagine one of us doing that on September 9th. This will be a whole different world.
5 Sep 2002 (Phase I - Final week of academics) Today marked the completion of Phase I of UPT for us. We took our instrument test this morning (finished good, 100%). Aside from wrapping up in academics this week, we've met several more times with our flight line commander (Capt Zihmer) and students from the class we are replacing in the "T-Bolt" flight. There is a wealth of information that we are expected to know for the coming days. We actually report tomorrow, and will experience our first simulator flight. From what I understand, it's simply going over the initial checklists that we run to pre-flight and start the aircraft, but that should be plenty for now. Most of the class has been practicing pretty diligently, so it should go okay. We also get to do a "formal brief" in the morning, which ought to be interesting. The outbound class ran through it VERY briefly for a couple of us, but there is no doubt a lot that was left out. Our instructors told us to expect "a lot of criticism" tomorrow. Fun. Despite all the negative, I am very excited to finally be starting. The anticipation and anxiety are probably worse than the real thing. We'll see.
If you have specific questions, please contact me at scot_wilcox@hotmail.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment