FINAL THOUGHTS

A few years ago I was sitting in a cube in Warner Robins, GA dreaming about flying the planes not just working on them. As one who tends to over prepare, I searched for web sites that told about pilot training and what it was like. I found a couple but not really what I wanted to know. I determined that if I was selected I would create journal to help others that were curious as well. On graduation day, the site counter was just over 131,000 hits. That’s a little overwhelming. Based on many emails and comments from others, I believe I’ve been able to help others and put another perspective on pilot training on the web for others to benefit. I don’t regret having the pilot journal and I believe more like this one will follow, especially as SUPT changes. During our graduation ceremony, the visiting General reminded us (the new pilots) that we are only 4% of the Air Force. In addition to the responsibility placed on that 4% of the AF, that fact also reminds me to be thankful of the group of which I am now apart of. Phase III was great and a good bit different than Phase II for other than obvious reasons. Phase III really takes a student who knows how to fly, but not outside of the training environment, and creates a more well rounded pilot. Phase III gives you, as the student, more confidence and more of a feel that you are a real pilot that can go out into the operational AF. I know I’ve got more to learn with the C-17s and all the international flights ahead but I’m well on my way. Phase III in retrospect seems like roses but there were some very frustrating times. I would honestly estimate that out of all mission planning I completed, between 40-50% was never used. That is the way it is and it can’t really improve. You never want to go into any flight without a plan but you have to realize that the IP is in control and can override you at any time and almost for any reason. Many people were frustrated by the planning they did and how it didn’t seem to matter. In the operational AF, when you have to deliver supplies/gas, you’ve got to go. I remember times, before I knew how to use aviation forecasts, that I would plan missions into incoming weather fronts when there were clear skies in the other direction. You don’t learn how to really use weather forecasts in Phase II but you do in Phase III, so don’t delay in really understanding the multiple weather tools to do good mission planning. Another area where many people were frustrated were with how much the checkrides counted in your class ranking. All I can say is try not to shortcut your daily rides by just trying to get by, pick hard approaches and continually try to evaluate where you are doing poorly and get help if you aren’t improving. I commonly told my IPs where I was struggling in order to get them to look for my mistakes and help me improve. Alright, that’s good...

From a spiritual perspective... If you’re reading now, I’ll ask for a little more indulgence in me voicing thoughts through this journal. Hopefully, as you’ve read, I am a follower of God and Jesus. In looking at the past year, I would entitle it as a “Classroom with God” I have had days and events where I have depended on God and others where I have depended on myself and my abilities. Sometimes, some of my entries have seemed sugar-coated but SUPT has been a struggle oscillating between up and downs.  It has been a test of will to press through when long days tested me and I chose to try to make things happen on my own with my own understanding rather than depend on God and his plan for my life. In those low times, the tendency is to become bitter but it is important to not complain but continue to be grateful and have a mature outlook that is “big picture” and not just focused on the immediate low time. I’m extremely grateful that God continued to bless me during my times of weakness and self reliance.  Dependence and faith in Him are paramount. I have found that everyone is given blessings and God trains you with your handling of his blessings. When I reflect on the past year, I’ve been blessed, even though on occasion I didn’t realize it at the time. At the end of Phase II, I hooked my only event of SUPT, that being my Instrument checkride. I thought at the time that I was denied a blessing (entrance into T-38s) but I was really handed one. God’s plan for me was T-1s and the heavy track. So in hindsight, it was a blessing to send me to the T-1 side. These blessings of getting selected to SUPT and getting my wings with the success I’ve had are small in comparison to the blessing of having Jesus as my savior. I live this life with the confidence of knowing I’m saved from my sins and I’ll live with God in eternity. That may sound a little flaky to those who don’t know God, biblically, or know that they are lost without Jesus, but is is true. God has made himself evident in his creation around us (Romans 1) and we have no excuse for not obeying him in this lifetime. I encourage all of you reading to search yourself and obey God biblically and have joy in this life whether in blessing or suffering. As with everything mankind has had his hands on, religion and obedience to God has been distorted in the past and has discouraged many from serving. Please don’t let other corrupt people or shortcomings of others you have trusted to stop you from your service and devotion to God! May God bless you for reading and giving me a minute of your time. 

17 Nov 06 (Day 259)

GRADUATION!!

The day has come and I’m officially rated as a military pilot. The day was long, full of tradition and in reflection was great. It gave great closure to a long year of work and it finally felt like it was over and time to move on. Amanda and the girls gave alot of themselves this year too so it was great to reach a final point of hard work. I took way too many pictures and I’ll just start in the morning and use pictures to step through the day. Overall, graduation can get expensive but it is a day that will remain in your memory for the rest of your life...so it is worth it. We started the morning at 0800 with breakfast at the O’Club where there were about 150-200 friends, family, IPs and leadership on base. We prepaid breakfast and all the food was great. Around 0900, we had introductions of various commanders and the visiting General who was giving our graduation address. The wing commander gave a brief on our global war on Terrorism and then a captain gave a mission brief about what we do at Columbus and what’s on the horizon for the base. My dad was very impressed by the brief on the war on terrorism that the wing commander gave and stated he wished he’d hear that message more often. 

My family above. Buses took us from the O’Club to the base theater where the graduation took place. We lined up out in the lobby while our family sat inside and watched multiple videos, some inspiration and some about life at Columbus. Graduation started right at 10:00. We walked in, the official party walked in as well and then we went stood for all of the international student’s national anthems followed by America’s anthem. Our class leader presented a gift to the General for being present and then the wing commander introduced the General for his address. The speech was good and he tried to give us several simple themes to take away. After his address the graduation awards where given out: Air Force Association, AETC Commander’s Trophy and Distinguished Graduate. The Lord has truly blessed me beyond what I have asked for...it is humbling. I was awarded the AETC Commander’s Trophy and the DG award. Andy was awarded the same on the T-38 side and Nate received the other DG award. Jason, my transition “partner”, received the AFA award. Awards were also given out for our international students, well deserved. After the awards, we received our wings from the wing commander. It was a great moment. When we all received our wings, we lined up and sang the Air Force Song. And that was it. Our wings that we receive on stage were magnetic and we had to return them after the ceremony. After the ceremony, we received an engraved set of wings from our class sponsors and a new name tag for our flight suit.

Another tradition, following graduation, is to break your first set of wings. We walked down to the Wing Plaza infront of the headquarters building. On the wall in front of the HQ building the names of the Medal of Honor recipients are engraved. A Lt Col talked about traditions of pilots, ranging from scarves to the breaking of the wings. We break the first set of wings in hopes that it will be the only wings we will ever break (aircraft wings - no crashes). The tradition is to keep one half and give the other half to friends/family and that they would only be rejoined in the event of death. 

After the Breaking of the Wings ceremony, we changed into flightsuits, got some lunch and went to the sims. Ah, red carpet sims...something my daughters have been looking forward to since Phase II. They have asked to fly with me on numerous occasions and I told them when I graduate they could fly in the sim with me. We have a large class and therefore not to much time but we were able to rotate everyone in the front seat, starting with Amanda in our 20 minutes. The sim instructor would let you do just about anything. Amanda tookoff and then the instructor set us up on a final so she could land. Anaylsse and Kennedy had a great time and didn’t want to leave. Analysse turned off my boost pumps during flight and loved pushing all the buttons...ha a future pilot.

We left the sim and went to the squadron. The IPs were there and gave out our Aeronautical Ratings and had a great spread of food. I received an award of Top Cat (we are the 48th alleycats) for top Transition Phase checkride/flying score. They also had static displays, just as after Track Select, for family to look at.

My brother, mom and I with the Tweet. Remember the picture below? Analysse jumped in and started trying to push all the buttons and move the switches and I had to explain that it was a real plane and we might start it up. 

Our family went back to the house while Amanda and I went to pick up all the shadow boxes to take to the O’Club for display during the graduation banquet. They turned out well and the frame shop did a great job. My parents, Amanda and I got dressed to go to the O’Club where cocktails started at 1800 and the dinner at 1900. It was the second time I had wore my mess dress (OTS - 1st). The club decorated with Corona bottles for center pieces. We sat with Vic and his family during the dinner. My squadron commander gave the opening remarks and the introductions of the leadership. One great thing that impressed me was the honor guard member who lit the candle on the POW table in remembrance of those who have served and haven’t come back. We ate dinner with a choice between chicken or beef. After some good conversation they gave out some more awards. The Lord continued to humble me with recognition. I received an award for Academic Excellence and Flying Excellence awards for academic average and checkride scores. Scot, our class leader, received the award for leadership. Dave and Nate also received academic awards. T-38 awards were given out as well. We had the opportunity to give our spouses and mothers a rose of love and appreciation. It was a special moment, especially since Amanda has sacrificed so much for this past year. We finished up around 10:00.

Here is my shadow box above.

We received our aeronautical ratings and we had the opportunity to get them framed with a set of wings.

In the Breaking of the Wings ceremony, we give one half to family and keep the other half. I purchased two frames to put the halves in. I gave my parents one of the frames and Amanda and I will keep the other half. Below are the awards I was blessed with on graduation day.

15-16 Nov 06 (Day 257-258)

Yesterday and today we had graduation practice at the base theater. T-1 checkrides finished up yesterday even though they were delayed about 5 hours due to thunderstorms blowing through. Everyone passed their checkrides in Mission Familiarization and one person got a 1E. We wore flight suits to our practice starting at 0800, lasting two hours. It will be a good bit of pomp and circumstance but that’s good for our graduation. Their will be at least five national anthems played at graduation for our international students. Today we had our graduation practice again in service dress...same run through. Not everyone was at graduation due to still needing to fly. The worst news is one guy is flying the morning of graduation to finish (T-38s). Everyone turned in their publications and it was great to see them go. We got our training dates yesterday for land & water survival as well as our Altus dates. Some dates were very soon with two people leaving this weekend for Land Survival at Fairchild AFB (during December!!). In general most people are leaving in the next couple weeks for survival schools and Altus dates ranging from mid-Dec to early January. My dates were very nice and I believe a blessing from above. We’ve planned a vacation and we’ll use all the leave I have saved up. I have water survival from 11-14 Dec, Altus from 3 Jan - 10 Apr and land survival from 18 Apr to 4 May. I absolutely can’t complain. I’ll be able to take the kids to Disneyworld and see the family over the holidays before going to Hawaii. Out processing here is a big sore spot because there are so many things required (sometimes very disorganized) to get training orders and ultimately PCS (permanent change of station) orders. My next entry will be my last one here at SUPT. I’ll give my thoughts on Phase III and training in general, like after Phase II. 

13-14 Nov 06 (Day 255-256)

LAST FLIGHT IN SUPT

Actually, it was the most relaxed sortie I’ve ever flown. Yesterday consisted of a class meeting covering graduation stuff and the expected schedule. Our training dates are suppose to be handed out tomorrow. Today, I flew with Kelly on both of our last copilot rides. We flew against Will (last airdrop) and Sandy on her last copilot ride. We flew VR 1056 (my checkride low level) and full stopped in Greenville, SC. We ate at Firehouse Subs and had some great ice cream before heading back home to be T-1 complete. The return flights were simple copilot rides back home, with Kelly and Sandy flying. No real debrief and that was/is it. A nice low key day. One cool note... we used the ADF (automatic direction finder) to pick up a radio station when we were flying over Atlanta, GA. You can actually use the radio wave to navigate to the radio tower (That is how the Japanese navigated to Pearl Harbor using Honolulu Radio).

OK, so the sun was in our faces. A picture of our two motley crews on my last flight in T-1s and SUPT

7-9 Nov 06 (Day 252-254)

As you can imagine, things are lightening up. Yesterday and the day before I’ve been helping with getting the shadow boxes, aeronautical frames and Breaking of the Wings boxes together. Today was Wingman Day and tomorrow is a holiday in observance of Veterans Day. We had a wing commander’s call at 0700 followed by our PT test at 0900. It involves signing a legal document stating that we won’t pass out (basically), get weighed and height measured, get your waist measurement, # pushups in minute, # of situps in a minute followed by a mile and half run. I’m not nearly as in shape as when I got here but I scored in the low eighties. There really isn’t too much time factored into the training day for PT (considering flying and mission planning). We also filled out our end of course (SUPT) critique and my main comment was to add more EP sims to keep some of those procedures fresh in the mind. Also, we were required to get our flu mist, the new form instead of a shot. The day ended with a retreat ceremony at 1600 where some good words were said concerning our veterans and their sacrifice. Four Tweets performed a formation flyover following taps. It was good to have been there. It is rumored we should have our training dates next week so I’m definitely looking forward to that. There is rich history of tradition and honor in the air forces dating back to the beginning of the last century and I’m very honored to be joining our veterans of the skies. 

6 Nov 06 (Day 251)

Mission Fam Checkride - 3E

Except for my last copilot ride, I’m done. Today was typical checkride weather...that is thunderstorms rolling through while we were gone and forcing us to combat plan (change the plan at the last minute) in the morning before the checkride. All four of us got together last night to plan our double airdrop checkride and the weather didn’t provide a clear option for choosing and planning a route. We planned a route and when we came in this morning that route had gone downhill and we had to find low level charts for a new route and replan everything. I flew as wingman first and it went well. We couldn’t take off as a formation but rather we had to join up at the low level entry before beginning. The route only took 34 minutes and then we full stopped in Chattanooga, TN. My downgrades dealt with communication, airdrop (as wing) and my pattern. During the first simulated drop I dipped below 140 knots (minimum airspeed) momentarily because I had too much closure with lead, in other words I had to slow down and not pass lead. My comm downgrade came because I tried to switch to Chattanooga approach without sending the wingman over there. And third, I flew a pretty tight tactical and had a steep descent but the landing was nice. Due to the weather during my mission fam phase, I haven’t been able to do very many of those. The grades from today were 3E, 4G, 2G, 3G. It is just starting to sink in that I’m done. I have to give credit to God again for this blessing.

3 Nov 06 (Day 250)

C-17s to Hawaii!

What a day! God has answered our family’s prayers and his plan for me puts me in one of the most beautiful places on earth! Only a handful of people were flying today. The guys who weren’t flying played a football game with the IPs in the morning. I doubled turned today and flew an airdrop sortie first followed by an air refueling. My first ride went well and the actual airdrop maneuvers worked out well. My second sortie was moderate with a couple of things that could have been done better such as formation maneuvers. So I have finished Mission Fam and have only a checkride (Monday) and a copilot ride. I was extremely happy to be done after the double turn just 30 minutes before festivities were suppose to begin. We went over to the club and talked until we had a toast with the wing commander and other base leadership. He talked about the group that we were entering in by becoming pilots and moving on to actual aircraft that are in the combat. It was inspirational and good to hear. We went in and it was pretty crowded. It is very similar to track select in format. The names were out of order and T-38 & T-1 studs were intermixed. We were able to get same throne we used during track select. As the announcers stepped through each person, emotions went up and down. We had no idea who was getting FAIPed or what airplanes we’d actually get. The pictures tell the story below. When I got up there, most of the roasting was about my webpage. It was hilarious. I turned around and saw C-17s at Hawaii and I was overjoyed. I personally am extremely happy with how pilot training has gone and is going. I know God is at work in my life and is blessing me. No one was FAIPed. The rumor I heard was that they traded the FAIP spot to another base for Sandy’s KC-135 to McConnell AFB, KS (not even an option). The T-38s received the first bombers I’ve seen in the last several classes. 

Here is the reason I chose Hickam AFB first. Hickam is under Pacific Air Forces, a different command than I was in before and will be in future C-17 assignments. For career purposes, this will be a good point in that it gives experience under very different commands. Second, all C-17 bases have expensive housing markets. Amanda doesn’t work outside the home and so we would buy a house with my salary only. In Hawaii, you receive COLA (cost of living adjustment) and we can save that money. We wanted to buy a house and invest our money and receive a good bit back after the sale at the end of our assignment. The COLA would (if saved) would be the same as owning and making the money off the house. Third, the Hawaii unit is being built up and is nearing being full and therefore reducing the number of pilots they accept in (they only have 8 planes that they received in the last 1.5 years). I figured I have the best chance of getting in the unit first while they are accepting the most pilots at one time. Fourth, I would like to get into the special operations at Charleston and I’ve heard that unless you know someone, you need a tour of experience before you are really considered to be invited in. Looking way to far ahead I would like to get a tour in and then PCS to Charleston where I would have more experience and maybe get into that program. Another program I would like to get into is the Weapon Systems School for the C-17 which basically makes you a tactician for your plane. All of this different experience would aid in being accepted into this program. I tend to overthink somethings but these are the big reasons why I chose Hickam first. Amanda will be alone with the kids sometimes so being in Hawaii is not so bad. The major drawback is being far from family, which we are close to. We hope to utilize the hop system (catching free rides on military aircraft coming to the states) to come back and see family as well as use per diem (money from me while I travel) to buy tickets back to see the family. 

It was a crowded Assignment Night

The drop was final drop was unbelievable, especially for the T-1 guys.

Who is this guy?

Will got his first choice of E-8, JSTARS, to Warner Robins, GA...my ole stompin’ grounds

Sandy put down McConnell AFB, KS even though it wasn’t even a choice and she got it!! Her husband, who is active duty, is stationed nearby.

The Moody Boys...

2 Nov 06 (Day 249)

I have to be honest, I’m starting to wear down. I flew a local today in the afternoon against Rob. We flew a air refueling mission. It was actually my IP’s checkride to requalify him to continue being an IP. It is a little different as he will ask more GK questions and get a full length EP at the end of the flight. The flight went pretty well and as Mission Fam goes for me it was nonstandard...again. We stepped to the desk and the jets weren’t turning quick enough, so they weren’t ready when we arrived forcing us to takeoff late. All of the planning for arrival times had to be slipped in flight for a successful rendezvous. My lead was good as tanker and I had one rough spot as the receiver performing some formation maneuvers after the refueling was over. Checkrides went today and everyone passed. They earned a 3G, 2E, 4G, 3E and 2E. Tomorrow is assignment night and I’m double turning early my last air refueling and airdrop rides to check on Monday with another 3 guys. I’m guessing I’ll be dog tired tomorrow. They guys who aren’t flying are planning on playing football with available IPs tomorrow and we are meeting at the club at 1530 to meet with leadership prior to the festivities starting at 1700. My next entry will include my future airplane and my residence for the next three years!

No kidding, I just found out this tradition. On the T-38 at the front main gate, they paint the number of the graduating class. On the Tweet, they paint the number of the baby class.

1 Nov 06 (Day 248)

A long 12 hour day. I came in at 0600 to figure out the best low level for our airdrop today and only a few options existed. We chose one option and the IPs chose another so obviously we went with their choice. The other guys flew the air refueling ride first and on the backhalf I flew airdrop on VR1031. When we left the refueling anchor we were planning to full stop at Monroe but as we were approaching, we heard of people shooting unplanned missed approaches due to deteriorating weather so we decided to divert to Meridian, MS. That was a good choose and we landed. Weather was very dynamic and the low level worked out well. We had an EP at 1700 in preparation for our upcoming checkrides. It was a fuel filter bypass (your fuel filters are clogging indicating engine shutdown soon) while in formation on a low level. As events played out in the EP, the wingman lost an engine and exploded while lead glided down into the airfield. This obviously isn’t funny if in reality, but it was pretty funny in the USEM environment due to mistakes made by students. If you have noticed most of the plans I have had for rides lately haven’t worked out at all. You just have to be comfortable with flexing and still get the sortie complete. Tomorrow we have our first checkrides for Mission Fam and five people will be SUPT complete - what a feeling! From what I hear, assignments are pretty set behind closed doors so I included my dream sheet below. Obviously the middle section changes with each drop but each person (minus Guard and Reserve) have to fill on out. We turned it in on Monday and the flight commander (previously having ranked us with the help of the IPs) sets a preliminary list of assignments for the class. On Tuesday, the flight commanders from each base have a conference call and exchange assignments and barter so that if for example, Columbus had a slot that Vance wanted and vica versa they could switch and make each other happy. We’ll see how things go Friday... I’m pretty calm as God will put me where he wants me.

31 Oct 06 (Day 247)

EPQ COMPLETE

That’s right. The last EPQ and it feels great. I’ve heard rumors of funny/silly EPQs for the last one but ours was real and had a few questions that made you think. The Lord blessed me with a 100% - a great way to end the USEM stuff from SUPT. Today, I flew on the back half and we started with an air refueling ride. Will flew first (see pictures below). I flew the second half after full stopping in Jackson, MS. It went well. There are a group of people scheduled to fly this weekend on Sunday (at least not Sat after assignment night). 

My good friend Will flying

When you rendezvous you have 1000’ separation and this is the shot of moving into precontact position.

This is right at contact position (simulated transferring fuel)

These are Columbus’s three runways. The lights are visual glidepath guidance. T-1s use the center 12k’ runway (300’ wide)

30 Oct 06 (Day 246)

07-02 has been in pilot training for one year now (started 01 Nov 05). Today wasn’t great and it wasn’t bad. I was scheduled and planned for my second airdrop mission. Due to reasons beyond my control, I was switched to an air refueling mission before brief. Normally airdrop goes first but we had to switch up due to high level clouds entering our air refueling anchors. We stepped and tookoff fairly uneventfully. Before we entered the refueling anchor as the receiver, we got a master caution light and it was a failed rudder boost. Rudder boost helps control the aircraft in the event of single engine operation. We decided we would return to Columbus after the rendezvous with the tanker. The IPs had decided to create a less than desirable situation called an overrun and see if I as the receiver pilot would call it out and initiate procedures. An overrun is where the tanker ends up chasing the receiver instead of the other way around. Well, the tanker’s simulation was overkill and even though I called for overrun procedures we still ended up with the tanker chasing me with over 3 miles of separation. We decided to call the sortie quits and just return home. We wanted to come back home quick turn lunch and fly another out and back sortie. We came back and inhaled lunch then stepped to a spare only to find out the only spare had a inoperative GPS. Well, it took almost an hour to install a new computer and load the database. We had to scratch the backhalf airdrop sortie so I flew again and did the exact same air refueling ride. Dave, sitting jumpseat, got way too much jump seat time today and didn’t complete any ride (same guy as Friday...he needs to complete a ride). Well, after all was said and done they allowed the first flight (with the rudder boost fail) to be counted as my last copilot ride so I basically double turned today. The air refueling ride went pretty well but things were nonstandard and I basically had to keep my wits and do the best I could. As we were landing, down the runway about a mile we thought we saw a airplane and it was a limping T-38 with canopy problems exiting the runway. We were instructed to exit the runway at the same taxiway but little did ground control or did we know the T-38 was planning to stop and shutdown the taxiway. We were stuck behind the 38 for almost 30 mins while a tug came and towed it away (we didn’t have enough room to turn around). It was a long day right under 12 hours. As of right now I have 5 flights left and I’m looking to check Monday, the workday right after Assignment Night. 

27 Oct 06 (Day 245)

The weather was pretty dynamic today and caused a good headache for us students. I had my first air refueling mission today and due to weather moving through, we opted to do the air refueling mission first (before the airdrop sortie for the other students). I flew as the tanker and we take off separately as it is not a formation but rather a rendezvous for simulated refueling. We experienced a 114 headwind at one point making flying a particular track difficult. The hardest part, in my brief experience, is determining a good air refueling control time. This is a time used for meeting on the designated refueling anchor. Being tanker is actually pretty easy, you simply coordinate everything with air traffic control and use autopilot to give the receiver a steady platform. After a few contacts (receiver in the position to receive fuel) and a practice emergency separation, we used the air refueling anchor (looks like a running track) as a MOA and did cell formation, practice lost wingman and a rejoin before switching roles and I became the receiver. It was funnier being the receiver. We repeated the same exercises and then recovered to Monroe, LA. Well after lunch I was sitting jumpseat and my friend, Dave, was flying an airdrop sortie. We went to start the #2 (right) engine and we didn’t have lightoff. We attempted to start the engine 3 times and no luck. Winds were near exceeding our limits so if they sent a ship to pick us up they might not be able to land (crosswind limits). So, just like when I got stuck in Knoxville, TN, we got a rental car and took the 5 hour trip home on a Friday. We were scheduled for a assignment brief at 1730, which we obviously missed, and it included briefs from different pilots from different airframes and their various missions. This was to help anyone who hadn’t made up their mind yet as to what they were putting on their dream sheets, which we got today. They are due first thing Monday. Six flights left in Mission Fam.

26 Oct 06 (Day 244)

I had my first airdrop flight today and the weather was having her way with us. About 2 of 8 low level routes were available for use and we chose the one over Tennessee. The other student was scheduled for a air refueling sortie but the weather didn’t allow so all four of us flew airdrop. Flying an airdrop sortie is just like flying a low level but wingman considerations and a couple of slowdown points are added. I flew on the backhalf and I was able to take multiple pictures from the jumpseat on the front half. You have to think ahead and determine slowdown points and also the actual simulated airdrop altitude. You configure and pop up 500’ during the approach to airdrop. Radio calls need to be clear and concise so that you “drop” in the same location and perform the escape maneuver safety and correctly. The escape maneuver is a quick dive while raising flaps and accelerating from 140 to 240 pretty quickly. We full stopped in Chattanooga, TN and had lunch. Today was good but weather did make things a little nonstandard.

As wing, you fly slightly above lead.

Lead change. We were advancing throttles while the gray jet was slowing and moving to the right side.

When we perform the simulated airdrop, we slow to 140 knots with flaps partially extended. This is a picture of wing in the airdrop configuration.

I thought this was pretty cool. This is what a nuclear power plant looks like. We have multiple plants in TN along the river. We weren’t actually over the plants, I just used my camera zoom. The two stacks in the lower picture are very characteristic of nuclear plants.

Kelly left her ID card in the computer during her flight and paid the unspoken penalty. If you look closely, her card is frozen in a cup of water.

25 Oct 06 (Day 243)

I had today off due to a dentist appointment and Amanda’s first ultrasound...oh yeah, Amanda and I are expecting our third. We decided it would be a good time before I started deploying. I really want to be here for the birth. We had one person in our class who’s wife had a baby during training and another guy whose wife is due right after pilot school is over. Today is a nice break as I was scheduled to fly 6 days in a row (some of these double turns). 

24 Oct 06 (Day 242)

Today we came in and took an EPQ first thing just after 0600. I originally missed one but due to one question being unclear and it was thrown out, boosting me up to a 100%. We are scheduled for 2 more EPQs but apparently we only have to do one more because you aren’t suppose to take any more EPQs after assignment night. After that Kelly and I both double turned flying formation against each other. Our outbase was Huntsville, AL again just because it is convenient with the MOA we were working in. I am basic formation complete now and will move on to air refueling and airdrop. In T-1 formation, you fly three different types of positions as wingman. Visual position is about .2 DME away and 30 degrees from lead’s six oclock (see picture below). Offset position is further back and you can move from side to side. Cell formation is where wingman is 500’ higher and 1 mile in trail. The objective is to move over the same geographic point as lead’s turn. You also practice breakouts (something going wrong with no clouds around) and practice lost wingman (when you enter clouds and lose sight of lead). Some major differences between T-37s and T-1s, besides the obvious, is that you always fly visual or “close” formation on the right side with T-1s. T-1s also don’t really slow down as fast as T-37s so you have to plan ahead and use a speed schedule for slowdown (or else you’ll have to breakout for going forward of lead’s position). We did have a funny moment today on the second flight after Huntsville. I was bound and determined to get into position quick and I parked myself as wing on the inside of a left turning rejoin (T-1s always fly on the right side). My IP looked at me and asked me if I was flying a Tweet. The IP in the other jet came over interplane and asked if I was a Tweet two seconds later. I jinked over to the other side and continued. I’ve definitely had a couple of hangovers from Tweet formation. In addition to a tendency to join on the wrong side, I also try to fly too close as well as I tried to quickly park it in position. T-1s just can’t slow down as quick and they can’t maneuver as quick if a dangerous situation develops. We had three checkrides yesterday and they earned a 6G, 7G and a hook. Everyone has now had their Navigation Check.

23 Oct 06 (Day 241)

Today I flew my second formation ride. It wasn’t a double turn as Jeremy Corner and I were flying together. I had my camera and I was able to take a good many pictures on this beautiful day from the jumpseat. I hope to do the same on air refueling missions and airdrop sorties. My tendencies are to fly too close to lead as wingman and have too much overtake as I arrive in position. With the colder weather coming, winds are picking up and we see winds from 40-70 knots that, if you are not careful, can push you out of the MOA when you are in lead and practicing different maneuvers. The two checkrides earned a 5G and a pass from last Friday when I checked.

It wasn’t planned by each gray jet was flying formation against a white jet. This is our group parked at Huntsville, AL.

Beautiful shot, best I’ve taken

This is the contact position, where we practice staying on a simulated refueling boom.

Maneuvering back to visual position in formation.

Visual position: closest we are suppose to get in T-1 formation.

A practice lost wingman while we were on the outside of the turn (we roll out while lead stays in the turn). This procedure simulates entering weather and losing sight of lead.

22 Oct 06 (Day 240) - Yes, Sunday

The start of Mission Familiarization...on a Sunday. We knew we would be flying weekends, especially those of us who were furthest back. Mission Fam is composed of 12 flights and a checkride. 4 Formation rides, 4 Aerial Refueling rides and 4 Airdrop rides. Today, I started on the formation block and the refueling and airdrop rides are intermixed. We came in at 0900 today for a 1000 brief. Obviously, things were laid back because we were the only ones on the squadron. There were 8 of us along with IPs for 4 jets flying two different formations. We can only fly two in a formation. The profiles are pretty simple. You fly to a MOA and then do a formation approach at an airfield, either land or seat swap and go back to the MOA and then return to Columbus. Today we didn’t have clear skies and we did a instrument departure and rejoined on top and we did a super sortie, meaning we didn’t land at a outbase. Flying formation isn’t too difficult, it is more of know correct communication and formation positions. Lead is pretty easy...just stay in the MOA and give the wingman various maneuvers (normally using autopilot). Wing is more challenging requiring you to handfly everything except cell formation. I did pretty well and I have plenty to get better on. It is great to be done with Nav and that things went well. God is good!

20 Oct 06 (Day 239)

NAVIGATION CHECKRIDE - 3E

Today ended extremely well! I came in to brief 2 hours prior for my local nav ride to finish it up - as I was pretty mentally drained. The brief went good and I did ground ops with a checkpilot for the third time. We took off and went to Monroe. The area was pretty busy when we got there and I was fortunate to get everything done. Way back in Tweets, I hooked my one and only UPT ride with my fix-to-fix and today I was slightly worried. It was a slightly weird one and I started to question myself but stuck with it and it was no kidding shacked down to the tenth of a mile. I did my turn in holding and ended up doing two extra turns in holding waiting to be cleared for the approach. I did a VOR circle, single engine ILS to a single engine missed and finally a localizer. They all went great and we departed. They changed my climb out procedures a few times and I had to keep up with what they wanted me to do. He took the jet and finished the ride after we got to cruise. Today was class 07-01’s graduation (we are now the senior class) and festivities were going on in the squadron. I got back and had about an hour before the GK(general knowledge) and EP (emergency procedure) session. I knew almost everything in the GK but he did stump me a few times. The GK covered instrument procedures as well as low level info. My EP was a bird strike on our low level creating an engine fire. That all went well and the checkride was over. I was relieved when he told me it was a strong ride and I should be happy. My three down grades were task management, holding and automation. Here is what happened. When I entered holding I was trying to get ahead on my approaches and I thought my autopilot was engaged in a certain mode and I moved the heading but but the autopilot was linked to the heading bug. The aircraft began to turn and I disengaged the autopilot. While this happened my airspeed dipped near 160 knots (hold at 180). I pushed it back up and all was well. Two downgrades for that one. I’m normally great at managing autopilot but it happens sometimes. My task management was because of a hesitation I had about the confusion with the numerous traffic at Monroe and whether at one point I was cleared for an approach. I didn’t proceed on the approach, so no foul just hesitation. Always ask if you aren’t sure. A huge weight has mentally been lifted and I’m thrilled to be done with the main portion of the T-1 program. When I got back our flight commanders released the assignment drop and it is below. It is an excellent drop. I have great flight commanders and I’m sure they’ll fight to get everyone’s aircraft choice (hehe...they’re probably reading this and that’s good points with the bosses). A final thought...I’m humbled by God and his blessing. I know that God can withhold or bless other than what we expect to put us in different places in life for his purposes.

We got our drop... this is the drop for all bases and the #s of planes aren’t included. I didn’t see any C-130s so God has let me know that they aren’t in my future. It is nice when choices are made easy like that.

19 Oct 06 (Day 238)

Today was it and the weather was horrible. I checked the weather about 15 times last night and about 3 before coming into the squadron. You can’t show up earlier than 3 hours 30 minutes prior to takeoff. I came in and printed off current weather, bird condition and notams (notice to airmen - notes and abnormalities about bases you are flying to). My primary low level was showing 800’ ceilings when I’m required 3000’ to fly the route (as I expected). So I had to flex to the back up low level and I got to choose my out bases that are close to IR67 for my Nav portion of the checkflight. The forecast was 8k’ for my alternate route but I doubted that forecast and rightly so. I was pretty nervous as this checkride is huge. I have prayed for some time and I needed to trust in God that he would bless me as he saw fit. The brief went good. The checkpilot told me today would be challenging and to try to do my best. I planned my low level first followed by a Nav ride from Chattanooga, TN to Knoxville. We took off and we were one of the few people flying in the pea soup (raining) and ceilings around 900’. They gave us a certain clearance for the typical arc departure out of Columbus but when they actually cleared us for takeoff they changed the clearance to “runway heading to 5k’.” This was eerie because I could easily hook my checkride if I flew the wrong departure. A student from 07-01 hooked their checkride for the exact same situation. Well I took off and went to the entry point of the low level. The weather was much lower than forecasted and Kelly who was entering the route 10 minutes ahead of us decided not to enter. We entered with near abort weather. We continued and got to about 20 minutes into the 35 minute low level and I made the call to abort (I later found out that the IP was on the verge of calling the abort himself, so I’m glad I called it myself). The reason we aborted was that the clouds were so low that we didn’t have the visibility to actually see ahead. I coordinated for our clearance to Chattanooga and we started to turn on our icing equipment to fly through the cold clouds. Well, we got a flashing master caution (yellow) and warning (red) lights and this is bad. I actually heard the circuit breakers pop beside me. Our T-tail anti-icing and de-icing equipment had broke and that meant our checkride was over as this was an EP. We know from the get-go that if an EP occurs the ride is over the the IP will likely fly home. I got out the dash one (our operation manual) and read all the procedures which was pretty limited - bring it home. He flew it home and we landed one to a full stop. The tower called standby (no launches or landings because visibility was below one mile) several times but we were able to land. We got back to the squadron and considered trying to fly a local to complete the checkride. Several jets diverted from Columbus to Montgomery, AL but the weather would be clearing in about two hours. I quickly got together a local flight to perform my fix to fix, holding, three approaches and the required two landings. I planned to Monroe, LA. We got a spare jet and I performed all the ground ops (required on one of the two sorties). That went well (he asked GK questions during the walk around) and we got ready to take off. We began the takeoff roll and we got a flashing light in the cockpit 5 knots below rotate speed so the IP called “abort, abort, abort” and I pulled the throttles to idle and did a high speed abort. We delayed getting on the brakes so that we wouldn’t have hot brakes when we stopped. We couldn’t get another jet because there weren’t anymore spares and we wouldn’t finish before nighttime (a requirement). So this long day was over and I still had to finish tomorrow. Kelly didn’t finish here checkride either. Another night of waiting... and I still have the nav portion, GK and the EP to do...more prayer.

Radar image of checkride day...notice the junk right over MS and my low level route.

18 Oct 06 (Day 237)

Today was planning. It is in the checkride ROEs (Rules of Engagement) that the student should have one day to prepare all the mission materials. There are currently two checkride low levels that are reserved for checkrides only. You can’t fly them ahead of time. I was assigned the VR1072 route (the other is IR 067). Well, the forecasted weather for tomorrow is horrible for VR 1072 and I might have to flex to IR 067. The student is suppose to report into check flight with 4 plans. Your first plan will be flying the assigned low level on the first half and the navigation ride on the second. You also plan the reverse. Your third and fourth plans utilize the backup low level (IR 67 for me). You end up with four flight plans, 8 Form 70s(fuel calculations for flight) and two low level charts (one you made and the other borrowed from a friend but you’re still responsible for accuracy). It took me about 6-7 hours of prep time and then about 3 hours of GK review. Kelly and I planned for awhile as we both have our checkrides tomorrow.

17 Oct 06 (Day 236)

Today went well and I finished all of my required flights for the Navigation Phase minus the checkride. I’m scheduled for my checkride Thursday with a #4 profile full stopping at Jackson, MS. Today started with an EPQ at 0915. I came in around 0800 to plan for today’s double turn. The EPQ is starting to cover Mission Fam stuff so it is a change of material but the sim I had Friday helped out. I was blessed with a 100%. I then briefed up around 1018 for our 1218 takeoff. I chose to do the low level second, something not too common, due to clouds that were suppose to move out and increase the ceilings and vis. We took off and went straight to Mobile, AL and did vectors to a SE GPS and missed approach, full procedure NDB and vectors to a VOR circle to land. We then went to Montgomery for a High Pen for a full stop ILS. Winds were the main factor today. I had no kidding 50 knot crosswinds while doing my fix-to-fix to the initial point on the High Penetration. On the low level our first segment, we saw 40 knot crosswinds. This makes things very sporty trying to maintain a straight line to the intended destination. The Nav flight was good and my fix-to-fix wasn’t perfect but still within training standards. My low level was something else. Like I said the winds were directly opposite of what was forecasted and I had to make on the spot corrections while we were avoiding some pop-up thunderstorm cells. We finished the low level and flew back for a visual straight-in for the center runway. When I came back I received my checkride profile and check pilot. I received #4 (6 possible profiles) which includes a High Penetration, VOR or TACAN, Single engine precision to a single engine missed. Not too bad but the check pilot is known to be one of the harder ones. So we’ll see. The checkride that somehow got off yesterday, he received a 3E. Tomorrow will be a day off, full of planning. I do have some less than pleasant news for our class. We are so far behind that we now know we will be flying Assignment Night weekend and Veteran’s Day weekend in order to graduate on time. 

It has arrived...the coveted Assignment Night glass. It is for some reason missing the yellow color but I guess some drinks will give that color. These will be on sale for $5.

16 Oct 06 (Day 235)

The weather didn’t cooperate today. I delayed planning last night until this morning and still no options looked good. I went in and found everybody scampering for a solution...none to be found. I was scheduled for my double turn to my checkride. Well, we tried to flex to a copilot ride for myself and another but when we were out at the plane about to start engines, Jayhawk (T-1 supervisor on radio) said that if we couldn’t get back by 1600 local (due to a second wave of storms) then don’t go. That was 4.5 hours away so we had to cancel. I came home around 1400 and took a wonderful nap. We’ll try again tomorrow. The third checkride score from Friday was a 6G.

13 Oct 06 (Day 234)

T-1/SUPT SIM COMPLETE

Today I wasn’t scheduled to fly as there weren’t enough jets for everyone. We had three checkrides today and two of the scores were a 5G and 2E (go Paul Haley). I was planning to come in, in the afternoon, to prep for Monday’s double turn but I got a call at 1340 for a 1430 sim brief with my friend Will. It is the only sim in the Mission Familiarization Phase of T-1s. So I quickly got ready and scanned the prep material that they give you. It was a blast. You practice taking off from Columbus and going to a refueling anchor over Tupelo, MS. We first practiced being the tanker and it basically works like this. The Tanker flies to a point and orbits until the receiver passes a particular point. The tanker then continues the orbit and turns in front of the receiver. You go through a series of points up to contact which means the receiver is on the boom (where the fuel is transferred). We did two tanker rendezvous and then two times as the receiver and that part is only work when you have to stay on the boom. Then the Sim instructor, realizing this was our last sim in pilot training allowed us to try aerobatics. I did a spoiler roll, split S and a loop. The control pressures were tremendous and I understand why the T-1 doesn’t do aerobatics. A fun way to end the week. Three weeks to assignment (a week and a half until we see the master drop). 

12 Oct 06 (Day 233)

Today was a first for me. I came in at 0530 for a earlier takeoff (with prep and briefing) of 0836. I was flying with an IP and no jump (same as the checkride). I had planned to fly IR70 (local instrument route) low level, full stop at Monroe, LA and then shoot down to Alexandria, LA for drop-in approaches before coming back home. Well, we started to enter the route using a fix to fix and I thought I had found the town that is the entry point. I stopped following my fix to fix procedures to ensure I was over the town and I had actually found the wrong town. We caught it before turning over the wrong town and I found the right entry point. It is important to identify the physical point with instruments and not just by visual means. Well we did the first segment, turned and we’re staring straight at a huge thunderstorm cell sitting right on the route. I suggested we turn on the radar to see the intensity and it showed up with red color which is bad. The clouds were co-altitude at 1500’ AGL (above ground level) so we were forced to climb to the top of the segment route block of 3000’ AGL. We turned over the turn point based on timing but the cell extended further down the route meaning that we couldn’t continue. We climbed VFR (visual means only) and then picked up our clearance to Monroe. The T-1 formation airdrop jets behind us ended up aborting as well and two more separate jets entering the route after us were denied entry into the route and forced to also come to Monroe. My IP called back and they decided to complete the mission and not make me repeat it since I had completed all the checklists and actually got to see a route abort (not too common). I flew a Nav ride from Monroe to Alexandria and then back home. I delayed for a normal ASR (airport surveillance radar) approach as a single engine to a single engine missed. We departed to Alexandria and then did a VOR to runway 14 then circle to 18 but we were given a restricted low approach meaning we couldn’t descend below 500’ AGL so I did a missed approach. Then we were planning a full procedure GPS approach but I had trouble entering the approach in the box due to one of the starting points not being available in the database. We altered the approach to enter at a different point and when we got to the final approach fix (were I start my final descent) the GPS didn’t have enough satellite coverage to guarantee the proper sensitivity so I had to go missed approach again. We had a strong crosswind at altitude so we didn’t have time for a high penetration approach at Columbus so we did a low altitude ILS were I had my first landing of my Navigation ride. It was a good ride and I only have on double turn ride left (a low level and Nav ride) to check. With weather cooperating, I should check on Wednesday of next week. Today was the official welcome ceremony for the T-6 Texan II at Columbus. We had a composite flyby and a old T-6 Texan ) flyby. The first class to have T-6s is 08-02. The 41st FTS will handle the T-6s and the 37th will still fly the T-37 until they are fully replaced. It should work were the even classes get T-6s (since they go to the 41st).

11 Oct 06 (Day 232)

I didn’t fly or sim today but went in the afternoon to plan tomorrow’s flight. We had a USEM event in the afternoon and myself and Paul got the fortunate honors of getting picked for the EP. They read through a list of people who needed to do EPs but they all had Nav checked already. It was hydraulic failure (trying to use the speed brake to slow down on the low level) and we aborted the route and flew back to Columbus to do land a zero flap landing. We did the emergency gear extension and used the emergency braking system. Pretty benign day.

10 Oct 06 (Day 231)

Yesterday was Columbus Day and it was a holiday. Today I flew with Rob to Montgomery, AL. Rob flew first and he flew VR 1031 (visual route) that is owned by the Navy at Meridian NAS. He then full stopped at Montgomery Regional. We had some Thai for lunch downtown before I flew the second half. I flew a full procedure ILS single engine to a single engine missed approach before flying over to Mobile Regional. I did a fix to fix and planned one turn in holding. The controller left us in holding for a while before clearing us for a VOR circle to the landing runway. After the final approach fix (FAF) when I was in my final descent, the controller broke off the approach and turned me away from the field - very non standard. I then received vectors to the NDB to runway 14 for a touch and go. I then flew back to Columbus for the high penetration ILS starting at FL230. It was fun as always and then I full stopped. It was a good flight and I ended up with a 2.1 hour flight. I had a downgrade on EP which was generator failure in the weather on an approach. I was cocked and ready for a electrics out situation which it ended up not to be. We had our weekly EPQ and the Lord blessed me with a 100% (as well as many others). The two checkrides from last Friday didn’t go as well as planned and they were two hooks. One was for clearance and checklists problems on takeoff and the other hook dealt with getting and flying the wrong clearance (flew other than what he briefed). They both had their 88 rides today and both passed as expected. All people who checked last week and who are going to check this week are flying this weekend out of GTR (nearby airfield) since CBM will be closed. We are over 8 days behind the timeline and we’re trying to catch the class up.

6 Oct 06 (Day 230)

Today, Will White, my good friend, and I got to fly for the first time. Will flew first and took us up to Chattanooga and then to Knoxville, TN (and I didn’t break down this time on a Friday). When we were flying up there the weather was overcast at 2k’ so with that ceiling, I wouldn’t be able to fly my low level. I planned to fly VR1056 which is a visual route and requires 3k’ ceilings and 5 miles vis. Well the cloud ceilings broke up and I was able to fly this low level that started near Dalton, GA and circled around Chattanooga. We had a great time flying through the mountains taking a total of 32 minutes at 240 knots ground speed. We ended up flying a 1.8 hour sortie which is not ideal (a little long - 1.6 normal). Normally, we you plan a mission, IPs like it if you plan to accomplish required maneuvers in the allotted time period using only 250 knots for your enroute speed. I have seen people get talked to by IPs when they could only make a location and get the required maneuvers if they cruised near the top speed envelope. We had 5 checkrides go today and they earned a 4G, 3E, 4G and they other two I don’t know yet. Anyways, tonight I went to the last assignment night before 07-02’s. It is unbelievable to think that I will be up there next in four weeks. In a previous entry, I attached the master drop to all the bases for all 07-01 classes, so here below is Columbus’s 07-01 final drop. 

4-5 Oct 06 (Day 228-9)

Yesterday, I didn’t fly or sim but we did have a Nav checkride brief from two IPs in the check section. Today was a good day and back in the jet after 8 days. I flew with Paul Haley and I flew first from Columbus down to Gulfport, MS. We tried to get a high penetration but that was denied and we finally got a single engine localizer to a single engine missed approach followed by a GPS approach. I, before today, had not been to the area devastated by Katrina but when we did our VFR point-to-point from Gulfport to Mobile, AL. I saw plenty. We saw multiple FEMA trailer parks and we saw plenty of slabs where buildings, houses and shopping centers use to be. We flew over a Christian Pass and started the 20 minute VFR section where we flew to tips of islands and then over a lighthouse (which I couldn’t find but it could have been washed away) and then to a fort on the tip of another island. We performed a VFR arrival and straight-in at Downtown Mobile airport followed by a VOR circle to the landing runway. Right at a 2 hour sortie. We had free pizza and then Paul flew us back the same way. When we got back we had a short USEM EP covering simple nordo (no radio) in the weather. We had our first two nav checkrides go today and they received a 4G and 4G. Great way to start. I’ve got a low level scheduled over in the TN mountains tomorrow.

3 Oct 06 (Day 227)

Good news. I’m scheduled to get back started with this flying thing. I’m scheduled for Thursday and Friday and I expect to be flying near daily until graduation. We took our EPQ and the Lord blessed me with a 100%. 

2 Oct 06 (Day 226)

For half the class, this week is full steam ahead getting ready for the 7 plus Nav checks at the end of this week. I’m in the second half and I’m not scheduled to fly this week. There’s just not enough IPs. I worked on my low level chart for 4 hours last night and about 3-4 this morning and finished it. You are required to hand drawn the chart for your checkride low level. I’m heading up the shadow box effort and I picked up the hero shots and class picture from the graduation office today (see below). I also included pics of my low level chart. The base arts & crafts shop laminates them for $2.

The red circles are towers we have to avoid and the blue circles are airfields. The black outer lines are the route corridor with the particular route I’ll fly being the center line with timing marks. The one column table with a triangle on top are called doghouses and they contain heading, distance, and timing information for that leg.

This is the back of the chart and it includes route corridor description, hazards, form 70, legend and route brief.

Great looking 07-02

30 Sep 06

FAA Certification

This was, of course, not official USAF duty but more personal. We met at 0800 and 31 people from 07-01 and 07-02 took the class put together and offered through one of our LSI instructors. We first filled out our FAA application for our commercial, instrument, multi-engine and Beachjet 400 type rating. We had class from 0800-1100 covering FAA questions and information that was different from normal stuff we learned in our military training. We then went to a FAA representative to get our application reviewed and ensure we were ready for the test. After lunch, we went the testing center which was composed of three computers at the Lowdnes County airport (local). Some people were done are 1300 and I was near the end and finished around 1600. Everyone passed, as expected, and I made a 96%. I missed two and I have no idea which ones. The test is 50 multiple choice questions (a/b/c) and you need a 70% to pass. I highly recommend getting this at the price of $215 while you are in SUPT as you never know when you may need it. Upon graduation, I’ll mail off my application and will receive my certificate afterwards.

28-29 Sep 06 (Day 224-5)

I didn’t fly or sim yesterday or today. Yesterday we had a wing photo at 0830. At 1430ish we had a USEM event which revolved around Nav GK. This morning, we came in at 0900 to have a pubs page count which means you actually go page by page through both volumes of publications to ensure you the most up-to-date stuff. Apparently, two people hooked checkrides for having old stuff and since we are coming up on checkrides our IPs figured it would help us out. Afterwards we had a thorough grade book check. The first of the fiscal year starts on Monday so flying should pick up.

27 Sep 06 (Day 223)

Today, Scott (SRO) and I had our last navigation sim. In this last sim you actually choose and fly your own profile. I chose to fly to Mobile, AL (an option for my Nav checkride). I flew first and it wasn’t one of my best rides although the grades were good. I flew a single engine ILS and just to let you know the sim is horrible at creating this condition and it doesn’t fly at all like the real aircraft. Then I flew a Tacan approach followed by a GPS. The sim was pretty short and afterwards Scott flew us to Gulfport, MS. After this our class had #16 of 22 EPQ and 15 of 16 people were blessed with a 100%, including myself. Today, 07-01 got the list of assignments for all bases (Vance, Laughlin, and here). From the list of aircraft given on that assignment cycle, each student fills out a dream sheet from the master list (all bases). Each class from each base gets a list for their particular class and after the dream sheets are turned in the the flight commanders may switch aircraft between the bases. I hope I explained that clearly. Below is the drop for all T-1 07-01 students (minus out Guard and Reserve students who already know their planes and assignments). I did notice no C-130s and a good many C-17s. I’m glad the Lord is in control and he will send us where he needs us!

26 Sep 06 (Day 222)

Today turned out to be a great day. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I was suppose to fly with the squadron commander and he was giving the Maj who was the actual IP a checkride (on his instructor abilities). The Maj went DNIF and the commander and I flew. We flew a local flight that ended up being 2.5 hours. Some jets canceled this morning and they needed more hours to settle the end of fiscal year account. We flew down to Monroe (just like yesterday) and I did two approaches a VOR and a no-gryo ASR single approach to a single engine missed approach. Busy couple of approaches before I got my VFR point to point from Monroe to Jackson, MS (Guard C-17 unit). That was painless and the visibility outside was nearly 100 miles (literally). After my VFR arrival and straight in we picked up an IFR clearance and flew back to Columbus for a low altitude ILS (after a fix to fix and holding). He went over how to file your VFR clearance and how to pick back up an IFR clearance as well. EPs covered included loss of steering on the ground and during landing rollout and then a blown tire on takeoff. He was easy to fly with and it was a confidence booster.

25 Sep 06 (Day 221)

No EPQ today because they are reserving that fun for later this week, Weds thru Fri, when we are having no-fly days to get all the flying hours/operations money accounted for at the end of the fiscal year (ending this weekend). I flew with Vic from my class on an out-and-back low level (IR 70 - instrument route). Flying second always helps and today I did. Vic flew the departure and IR 70 which lasted 35 minutes and then to Monroe, LA. I took off and flew the fix-to-fix to the route entry and flew the same low level. Today I had to apply the correction formulas for arriving at a point early and being off route centerline so that was good to see. I didn’t miss any radio calls like last time. I had to push up the speed (above normal 250 knots) to get back in a 1.6 hour flight and I flew the contact approach (visual approach for center runway). A good flight. I also discovered from the scheduling board that I’m scheduled to fly a flight with the squadron commander and another major tomorrow.

21-22 Sep 06 (Day 219-220)

Thursday I didn’t fly but came in the afternoon to plan a VFR point-to-point (two required in the second block of Navigation rides) from Chattanooga to Knoxville, TN. Friday was a mess to say the least. I came in around 0645 for our 0818 brief for a 1018 takeoff. The weather in the entire southeast wasn’t looking so good but we tried the TN route. We also saw gusty winds but still down the runway versus a crosswind (which limits us to 15 knots crosswind wet). We took off and got to Chattanooga and the controller was busy and told us to enter holding and wait almost 25 minutes so obviously we abandon the VFR point-to-point for Sandy and went directly to Knoxville. Near Chattanooga was the darkest (besides at night) I have ever seen the cockpit due to the gray stuff we were flying through. We would dodge the red & magenta color cells (high intensity) on our weather radar and aim for the green (precipitous clouds). When we got to Knoxville Sandy eventually got 4 approaches and we landed in the rain. Aircraft parking was pretty filled with people flying their planes in for the University of Tenn game. We wanted to quick turn the time on the ground so we could get home at a reasonable time to get the weekend started. We ate at Subway and they I briefed up what I wanted to do on the way home. We did the preflight in the rain and then went to start the engines. We started the engine sequence and when I went to start the #2 (right) engine nothing happened. No power drain, no engine rotation at all. We tried about 5 more times and nothing, no popped circuit breakers and nothing we could see from the operator perspective. No T-1s were in the area to take us home that had extra seats in the back so...we rented a car from Avis and drove 6 hours back home on a Friday night! So my preparation last night for the flight and for the VFR point-to-point was not used and I didn’t complete any mission. That is the way it sometimes goes. Small fun thing; right after we broke a B-17 from WWII was on display and they let me tour it for free. It was very interesting as I walked through it and saw how far aircraft have come in 6 decades. 

Our jet getting towed off the active parking ramp after breaking

B-17 from WWII

Nose art of the past

A few of the many guns on the B-17

Although they added GPS in the center console, it is amazing to see a cockpit from 1945 (WWII)

20 Sep 06 (Day 218)

This morning started out with a raccoon tearing up my garage (ran in last night before I closed the door) and leaving droppings everywhere. Anyways, I came in around 0645 for our 0706 (2.5 hour brief versus 2.0 for normal navigation rides). There is significant more information to brief such as the entry and exit points and characteristics of each turn points (normally around 6-10). In addition, you brief good update points that aren’t necessarily a turn point. You have to make your entry time +/- 4 minutes which necessitates a precise takeoff. So we taxied a little early and then sat in the hammerhead (parking lot for airplanes) and asked for a controlled takeoff giving the tower our desired takeoff time. I flew first today and I flew the departure to a navaid and then did a fix-to-fix to the entry point (as required on checkride). It is good to remember that you can navigate VFR sooner than you think (out of clouds and looking ground landmarks). Your time is filled with accomplishing checklists and getting prepared to enter your low level, i.e. ensuring you will hit the entry point +/- 4 minutes - control with speed and secondly with holding if necessarily. I got a little focused on finding the entry point (some random town) and forgot my initial route entry call, but remembered shortly thereafter. It was easier than you think to find towers, small lakes, bridges as you navigate. We fly 500 AGL normally and we set our avionics to alert us if we duck under this altitude. You climb 500’ above towers within 2 miles and then with a 2k’ horizontal radius once you see the tower. Today our low level portion was 42:28 and my total flight was 1.6. We exited the low level and tried and finally picked up our IFR clearance to Montgomery, AL where we full stopped after a visual arrival and straight-in. While we were going to and from the Subway in the terminal we saw a slick (normal cargo) and spec op (special operations) C-130s in the pattern. They looked very cool but also pretty slow. After lunch Sandy flew the same route and back to Columbus. A T-1 had a birdstrike that simply smeared on the windshield with no structural damage while we were returning to base. We were scheduled for a USEM event after flying so after waiting around for an hour or so after our flight, we were truly surprised with a random no-notice navigation GK quiz. I believe it went pretty well and I missed one part of one question ( it was fill in the blank and true/false). After that it was time to go home. Tomorrow I’m not scheduled to fly or sim.

18-19 Sep 06 (Day 216-7)

Monday was pretty benign as I didn’t fly or sim or have to go in. I simply studied and prepared at home. Today I went in around 1400 to be there for the EPQ that was being given after flying. I also was put on the schedule for Wednesday for my first home station low level (first was on cross country). We had the EPQ and the Lord blessed me with a 100%. It was finalized and Sandy and I planned our low level for VR 1031 which is controlled by Meridian NAS (Navy). Every low level route is controlled by somebody wether it be the 50th (38s) or us or by the Navy south of here. During low levels the IP flies the duration from the right seat. You are tasked with all radio calls, checklists and directions. Basically you are a navigator. Low levels incorporate two new checklists, entry and exit. There are IR (instrument route - ATC monitors your squawk code), VR (visual route need better weather and you have less input from ATC) and SR ( slow route were you fly obviously slower around 210 vs 240 for VR/IR). 

15 Sep 06 (Day 215)

Today I came in at 0730 for a 0800 brief for an 0915 sim: #5 of 6 Nav sims. This was the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) sim where we experience flying approaches of foreign countries. ICAO standards are a set of general rules that all countries should try to follow in creating and maintaining airspace and approaches. There are a few minor differences that you need to be aware of. Basically, the USA has an outstanding FAA and airspace structure aimed at keeping us safe. Other countries I may fly into require more pilot judgment in place of poor approaches and airspace control. Near the end of SUPT several of the LSI instructors (sims) offer a Saturday class that helps you obtain you commercial type 1 & 2 at the completion of your training. We’re having the class on Sep 30 and the cost per person is $215 for the class, test and application. Here is the advertisement. I highly advise getting this even if you think you won’t need it. 

After the sim, I had the afternoon off before I went to 06-15’s Assignment Night. Now only one more class until our class has assignment night (07-01). Our class finally had our dollar ride ( & team ride too) at Clint’s house. IPs come as well as students to have one of a few social occasions where IPs and students relax.

06-15 Assignment Night Drop

14 Sep 06 (Day 214)

TEAM RIDE

We all met at 0945 for members going on team rides today and there were 6 jets in all, 5 for students and 1 for the IP mothership. We all planned the short 1.6 hour flight which would start here and end up at, guess where, North Regional Fayetteville, AR where I’ve been multiple times. Planning didn’t take that long so I actually spent some of that time prepping for my sim tomorrow morning. It was very weird not having an IP directing us around so it was nice. Our meeting at 0945 basically briefed us on the weather, route of flight and dos and don’ts for a team ride. A team ride is defined as when two students sit in the left and right seat. God blessed us with a beautiful day. We took off around 1300. Our call signs were “Cat Paw 1-5” respectively. We were Cat Paw 4. Cat Paw 3 stepped to a spare so they took off last. The mothership took off first and went ahead to the base where we were all landing at. All ships were on a common frequency for any problems, etc. Kelly flew us first and had a pretty uneventful ride. We flew a 1.6 ending with vectors to a single straight-in - pretty low difficulty. One IP monitors the landings from the tower and the other monitors the common frequency on the radio in their jet. This may seem like overkill but they just recently started letting us do team rides after some crazy stuff happened in the past. The good rumor is that two students put the plane on autopilot and both got out to take a picture which they posted on their website - pretty dumb plan. The other issue that was rumored to have stopped team rides was that the plane having trim problems in the past and they were worried about students having EPs with this as it can become hard to control the plane when you have runaway trim. Anyways, we had our traditional barbecue there. A few people tried to sneak off a “meow” (pretty corny I know) on the radios. Kelly did the ground ops and I flew us back home. Shortly after takeoff, the controller altered our flight plan back home and shortly after changing our route of flight, we got a “Traffic, Traffic” warning from our TCAS (traffic collision avoidance system). We started to look for the nearby traffic that could be a hazard. All the sudden it turned red and we received a TCAS command to deviate from our clearance altitude to avoid a hazard. It gives you a ft/min change to perform to become clear of the conflict so I complied. Kelly found the traffic - it was a commercial airliner descending through our flight path. That raised the hair on my neck and we got back to our clearance and took care of things. I finished our flight back and flew vectors to an ILS to end our flight. It was a pretty straight forward simple flight but it was great to take a million dollar jet up in the air by ourselves. 

The blue bag up front is the publications bag that we are required to take on every flight. It contains approach plates, sectionals, low charts (airways up to 18k’), high charts (18-45k’), etc.)

An absolute beautiful day!

Six of us in all, three gray jets up front and three white in the back.

Kelly doing the walkaround before I flew us back home.

The GPUs (ground power units) with the gray jets. They help with cooling down the jet and getting engines started.

13 Sep 06 (Day 213)

SUPT ACADEMIC COMPLETE

That’s right we had our last academic sessions (non-testable) today starting at 1200 covering introduction to our Mission Familiarization Block of training. This block gives an intro into aerial refueling, airdrop and formation. It seems a little ahead of schedule but with the slowdown in flying at the end of the fiscal year, we have time. After that we had a standup that covered a bird strike in an engine causing a fire on a low level route. You climb to the route abort altitude and stay clear of clouds until you get a clearance form ATC (air traffic control) and land at the nearest suitable base. Tomorrow is our team ride so I’m definitely excited to take a T-1 out without an IP - details tomorrow.

12 Sep 06 (Day 212)

I came in this morning around 1030 for our #15 of 22 EPQ. I woke up early this morning to study as last night we got in late. A few tricky questions but the Lord blessed me with a 100%. I was finishing up a gradebook update and getting ready to leave when the assistant flight command asked/told me that I was flying a copilot ride for my classmate Paul so he could fly the backhalf at night since we are on late weeks and squadron chocks (end of flying) was at 2200. I grabbed a quick lunch and learned that we were flying to Scott AFB, IL with a drop in in Millington, TN. On the preflight inspection of the aircraft, my IP found a stuck switch on the landing gear that would have caused us to get a bad indication on gear retraction - good catch as that would have prevented our continued flight today. There were some pretty bad storms so we were delayed on our departure but it was mostly clear for the rest of our trip. I flew as copilot out to Millington for a visual straight-in and then I got a 30 flap pattern before we departed for Scott for a GPS followed by a few patterns for a 1.9 (hour). It is pretty cool that I ate lunch in MS and had dinner in IL. We stopped outside St Louis and had dinner in a small town outside the base. After Paul flew us back, we landed at about 1000 and I was finished just before 1030 so a nice 12 hour day - and unexpected due to being put in a copilot ride.

11 Sep 06 (Day 211)

I was scheduled to fly with another classmate so that both Kelly and I could fly the second parts of our mission to finish up our night time. My partner and I preliminarily planned for Robins AFB, GA to Savannah, GA yesterday and the weather was still good this morning. My partner went DNIF just before 1000, when we were going to mission plan, so a member of another class was put in to fly with me, so after two other attempts to find a new partner, a guy from 07-01 class was called back in to fly a copilot ride on the first half. So the first half was a normal Copilot ride for my partner to Robins AFB around 1630 local and landing at Savannah shortly after 1700 local. I never got to see the ocean as visibility was poor due to haze. I flew the sortie back home and got exactly 2.0 hours of nighttime up to 4.0 our requirement in T-1s. I flew a VOR approach to one runway and circled to another and then flew to Robins. I shot another VOR (a published teardrop course) as a single engine and then did a zero flap pattern and landing for currency for our scheduled team ride on Thurs, Sep 14. We flew back home for the ILS to a full stop but we were unable to complete the full procedure due to thunderstorms sitting right on our approach course. As usual, we gave way to the thunderstorms and landed. We got out at 2200 for a full 12 hour day.  On a different note, always a prayer of thanksgiving as we’ve had another Sep 11 pass by without another direct terrorist attack. 

8 Sep 06 (Day 210)

No flying or siming today either. I came in after lunch to study for the EPQ Monday and for the USEM event. It turned out to be just a good bit of Nav GK. We had three teams go on their team sortie today. One crew had an actual EP on the way home. They were beginning to descend through clouds and they turned the anti-ice equipment on and then they got a master warning light with an associated bleed air duct overheat annunciator. This annunciator normally indicates hot engine bleed air is leaking out of the tubing and possibly overheating other components. They pulled out the checklists handled it and then called back to the jet with IPs following the team jets and let them know. Since the EP was resolved and the light went out they simply flew back home as normal. No other big news...

7 Sep 06 (Day 209)

No flying or siming today. I came in after lunch because the flight commander was giving midterm feedbacks for Phase III. This is where the he/she gives you your ranking and recognizes your strengths and weaknesses. My advice still stands from the end of Phase II and that is to be involved to a level where your leadership sees it. Sounds like playing a game but your supervisors/leaders will have a hard time stratifying (ranking) you if they don’t see public teamwork or leadership, etc. Good career advice. Anyways, he also said that our schedule may slow down even more due to the end of the fiscal year. Our sister flight, 07-01, will be getting most all the jets in the next few weeks to ensure they are completed prior to their assignment night/graduation. I heard that the 38 guys are flying about once a week due to similar concerns. The issue is that the squadron/wing runs out of operations money and you simply can’t fly when the money runs out.

6 Sep 06 (Day 208)

Today was my last dreaded EP sim. I met Kelly at 1030 to review the EPs and how to handle them before our 1115 brief for our 1230 sim. Our brief was relatively short and then Kelly started us off. The first part went pretty well (for an EP sim) and I flew the second part. Well, we started off with an engine starting malfunction forcing you to abort the start. We continued and during a cruise check I saw zero oil pressure in the right engine. Well, directed by me the acting aircraft commander, we shut down the engine and landed at the nearest airfield. I felt pretty good and we turned around to the sim IP to get feedback. He said I handled it pretty well but the only thing wrong was a circuit breaker was popped for the indicator making it faulty. So I shut down a good engine and landed at an emergency field. I should have slowed down and used the full dash one procedures (which would have directed me to look at the circuit breaker first). Well, my confidence bubble only went down a little bit. You have to resist getting jumpy in an EP sim. In the end, the most important thing is obviously I learned something - and I did. After the sim we came back to the flightroom for the EPQ. We had plenty of time to study and we finally took it around 1730. Our EPQs now are covering instrument rules (202 & 217 publications) and the quizzes definitely emphasis numbers found in the readings as well, not just rules. Questions involving numbers you either know or don’t know, so be ready. I believe I made around a 95%. We just found out that 4 teams are going on their team sorties on Friday (8th) and Kelly and I are going on next Tuesday. I’ll have more details later but team rides are where you and your partner with no IP fly a jet to an airfield for a single approach and land. After lunch you switch seats and fly back.

5 Sep 06 (Day 207)

I was definitely dragging today after a long weekend. We were scheduled for an out-and-back copilot ride and an EPQ in the afternoon. I had studied for the EPQ but not to the extent that I would have liked. I met Kelly at 0600 to plan for the ride. We originally planned for Louisville, KY then due to weather we made our final plans for Barksdale AFB, LA but after we asked the IP we ended up going to the same place as our last copilot ride, up to the regional airport in AR. One more note about how this morning started. Shortly after we arrived, a group of people came in and set up a station out in the hall. Once a year, a squadron is chosen for urinalysis and we were the lucky winners. I’m not sure how the process worked but the waits were long and many people’s flights were delayed, including ours. The medical folks have the authority and they are trying to catch anyone have fun with drugs/etc this weekend (as they should).  Shortly after takeoff, for the first time, we encountered icing. An aircraft just ahead of us passing through 18k’ made a PIREP (pilot report) on the weather, so we went ahead and turned on our ice systems just in time before we saw buildup on the windshield and wings. Our icing detector light came on as advertised. Ice buildup can add extra weight to your aircraft and change flight characteristics (like higher stall speeds). A T-37 could not have penetrated that cloud where we were at. The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful and just like the ride before. When we flew into the airfield, a F-16, NASA T-38 and multiple T-1s from Vance AFB were there. When we came back to base, we got the good news that because everyone was running late, the EPQ was rescheduled for tomorrow. The next few EPQs are suppose to be especially hard because they cover instrument rules that aren’t always logical. We are now under two months from assignment night and I’m always back and forth from C-17s and C-130s. It is good to know that God will put me where I belong as he has done up to now!

31 Aug - 1 Sep 06 (Day 205-206)

The Air Force members at CAFB have been given free football tickets to the opener for MSU vs. SC (SEC action - football). So alot of people were prepping for the tailgate party tonight and football game. Kelly and I did have the #4 of 6 nav sims today. It was a busy sim that truly tested your avionics knowledge of how to set up your instruments to fly multiple approaches - at night. I did pretty well but didn’t feel I brought my best (sometimes happens with a holiday weekend). Tomorrow is a no-fly day and I’ve finished up all my additional duties that I would have been required to do tomorrow - so tomorrow after lunch I leave for GA for the labor day weekend!

30 Aug 06 (Day 204)

This morning came pretty early. I woke up at 0500 because Kelly and I were meeting at 0600 to prep for our dual copilot ride. We planned for Charleston, SC but we ended up flying west due to area thunderstorms. We flew to Fayetteville, AR, home of the Razorbacks. Today we took off in the worst conditions I’ve see yet. It was near pea soup with ceilings around 900’. But today the IP was flying nearly the entire mission and I got in a 30 flap, single engine and zero flap landing (getting ready for our team sortie). My patterns weren’t too bad considering its been awhile but the flight was only 1.6 hours. The IP gave us a simulated EP in flight - that we lost cabin pressure at FL 270 and we had a crack in the side window. You get masks on and perform an emergency descent. Other than that you just land and have the flight doc look you over after a physiological emergency. We had barbecue for lunch and Kelly flew us home completing the same patterns and profile. It is just over two months to assignment night and I believe everyone is ready for that night now.

29 Aug 06 (Day 203)

Today was pretty short. I came in for an EPQ at 1400 and the Lord blessed many others and myself with a 100%. I did some gradebook updates and did some preliminary planning for our Copilot ride tomorrow which we’re hoping to fly into Charleston, SC.

25-28 Aug 06 (Day 199-202)

Cross Country

Friday

Here is how the cross country went. Good times but busy and I’m home safe. We showed up around 1100 so that our crew duty day (12 hours) would let us get the night leg in. Our assistant flight commander gave us a cross country brief and also our SUP (supervisor of flying) gave us a brief of what to do when we have unexpected difficulties. Our IPs were especially fond of everyone going to the same place so they could hang out as well as reduce the workload. We ensured we all had travel orders as well as the orders that allow us to take the plane. We did the normal mission planning and we finally took off around 1618. There were some storms in the area but we made it out all right. Kelly flew first and we went to Texarkana so Kelly could get a backcourse localizer and then she flew us to College Station, TX. We went to get some famous burritos at a nearby place right next to the Texas A & M campus - it was pretty large. It felt like the end of the day and we had good food but I still had to get back in the airplane and fly at night for the first time in the T-1. With all that said and done, getting night time is the main reason you go on cross country. You are required to get 4 hours of primary night time. It has to start after sunset so normal daily flights at home wouldn’t get it done. Flying at night was great. Difficulties include ensuring cockpit lighting is turned low and performing a good flare near touchdown due to visual allusions. I flew from College Station to Robert Gray Army Airfield in Texas where I did a no-gryo ASR and a localizer. I then flew down to our home base for the weekend at Lackland/Kelly field. They have a huge 10,000’ runway and a large amount of ramp space. We had 6 T-1s coming in so we rented three vans for everybody as our gaggle went around everywhere. I did the high penetration approach (starting at a high altitude and circling down to the field) for an ILS. Then we did some patterns after that and it was fun. It takes a little more effort getting oriented at night. We full stopped and I got 2 hours of night time ending around 2230. Base housing was full so we got hotels in San Antonio.

A T-44 from Corpus Christi Naval Air Station traveled up (far right) and several of our T-1s parked on the ramp at College Station, TX near Texas A & M.

Saturday

Today, we had Kelly and I’s first low level. Normally, they like for you to already have completed one before flying your off station low-level but that didn’t work out for us. I flew first and we flew out and to an area northwest of San Antonio to fly the VR (visual route) at 500’ AGL. It was a pretty desolate place and thunderstorm cells were all around. You fly out to the route, do a fix-to-fix to the first point at the beginning of the route corridor and then use ground references and timing for the rest. I had a good time and normally the IP flys the route. I got to fly a short segment and it really inspired me because C-130s fly low levels around 300’ AGL, even closer to the ground. It is all hand flown and you can have fun climbing over hills and cell phone towers to maintain 500’ above the ground/obstacles. It took about 30 minutes in the route and then I climbed out to do a visual arrival and straight-in (more maneuvers to grade - helps your overall grades) at a nearby airfield. Then we did a seat swap and Kelly flew the route a second time making it a super low level (two low levels in one flight). We had to do more thunderstorm avoidance on her flight and then she flew us back to Kelly for a visual arrival and pattern. Low levels are 1.6 hour flights so we got done around 1630. We went down to the River Walk in San Antonio and had some good food at a Texmex place. Trae from our T-44 guys came up from Corpus Christi to see us and we enjoyed ourselves. 

Out on the extremely hot Kelly ramp

A row of our T-1s. There was another row to my right. The IPs enjoyed going in mass to reduce mission prep and work in general.

Here are some 38s from Vance that were doing cross countries

C-5s operate from the Lackland Reserve unit

I put this picture on for Trae, who came up to visit us from Corpus Christi where he is now in T-44 training. The mist is from fans up above keeping us cool when it was in the upper 90s.

The Alamo, downtown San Antonio

And a side window shot of Kelly, my flying partner

Sunday

Today, I was hoping to fly into Dyess AFB outside Abilene, TX but weather prevented that. We ended up doing two sorties. I flew first down to Corpus Christi International airport and flew 4 approaches and returned for another high penetration approach at Kelly. It was one of the busiest flights we’ve had and I learned a few things. One thing is to make sure before you transfer control of the aircraft is which side the autopilot is engaged on. In between two of my approaches, I kept trying to get the aircraft to turn on autopilot and it wouldn’t. We weren’t climbing up to our assigned altitude and I finally figured out that it the aircraft was ignoring my commands because it was engaged on the IP’s side. I won’t do that again. Automation in the aircraft is good but you have to know what the aircraft is doing when it is engaged. We had a few hours before nighttime and we grabbed a quick bite to eat. Kelly flew the same route and approaches but during the night. I have to say, Corpus Christi looks like a great place to live. We finished around 2230.

Monday

By Monday, we were definitely getting tired. It was going to be a day of relaxing for me as Kelly had two navigation rides scheduled to help her get caught up because she hasn’t flown that much lately. Two planes did break at Kelly but luckily some repair crews from Randolph AFB(where they have T-1 IP training) came and repaired the planes on Monday. We took off from Kelly around 1100. She flew us down to Corpus Christi NAS where the T-44s fly out of so she could get a PAR. We then flew over the gulf back enroute to Lake Charles, LA. We we got an approach and pattern in before our short stop for lunch. We then took off just before a storm moved in to do a VFR point-to-point at 5500’ along the LA coast and it was great sitting jump seat getting to see it all. She did a localizer into Acadiana before flying us back home to Columbus. We really only had one period of a few hours to rest on Saturday so it was alot of work and quick planning due to dynamic weather. The next major event is our Navigation Check. Several members of 07-01, our sister class, are having their checks this week. I have to say, C-130s are still at the top of my list just above C-17s. The first picture below is of a pilot wearing NVGs (night vision goggles) that aircrew wear when operating at night and during night landings. The next picture is just a great shot of a C-130.

23-24 Aug 06 (Day 197-98)

Today and yesterday have been just planning for the cross country starting tomorrow and finishing up on Monday the 28th. Here is my advice, start with building your low level chart as that is the only thing that won’t change. Our plan has changed about 5 times and there was definitely some wasted time in there. I know that is the way it goes some times. Here is the plan as of this minute. Kelly is flying us out at 1400 to drop in at Texarkana, AR and landing at College Station, TX. I’m then flying from College Station dropping in at Waco, TX and finally landing at Kelly ARB, TX all of this leg being night time. On Saturday we are both doing our off-station (that being away from Columbus) low level flights. On Sunday, I’m flying up to Dyess AFB (1 of 2 C-130 AD bases) then up to Fort Worth, TX for dinner. Kelly will fly her leg at night from Fort Worth to Robert Gray AAF then back to Kelly ARB. On Monday, Kelly will fly two nav rides bringing us back to Columbus. I’ll get three rides and Kelly five. That will help get us on the same timeline towards our Navigation Checkride. I haven’t flown very much lately and I’m seeing why they have to delay some people. The class ahead of us has hit a stand still because everyone got to their checkride at the same time and they simply don’t have enough check pilots to get everybody at once. So some people are having to wait until after Labor Day to check which means they sit for awhile before their checkride, not normally being a good thing. I’ll check back in after the cross country with pictures and how it panned out.

22 Aug 06 (Day 196)

Well today was crazy and it was my birthday (I’m an old man of 27). With a long day of planning, Amanda and I will celebrate it maybe in a day or two. We were scheduled for me to fly my first low level and Kelly to fly hers as well. I came in at 1000 to review weather and to tie up any loose ends and we found the weather to not be sufficient to fly a low level. The clouds must be at least 1500’ and visibility 3 miles ( you‘ve gotta see those cell phone towers). The visibility dipped down to 2 so we decided to start planning a normal navigation ride. Our IP showed up around 1100 and checked how we were doing. He thought we might be able to make it on another low-level route so we started to plan for that. We briefed at 1248 for a 1448 takeoff. We did our best to prep for the new low level. We got out to the jet, quickly accomplished ground ops, got out to the hammerhead (where we line up and await clearance to takeoff) and a huge thunderstorm cell hit the field and it wasn’t on any radar picture. We ended up sitting there for about 30 minutes. We called the weather shop and they said our new low level wouldn’t work either, so we then defaulted to our third plan of a normal nav ride. We decided to go to Little Rock, AR followed by Texarkana, AR so Kelly could get a unique approach they have there called a back course localizer. Well, we flew around some thunderstorms and came in the Little Rock when we noticed a Master Caution light they alerted us to our left generator failing. After about 15 seconds it reset itself. So we monitored it and first did a GPS approach. On the touch-n-go, the Master Caution came on again - and that is not a good time to have a light in the cockpit. We did one more approach and then aborted the rest of the mission and flew back to Columbus. I ended with an ILS back home uneventfully. It did count as a Nav ride and Kelly got to sit jump the entire time. I didn’t get all the items graded I needed to get but that is the way it goes. Kelly and I aren’t scheduled to fly again till cross country which starts on Friday.

21 Aug 06 (Day 195)

The cross country people from the this past weekend got back in yesterday and many of them described it as all work and no play. Cross countries are normally used to get night time flying requirements in and you stay up late, sleep in and get some lunch before briefing for the next flight. Well I didn’t fly or sim today - I know, I’m saying that alot but its bound to pick up soon. We came in at 1100 for our weekly EPQ and God blessed me with a 95%. We had a tricky question that confused over 3/4 of the class, including myself on information from two different publications. Kelly and I spent a few more hours preparing for our first low level tomorrow. Our USEM decided to call a class EP at 1530 and it was a good one. You have dual generator failure with bad weather while shooting an approach. Generators provide your electricity for the glass cockpit. You have to realize you have to break off the approach and then request an approach that doesn’t require you to use many instruments - a no-gyro ASR. This simply tells you to turn right/left, descend, etc. You have to be familiar with the checklist or you may turn something off that you need, so a good one for the upcoming checkride. I worked out after that and came home.

18 Aug 06 (Day 194)

All of our first cross country crews left out yesterday afternoon. Kelly and I had our #3 of 6 navigation sims and it went well. We briefed at 1115 for a 1230 sim and it went pretty quick. We flew a back course localizer out of Jackson, MS and used GPS to fly to Meridian, fly a GPS approach and missed approach, hold and finish with an single engine ILS. Pretty straight forward but these approaches forced you to use all of the avionics functions to shoot the approaches (more complex avionics setup). We also started our paperwork for our cross countries that are starting next Friday and continuing through Monday. We were scheduled to go Scott AFB, IL but now we are going to Kelly ARB, TX (Reserve C-5 base). All of the cross country teams are going there and it will greatly reduce the mission planning required because all of us are sharing the workload. The last two weeks have definitely been slow but next week it will pick back up and will continue through Nav check.

17 Aug 06 (Day 193)

Not much happening today, just prepping for my sim tomorrow.

16 Aug 06 (Day 192)

T-6s are finally buzzing around overhead. The two T-6s I’ve seen have moved out onto the ramp and they were flying around, most likely establishing (figuring out) at pattern. I have to say I know the T-37 is a jet but I believe the T-6 can out perform it any day. The flying looked very crisp and climb performance was impressive for a hot day. They have also painted red prop semicircles around the parking spots (danger zone with engine operating). I got to fly today and it was good to get back in the saddle. I showed up at 0600 for our 0718 brief for a 0918 takeoff. Kelly flew out first to Chattanooga, TN and then to Knoxville, TN where the guard KC-135s operate. Today two runways, 1 at Chattanooga and 1 at Knoxville shutdown and prevented certain approaches so that was an unwanted surprise. After lunch in Knoxville I delayed for a localizer then flew to Chattanooga for an ASR and then a NDB shot to the non-landing runway and then circle to the opposite runway to land (NDB runway 20, land runway 2). I seemed to have to hold (fly an oval shape pattern to await clearance to begin approach) at every fix where the approaches began but it was good practice. We flew back to do the HI ILS back into Columbus where you start from 23,000’ and dive down to the airfield - good times. My landings weren’t very effected by the time between flights but my SA (situational awareness) was a little down because things that normally (when you fly everyday) come with little thought take a little more. A good day and we ended with a GK brief. GK briefs are about 5 minutes from the student about any random GK topic. We are responsible for one a week. I did the one for this week over autopilot control panel setup.

15 Aug 06 (Day 191)

Again, not much going on right now. We had our EPQ this afternoon and the Lord blessed me with a 100%. Kelly and I planned our flight tomorrow to drop in at Chattanooga, TN and land in Knoxville.

14 Aug 06 (Day 190)

Not much going on for me today. I came in to the squadron around 1330 for an EPQ in the afternoon but it didn’t happen because those who flew were approaching crew rest time (duty day limited to 12 hours). We’ll try again tomorrow. We have one person currently on CAP (Commander’s Awareness Program) and it isn’t a huge deal but you do have weekly (possibly two a week) ground evaluations with the USEM to ensure your GK and EP skills are satisfactory. After you have 3 rides or EPQs, etc in what ever caused you to get on CAP that are at the “Good” or above you are taken back off CAP. One classmate over sped their flaps today at the outbase and they were delayed getting back to Columbus. It can happen to anyone.

9-11 Aug 06 (Day 187-189)

On the 9th, I didn’t fly or sim but just studied more instrument GK and prepared a Navigation mission prep sheet which I put under the Gouge/Prep page. On the 10th, I didn’t sim or fly but did “sandbag” a sim for someone which means I filled in as a copilot for someone who needed a partner. Today I did get to fly a “singleton” which means we didn’t have a jumpseat and I flew a local mission that was graded as a 2.0 hour Nav ride. This was good as it prevents me from going too long and needing paperwork due to not flying in the last five days. We flew out to a nearby airport, Greenwood (normally a T-37 instrument base) and we shot a GPS approach, which due to near IFR traffic (instrument flight rules - basically directed by air traffic control) was delayed and changed. I did make one planning error. 6000’ is the minimum runway length and Greenwood had 6500’. Well, full stop distances check good for Greenwood but not touch-n-goes. Today, we required 7600’ for our touch-n-go so in-flight I informed him that we would only do a low approach. He said it was better I told him now than try to actually do the touch-n-go and get too close for comfort on our takeoff. Lesson learned... It took us nearly 30 minutes to shoot the approach when it normally takes around 15 minutes. We were already short on time because I had also included a VFR point-to-point portion to the flight. You are required to have a 30 minute VFR portion in the first block and two VFR portions in the second block. Since this was a singleton, after the GPS approach, I picked out some major cities and bridges to use as turn points and it went great. I planned our altitude as 5500’ (3000’ AGL) minimum but clouds pushed us down to 3500’. It took just over 30 minutes. I was flying with a C-130 pilot so we talked about what C-130 low level are like. We flew on autopilot the entire time and we adjusted for in-flight winds and it was absolutely great. We completed a VFR (visual flight rules) arrival at Meridian, a transition outbase, and a straight-in. We then picked up an IFR clearance back to Columbus and we flew back for an ILS. We had a full flight and our goal was a 2.0 hour flight and we landed with 1:59. We did have to avoid some vicious looking thunderstorm cells on the way back. I’m not scheduled to fly Monday or Tuesday and then I’ll start up with everyone who is going on the second cross country block. Today, I simply had a great appreciate for the T-1. It is a good plane and I’m glad I’m getting to fly it. The T-1 can be very good to you if you know how to use her - that is all the avionics.

8 Aug 06 (Day 186)

Today I didn’t fly or sim. A couple of the teams have switched partners and my last flight with Jason was yesterday. My new partner will be Kelly and I came in around 1400 to plan our next flight scheduled for tomorrow. While we were planning, the schedule continued to change and I was notified that I would be sitting the rest of the week. This has to do with our two sets of cross country weekends and I ‘m in the second block of people to go. So, they wanted people in the first block of cross countries to get several rides under their belts before going. We had a USEM event which was an low level EP. The situation was a bird ingestion in the right engine on a low level. You abort the low level and climb out and return to the nearest suitable base after shutting down the engine. All of our transition checkrides finished up last Friday. The grades were a 2E, 3E, 3E and two other passes. Below is a picture of the front of our squadron building. Our building is connected to the OSS where we had our academics in Phase I and II.

7 Aug 06 (Day 185)

Today began the early weeks. I met Jason at at 0530 for our brief at 0636 for our 0836 flight. It was definitely hard getting going that early after our late weeks. We planned our trip to Little Rock, AR and then to Texarkana, AR. It was a day of “first” for several approaches. We flew out from Columbus to Little Rock at FL240 (24,000’) and we started right off with my first GPS approach (no ground based navaids - solely dependent on satellites). This is definitely the approach of the future and will slowly edge out traditional approaches. The airplane will fly the approach and you can simply control speeds (throttle) and configure (gear and flaps). The plane doesn’t have auto-throttles. Next we got a no-gyro ASR, the approach we just practiced in the last sim. We saw several C-130s that fly out of Little Rock AFB as we were flying our approaches at the nearby Adams Field in Little Rock. After these two touch-n-goes we flew down to Texarkana for a back course localizer (same as a regular localizer but you fly it from the other direction, for example if the localizer is normally for runway 22 (220 degrees magnetic heading for approach end) you would fly the back course to runway 4 (040 degrees). Next I flew a normal ILS to a full stop. Texarkana is the shortest runway I’ve landed at as it was 6600’ and 144’ wide. Having a smaller runway can give the illusion that you are higher above the ground on our traditional large runway - the illusion can cause you to have a incomplete flare. Well I had a nice firm landing after my two nice landings at Little Rock. We had discounted BBQ at a nearby restaurant that was very good. Jason flew us back. It seems that the only time our class sees each other together is at USEM events and we had our weekly EPQ (#9 of 22). The Lord blessed me with 100%. Below are some pictures from around the squadron and I’ll take a few more tomorrow.

The infamous snack bar. The glasses on the shelves are from assignment nights of previous 48th classes

Our flightroom

Our scheduling board: blue pucks are for 07-01 class and the yellow are for our class. From the middle up are flights and from the middle down are schedules for sims.

We sit at the table in the middle for EPs while the USEM stands at the podium up front. We sit in the chairs that are in front of the IP’s desks around the outside.

4 Aug 06 (Day 184)

Today, Jason and I had our second Nav sim. They don’t fast forward the sim timeline (for example after you reach cruise altitude), but rather since we are in the Navigation phase of training they give you flight plan and clearance changes and see how you manage the FMS (flight management system) and aircraft. It can be easy to plan everything out to a “T” but when things change you need to be able to respond. So, today we departed from Pensacola NAS and flew to New Orleans Naval Air Station to do three approaches. We flew a PAR, ASR and a no-gyro ASR. We also had two simulated emergencies dealing with the flight controls and fuel system transfer pumps. For all three of our approaches, you actually are assigned a controller that talks you down from altitude to the runway. In a PAR, the controller gives you headings to fly and times to descend and how your descent/glideslope looks. An ASR only gives you headings to fly and tells you when to descend but doesn’t tell you about your glideslope. A no-gryo only gives you, “turn right, stop turn” etc. when you heading systems fail. PAR stands for precision approach radar and ASR stands for Airport Surveillance Radar. The Navigation sim block is made up of six sims, two of which I’ve done. We also have one more emergency sim before we have our team sortie (no IP). We got out around 1200 and I went to the gym and worked out and came home. Nice to get a afternoon off after a busy week.

3 Aug 06 (Day 183)

Today was a quick turn from yesterday’s flight. We started our brief exactly 12 hours since we left the squadron yesterday. We flew to Monroe, MS and then to Acadiana, LA, the same mission we planned for yesterday. Come to find out, several crews were doing the same mission/plan so we saw several crews eating lunch at Acadiana. The FBO (fixed base operator - people at the airport) were very nice and provided food for a very low cost. Jason flew first and we took off at 1148 going west. He flew us to Monroe where he shot two approaches and then to Acadiana where he shot two approaches to a full stop. We ate lunch, called back home to let them know where we were and when we would takeoff. I checked all the NOTAMS (messages about changes to airports and approaches etc) and weather and everything looked great.  I started up engines and wham, a huge thunderstorm cell developed and with lightening within a few miles. So, we shut down engines to go back inside until the cell passed. It did and we took off about a hour later. I delayed at Acadiana and flew one approach then back to Monroe to fly a VOR and a localizer. The IP will tell you in any part of the approach that you have a fire light in a certain engine. You have to pretend to shut it down and then land single engine. I then flew back to Columbus to do the high penetration ILS. This approach is pretty fun as you have to descend from 23,000’ to 6,000’ in about 15 miles - you are going fast and pretty nose low. The flight went well and I’m getting much better at using the autopilot. The Navigation phase is divided into 2 blocks of 7 flights and 6 low level flights with 2 copilot rides thrown in. When you are flying your part of the flight you aim for a 2.0 hour flight - a little longer than a transition flight. When the other person is flying, you are comfortably filling the jump seat. 

2 Aug 06 (Day 182)

Today was my first Nav sortie. It was exciting and nerve wrecking because you there was always something else you could have done in mission planning. The brief starts 2 hours and 30 minutes prior to takeoff, so as you can expect the total planning, flight and lay over is very close to a 12 hour day. We came in with the plan of flying to Monroe, MS and then to Acadiana, AR but when we asked the IP he wanted to go to the East so we ended up planning (quickly) for a flight to Montgomery, AL all the way to Mayport, FL and then to Jacksonville, FL. It was definitely a haul but it was absolutely great. We took off at 1330 and I flew first. I flew to Montgomery and did two approaches (VOR A to circling then an localizer). Circling is when you fly an instrument approach to one runway to get you below the weather and then level to do a visual circle maneuver to the landing runway (based on winds normally). Normally, you don’t plan a circle because your minimums to level are higher than a straight-in. Next we pushed it up and flew to Mayport, a Naval air station near the Atlantic ocean. I have to tell you I was in awe. We flew down to 3000’ and flew off the coast then turned back inbound towards the runway. It was absolutely beautiful. We flew over a port where a navy carrier and multiple battleships were at. Our first approach I did a touch-n-go and when we were climbing out we had a helicopter on each side of departure creating turbulence with a flock of birds in our path. I had to lower the nose to miss the birds. We had several close birds in flight. We then did a visual approach to Jacksonville and landed for a full stop. We pulled up and literally the red carpet was out. It was a great terminal and it was something else to just get out and walk in. Another T-1 planned a mission there, so when they got there we got together and went out to dinner. We are technically on night weeks so we delayed for three hours to give Jason at least an hour of night time on his way back into Columbus. When we were taking off, we saw the sunset and when we climbed up to 26,000’ we saw a sunset again. Jason did the exact same profile and we flew back into Columbus. I was cut loose around 2140, so I was pretty tired. Today’s flight gave us the opportunity to use the flight director and autopilot for the first time in the actual aircraft. I flew a couple of the approaches with the autopilot but of course you have to disengage it prior to final. I use to think so but autopilot is not a bad thing. It can keep the aircraft level while your SA (situational awareness) goes through the roof in flying the rest of the approach. Autopilot doesn’t mean that it flies completely by itself. Night flying was great back into Columbus during and seeing night ops. We did see some T-38s taking off and you could see the afterburners showing bright blue during their takeoffs. 

Our T-1 after we parked and the refueling truck. They literally rolled out the red carpet as soon as they put us in the chocks. You can see the commercial jet in the upper left taking off. It is sometimes hard to believe I’m a part of this!

Here is the FBO where we were marshaled in and our jets were refueled. Very nice place. Most FBOs have a car you can borrow to go get something to eat. They loaned us a PT Cruiser with a surf board bolted on top - trust me it stood out.

Both of our T-1s parked on the ramp.

1 Aug 06 (Day 181)

Snack bar duty constituted my workday today as I didn’t have to fly or sim. I came in and worked for 4 hours as snacko while trying to plan my first “out & back” tomorrow. Here are the checkride scores from yesterday and today: 6G & 4G, 3G & U, 3E & 4G. Two more teams are due to check and we’re all in the Navigation Phase. We also just found out we’re going on cross country trips either Aug 17-20 or 24-28. Here is a pic of the Assignment Night board from class 06-13 - a good many reservists and national guard.

31 Jul 06 (Day 180)

Two teams are checking today, one 88 ride, our Nav sim and other transition rides so people were all around and no formal brief. For those who weren’t checking or sim-ing, an EPQ was scheduled for 0930. Jason and I briefed at 0800 for our 0915 Nav sim - our first of six. It was a little bit of helmet fire (task saturated). We were introduced to true instrument weather, full procedure approaches (versus just being vectored to the final course), holding, flight director (tells you how to fly (bank and pitch) but doesn’t actually fly) and finally autopilot. That is alot in one sim but you pretty much feel dumb again as if you’re just starting. We were also introduced to NDB approaches (non-directional beacon), a older technology navigational aid that is very simple and you don’t get a distance from the navaid. After our sim, we went back and the USEM was there and we took our EPQ. Some questions were slightly tricky and I missed two so a 90%. I’m scheduled for my first Navigation ride on Wednesday so we’ll actually stop and get something to eat at our outbase. 

28 Jul 06 (Day 179)

More or less a down day. We had two checkrides scheduled to go today but were canceled due to area thunderstorms. Those who weren’t checking had an EPQ at 1045 and that went well. We also had a base operations tour as well have more direct ties with them during the navigation phase as we actually file flight plans and get mission specific weather briefs. We had one checkride go yesterday and we had a 4G and a 6U.

27 Jul 06 (Day 178)

Today, we didn’t have formal report and everyone just reported to their respective IP they were flying IF they are flying. After 9 straight flying days, I’m getting a day off and it feels great. I’m catching up around the house and spending time with the kids.

26 Jul 06 (Day 177)

Transition Check - 2E

Today was a great day. We didn’t have to show for formal brief since it was checkride day. You can only show to the squadron 45 minutes prior to knocking and you knock at 2 hours before your flight. Jason and I met at the library to quiz each other over GK and how the mission would work. Our profile called for Greenville and Montgomery as the alternate. You need at least 2000’ ceilings and 3 statute miles visibility in order to fly the checkride and Greenville didn’t have it. We went to Montgomery amidst enroute thunderstorms and within 25 miles of the field it was absolutely beautiful. We knocked at 1154 for our 1354 flight and the brief went quick along with a quick pubs check by the check IP. We got out the plane and it was undergoing maintenance so we had to step to a spare and we were off. The check IP was quiet but still friendly. We flew the exact same profile as yesterday and things really couldn’t have worked out better. When we had to switch to Montgomery from Greenville, we found out that due to weather, 3 other jets were going there so we worked things out and 2 of the jets went to nearby Maxwell AFB. Jason flew us out to the north MOA and did his area work which included steep turns at 160 knots, traffic pattern stalls with zero degrees flap, zero degrees flap slow flight, vertical S and unusual attitude recoveries. He then flew us to Montgomery and did his patterns. Just at 1:30 into the mission I took over. I flew out for the localizer to runway 28 then did a 30 flap pattern, 30 flap pattern to a go around, 10 flap pattern, single engine pattern and a no flap pattern. Then I flew back to the north moa where the clouds had increased and I had about 5 miles at the back of the high MOA to do my work. I performed 200 knot steep turns, 10 flap traffic pattern stalls, Vertical S, 10 flap slow flight and two unusual attitude recoveries. We flew a 2.9 hour checkflight and then got ready for the GK and EP. Jason got the first IP which was a engine failure after a touch-n-go at Mongomery and I got runaway trim while shooting an instrument approach. Both of us did well and we were quite happy to learn that we both got 2Es on our checkride. My downgrades dealt with my landing from the 30 flap and the single engine landing. One was slightly firm and the other was because I touched down on one main gear before the other and there was no crosswinds at the time. I absolutely know that God blessed Jason and I with that grade and I give him full credit. We had two other guys go on their checkrides today to Hunstville, where they experienced rain and crosswinds. They earned a 6G and 4G. We were the first four guys to check from our class.

25 Jul 06 (Day 176)

Today ended the 20 Day program and our last Transition ride for Jason and I. The EP we had this morning during formal brief was engine failure during a touch-n-go. You simply have to know how to climb away from the ground (speeds) and when to secure the engine safely. Today’s flight was extremely good. We hadn’t been to Montgomery in a long time and when we did go last time, due to traffic, we didn’t say long. Montgomery has cables that reduce the runway length (they have national guard F-16s there) so it can be tricky as we can’t land anywhere near cables. We flew a typical profile and both us were in control of our patterns and “greasing” the landings. It was a good day. When we got back to the flightroom, we learned that our checkride had been switched from Thursday to tomorrow. That was good and bad. I was counting on a down day to study and get prepared but now I wasn’t getting one. We got our profile, Greenville with Montgomery as an alternate. We quickly got the extended forecast for Greenville and it didn’t look good but we’ll have to recheck in the morning. We finished a gradebook review and went home after almost a 12 hour day. Tomorrow will be 1 of 2 huge checkrides in T-1s. I’m definitely praying for us and the other team going tomorrow.

24 Jul 06 (Day 175)

Today started off with a surprise. We were scheduled on ATIS for a EPQ and I knew a no-notice was coming soon. I studied an hour and a half for the no-notice and about 3 for the EPQ. We met at 0800 for a 2 hour class on drawing low-level routes which we won’t really use this skill for some time to come but I guess the scheduling just worked out. The we had our surprise no-notice test at 1015. I went to the copier to make copies of EPQ score sheets and found the USEM making mass copies of a test. Enough said. A few were surprised. I believe I did pretty well. After this we planned a flight to Montgomery, but the thunderstorms decided otherwise and we went to the dreaded Huntsville. I say this because the instrument approaches are a little more complex than normal. We flew a checkride profile today which means that Jason flew the departure, did area work, flew to Hunstville and did all his work before I even jumped in the seat. The I flew the last half of the flight, which means after Hunstville, I had to go back to the MOA to complete my area work. We’ll fly this way tomorrow and then again on Thursday for our scheduled checkride. The flight went pretty well. You get a little cold sitting for 1.5 hours in the jumpseat but I need to get use to that. The ILS into Hunstville went all right and the pattern work was good except a new factor was introduced. The tower started to call wind gusts out to us, which means you have to increase your approach speed. For example, today the tower controller called 10 gust 18 knots. So, I would add half the gust factor, 4 knots to my approach speed. This is the first time we had done this and better now than on the checkride. Today, the gusts changed in-between patterns so it definitely added extra work changing the speeds. I did get one grade below MIF (expected standards for this block) for my enroute procedures which referred to my departure out of Hunstville. I was little slow out of the saddle getting going navigating to the next fix on the return trip but all worked out. My area work was pretty good and I came back for an ILS to the center runway. I almost made a costly error by having in the wrong frequency for the approach, but I fixed it in enough time to get it right. Good lesson learned. I only say this to let people know - last week we had three hooks on flights and one person on CAP (commander’s awareness program). Today we had three different people hook. It can happen in T-1s especially if you are coming up on a checkride and the IP thinks something needs more work before he/she sends you to check. If I hadn’t fixed my error coming back into Columbus on the ILS, that would have been something that could have hooked me today, so I won’t repeat that mistake. I stayed after the debrief to do a thorough publications check before my upcoming checkride.

21 Jul 06 (Day 174)

I’m thankful it is Friday. This morning started out with a mission familiarization class (no test) covering how to assimilate a complete low-level chart including timing and fuel info. On Monday, we will actually draw out a low level flight ending with an airdrop over a target. We had formal brief this morning and the EP was a wing fire on takeoff and a team was called up and were sat down. Well, I got called up and Jason but another guy got called up as my copilot. In the EP, I quickly cut off all wing lights, wing anti-ice off, and depressurized hydraulics and pulled up in the closed pattern and landed and got out. It went well but with a few critiques. We got ready to fly and we went to Meridian today. It went well in the area and we had our quickest time yet. By 30 minutes into the mission we had departed from base and both of us had completed all area work. We went to Meridian and got an instrument approach each and numerous patterns. The tempo for me was pretty good and I need to work more on wind analysis and adjustments to spacing and perch points to get a good looking pattern.  You will always have an excuse for a mediocre first pattern but not after that because you are suppose to adjust. We debriefed in the jet and crew bus so the debrief back in the flightroom was brief and we were released around 1715. This weekend will be great to relax and on Sunday I’ll start back up again for a big week - Transition check.

20 Jul 06 (Day 173)

LAST FORMAL ACADEMIC TEST IN SUPT

Gettin’ a little worn down. Today is the fourth straight flying day and I’m scheduled to fly the next three days. It isn’t like in Phase II where you could double turn. And all this is leading up to my Transition Checkride the middle of next week. Today was crazy. It started with our LAST ACADEMIC TEST IN UPT. Yeah, that’s right, from now on just EPQs. The Lord blessed me with a 100%. As it turns out, I’ve missed one question in Phase I, II, III for a total of three total questions missed in all formal academics. God has been good. After the test I got a quick workout at the gym in before our formal brief at 1030. We are nearing the end of the 20-day program (it takes more than 20 with all the EPQs and no-notice test, etc.) Today’s EP was a bleed air (hot air from engine used for various things) duct failure resulting in hot air being vented into the wing. You try to resolve the problem by turning off wing anti-ice and depressurizing the cabin but if it doesn’t work you need to land as soon as possible - look for the nearest 6000’ pavement. We briefed at 1136 for our 1336 jet and we were going to Huntsville, AL. Thunderstorms were popping up as usual so we did our departure and in the MOA we had to watch out for the clouds as all our maneuvers have to be clear of the clouds. We went to Huntsville and cells of activity were all around. After about four landings, the IP said he would incomplete me and just go back (I was sitting jump waiting to fly the second half). Well half way there, they stated that T-38s weren’t flying anymore so the outside runway was open. Well, I got thrown back in there and did about 6 patterns in the T-38 side and it was different. I did pretty well but you have to be very flexible and be mentally focused when the plan changes. It takes some adjustment to be ready when the outbase changes inflight. Somedays, you simply reside to say another day down - not being negative just saying.

19 Jul 06 (Day 172)

And the T-1s keep flying...thunderstorms everywhere and T-37/38s go stop launch (no launches and all aircraft return) and we, the T-1s continue our mission and dodge thunderstorms with radar. We started this morning with a class at 0700 to review for our last tested academic class. After that I began to prepare for our first flight of the last transition block (3 total blocks of 5 rides each). I planned a flight to Maxwell AFB, AL. We briefed at 1142 for a 1342 takeoff and all went well. When we stepped to the crew bus to go to the jet, the IP told me we were now going to Meridian, MS. Different route and approaches. Then as we were in the MOA doing our area work, they come over Jayhawk Ops (home base T-1 frequency - the mothership - we monitor this all the time on our 2nd radio just incase we are recalled, etc.) and they state that Meridian has thunderstorms right over it. We also hear T-37s and T-38s going stop launch due to thunderstorms in the vicinity. In airplanes you gain a healthy respect for thunderstorms and what they can do to you. So we change again to go to Millington, TN. That finally works out and we get 9 landings total (not as many as normal because with the weather alert we have to carry more fuel for divert options). Everything is coming along and simply continuing to polish the landings (versus hard bounces, or floating the aircraft down the runway due to being to fast or flaring too high) and pattern rituals. In the T-1, the IPs seriously don’t want you to grease (barely have a noticeable contact) your landings. They want you to put it down because with heavy aircraft, that is what you do in dealing with short runways with heavy loads. I got thrown on the schedule for tomorrow and that will mean I’m flying all 5 days this week. That means next week I’ll have two rides and then a check ride - scary that I’m about done with Transition and will start the Navigation Phase. 

18 Jul 06 (Day 171)

Today was better. We had formal brief at 1030 and I came in prior to that to get a PTT lesson done covering flight plan entry and autopilot usage. Our EP this morning was a bird strike on a 4 mile final and was actually pretty straight forward. You simply configure for single engine flight, determine you can still land and put her down. We briefed for Millington, TN and the trip was better than yesterday. We did have clouds in the MOA and we had to work to one side but not that bad. I flew the second part of the flight getting about 4 landings at Millington and 1 back a Columbus. I got a little instrument time on the way back and it is unbelievable how much you use your peripheral vision unconsciously. I started to enter a bank (based on my reference with the outside clouds) without effort while staring at my attitude indicator (shows pitch and bank). My landings are getting better because I’m delaying my power pull. The first block of training you don’t really think about how you are flying, you just simply do it. In the second and third blocks, you try to think about every input and control and sometimes you mess yourself up ( and seemingly digress in skill). But this seems to be the normal way things happen and that is how you become a pilot who conscientiously controls the aircraft versus letting it fly you.

17 Jul 06 (Day 170)

Today started off with #6 EPQ at 1030 and it was one of the easier ones we have taken. Everyone passed and God blessed me with a 100%. Temperatures are pretty hot here and today it forced us to use a different configuration for takeoff. We met at 1154 for our 1354 takeoff going to Greenville. Temperatures were in the upper 90s so we had to do a no-flap takeoff. This forces us to fly a faster climbout. We figure this by asking if we could make the required climbout gradient if we lost an engine on takeoff. Well, today when we use our normal 10 degrees flap takeoff, we wouldn’t have made the required 200 ft/nautical mile gradient with a single engine. We had some clouds in the low areas so we did our area work in the high areas west of the field and it was slightly rusty since our last two events over the last week were a copilot ride and a sim. The rest of the ride went pretty well but my landings today were a little bumpy. I did well on short final but pulled my power earlier than I should have with the hot weather. You basically do a power on landing due to the fuel weight and thin air (hot). We’ll try again tomorrow. A good landing is like icing on the cake and the inverse, i.e. a hard landing, seems to mentally ruin the pattern and approach (personal opinion). At Greenville, I did a tactical overhead, an ILS, 30 flap, 10 flap and single engine pattern and approach. We were too heavy went we got there and our required touch-n-go distance exceeded 8000 feet (runway length) for a no-flap landing, but by the end of my time we were lighter on weight and the required no flap distance dropped below 8000’. Jason flew the rest and brought us back for an ILS at Columbus. We finished up with the debrief and I was done around 1815. 

14 Jul 06 (Day 169)

I got to fly to my hometown - and I didn’t exactly give a good performance to the home crowd. Last night, listening to ATIS about 2140 before going to bed I heard that students were to report about 40 minutes before all the IPs so I obviously had a strong suspicion that we were having our 2nd no-notice test. I came in an hour early and most people were there studying. I typed out the cautions, notes and warnings for section two of the Dash 1 like I did for the first no-notice test but it didn’t work as well for me this time. On the last study sheet, the blanks I used were just like the test but on this study sheet I seemed to put blanks (for my practice fill-in-the-blank test - just like the no-notice test) in different places than the test had. Well, I didn’t vary how I studied for the test, only using the practice test I made, and I fixated on the words I thought were important. Overall the class did a little worse than last time with a few failures. I got a 93% and there were a few 98%s in the class. After the test we got ready for our 2nd Copilot ride with me performing copilot duties the first half of the trip. We planned the trip to Robins AFB, GA, where I grew up and had my first assignment in the Air Force. It took about 50 minutes to get there (6 hours driving) and we cruised at FL 270 (flight level 270 equals 27,000 feet - flight level means every airplane uses the same pressure altitude so that our altimeters (altitude) read the same). It was great flying back to the same field were I got my private’s license. I flew the second approach, an ILS, and it was pretty good but I dropped in the landing having a nice bounce. Now granted, it was near 100 F and thermals were present. Thermals are differential heating of the surface below your flight path which provide varying rates of rising air. Basically, you can rise and fall in the air with no flight control inputs. I didn’t seem to have my mojo today and my patterns were average and the landings not that smooth. Well, we got in 16 landings total for the flight and we flew a few patterns back at Columbus on the T-38 side. T-38s aren’t able to safely (without a waiver) in the extreme heat (performance issues), so we had fun in their pattern doing tactical patterns. God is good and another week of training down.

13 Jul 06 (Day 168)

Today started at 0800 (formal brief for everyone else was at 1115) with the brief for our last Transition Sim at 0915. Honestly, it didn’t cover transition themes, i.e. visual flying, but rather it gave an intro to instrument flying. Basically, each person planned a flight to an outbase and you flew the departure, enroute, descent and three approaches. Jason flew to Greenville, MS and I chose Montgomery/Maxwell AFB, AL. I flew an ILS to Montgomery, flew a localizer (just course guidance - side to side, without the glideslope from the ILS) and then a Tacan approach at Maxwell AFB (a Tacan is an older technology, less precise approach that gives relative bearing to the station and distance). The sim went well and we learned a good bit. We missed formal brief and people either left or were getting ready to fly, so I didn’t see that many people. I did some studying and preparing with Jason for our second copilot ride tomorrow afternoon. Jason didn’t have a preference so I suggested Robins AFB, GA (my old stompin’ grounds) and so hopefully that will go well. I finished up around 1530 and with being off formal release, just went home. 

12 Jul 06 (Day 167)

Today was not my normal day. My wife was having some medical work and the flight commander and scheduler allowed me to stay home and take care of her. My flying partner scheduled a dentist appt for today so all worked all well. I had no problem scheduling today off.

11 Jul 06 (Day 166)

Today I came in ahead of report time to complete several Systems 6 computer lessons. System 6 covers weather radar and autopilot functions and flight director systems. This academic block has almost all computer based training except for the test review. At 1100, we had our EPQ and it went well. We had assigned reading sections covering air drop (simulated) and air refueling procedures but I didn’t really review these as we aren’t anywhere close to that phase of training but you better believe it, that info was tested on the EPQ. Our class didn’t have any minimum scores or failures. There were two 100s, with both Jason and I getting them. Next we had an EP, (normally we don’t have two USEM events in the same day but since we didn’t get our EPQ yesterday we did) and it was electrical fire, a more difficult EP. It was the longest EP I have ever sat through, either in Phase II or III. It ran 49 mins and 56 mins total with debrief. There were multiple things to consider and numerous checklists to ensure you covered. One big thing that happened yesterday is that we are now off “formal release.” This is basically the idea that we can leave if we aren’t flying or siming. Everyone has to show up for the formal brief (EPQ/USEM) and then to each his/her own schedule. At 1300, Jason and I sat pub monitor at the front desk, looking over publications that crews brought back after flying to make sure everything was current and there for the next crew. I was sitting there and an IP brought a lady with a intel security badge and she was here for my Top Secret interview. All pilots are required to get a Top Secret clearance due to things you may see/carry/handle when out in the operational world. It wasn’t fun trying to remember who knew me 8 years ago and if their whereabouts so the investigator could talk to them. The interview basically confirmed what I had already filled out in my application for clearance. After two hours we were done. Hopefully it will pass through soon. That was the end of my day as I didn’t fly or sim today. 

10 Jul 06 (Day 165)

Today was the longest flying day for me so far. Today the center runway opened back up so operations were messed up to provide support for the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) jet that tested all our NAVAIDs. Our class got some Navigation jet slots which mean they are suppose to fly to an outbase, land and refuel and fly back. Normally, we have two students and an IP but today we had three students and an IP. Jason and I flew a 3.0 flight, then landed, and the third student flew a Copilot ride back to Columbus. In simple words a long day. We showed at 0630 to prep for our brief at 0700 for our 0900 flight. It was a true Monday, with everything changing and things a little rusty. We planned for just Meridian but it was changed to fly to Jackson, MS then to Meridian and then to Huntsville, AL for the Copilot portion of the flight. I had a little bit of rust but overall a pretty good ride today. I had one slightly dropped landing at Jackson due to a not slow but rather an increasing sink rate passing over the threshold (first part of runway). It is just one of those things you have to feel at the last moment and bump the power momentarily to stop. When we stopped at Meridian they give out free meal tickets or T-shirts, so we got free lunch at Squealers BBQ. It was pretty good but I did get some good indigestion from the fries. The only reason I tell you this is because I flew the flight to Huntsville in the back as a passenger and it is like riding of a van or bus where the motions are amplified. All the landings felt hard (well) and the turns exaggerated. We finished up and on our way back to Columbus, they stated that our jet was need at our nearby airfield where T-1s have been working out of since our center runway has been closed, Golden Triangle Regional (GTR) airport. So after landing at GTR instead of Columbus, we had to catch a bus back to base so we ended up finishing around 1800. We debriefed on the bus coming back so we got to leave right away after returning. Nice to be home.

T-1s and a Marine jet lined up at Meridan NAS (Naval Air Station) with some T-38s off to the side. Our jet is all the way to the left.

7 Jul 06 (Day 164)

We started this morning at 0900 for our 2nd to last test in Navigation. In this test, you cover knowledge needed inflight as well as planning info for climb, cruise, endurance (holding) and descent. There were a few more questions missed on this one in general. God blessed me with a 100%. One more test to go in systems six. Our scheduled EP today was electrical fire inflight and we prepared for that as well as associated GK but... the USEM decided to have a GK day and went through all types of GK questions so needless to say a good many people were left standing (if you miss the question you have to stay standing until you get one right). I had a few hours before our 2nd EP sim so I began preparing for our second no-notice test covering all cautions, notes and warnings in Section 2 of the Dash 1 (operating manual). Then we briefed at 1430 for our 1545 EP sim. Most of the EPs centered around electrical problems. You are required to do a single engine approach and single engine go around on every EP sim so we did that as well. Losing electrics in the T-1 is not fun. It feels very weird because all of the glass cockpit instruments go blank and you stare at three small standby instruments to fly. Our EPs included, loss of cabin pressure, loss of electrics, loss of battery power, smoke in the cockpit. We finished up around 1800 and everyone was gone when we got back to the class room. As we were leaving a few of the afternoon crews were returning from their flights.. 

6 Jul 06 (Day 163)

A little rusty getting back in the saddle after a week off. We started this morning with a 0900 class over the review for our Navigation test tomorrow. After this we had our formal brief at 1130 and then our brief at 1254 for our 1454 takeoff. Our EP today was dual generator failure (loss of all electrics except for limited battery power) while in the area. This is one of the more complicated ones requiring you to limit your use of radio and not using up all your battery power. We flew to Huntsville, AL today and it was an up and down ride. I got a few things below standard on this second of five rides for this block. Not so bad but it was our first late day flight and it was almost a week since our last flight. Normally, you fly to the MOA first then to the airfield but today we flew to the airfield first to get a heavy single-engine landing accomplished (for me) and Jason got the lightweight landing back here at Columbus. We landed around 1800 and our debrief was short. We weren’t released until everyone was debriefing around 1930 and our test is tomorrow at 0900. 

5 Jul 06 (Day 162)

We had our first weather day today. You know when T-1s aren’t flying it is pretty bad. T-1s are all weather planes but we won’t fly if thunderstorm cells surround the base and we would be forced to penetrate them if we did a training mission. We came in at 0800 for a three hour lab covering planning and filing a mission from Columbus, MS to Biloxi, MS. It wasn’t too bad and we then reported to the flight room at 1130 for an EPQ. The Lord blessed me with a 95%. We had a few failures and a couple 100s. I planned our flight to Huntsville, AL originally. That changed to Montgomery, AL then to Maxwell AFB then to standby. I briefed up the sortie and then it turned into a GK session. We were released around 1600 but one team decided to try a flight to Montgomery. I bet they will get stuck and have to remain over night there. It was hard to study today because we never knew what we were going to do.

30 Jun 06 (Day 161)

Today was our last day of early weeks for a while as next week our flights begin in the afternoon. We reported at 0600 for GK and the EP. The EP covered fuel malfunctions (transfer pump failure). You simply turn the pump off so that it doesn’t operate in a dry bay (explosion hazard) and return to base. Jason and I flew to Jackson, MS where C-17s fly from the Reserve unit. It was a pretty good flight and we both had our ups and downs but in the end another flight down. We were released around 1530 to be off through July 4. Happy July 4th!

29 Jun 06 (Day 160)

We finally had the infamous no-notice test today and everyone passed! You have three no-notice tests in Phase III. The first test covers notes, cautions and warnings in Section III (emergency procedures). I got the hint last night when I was listening to ATIS and it stated that students were to report at 0615 with the USEM and IPs reported at 0705. That meant that we were having a test of some kind like an EPQ. The Lord blessed me with a 98% and the one I missed was minor. I wrote in “inoperative” and the answer was “disabled” - minor. I made a preparation sheet and it worked out extremely well (good prep). I put that prep sheet in the Gouge/Prep page. Jason and I had our sim, briefing at 0800 for a 0915 sim. It went well. We flew the normal departure and did area work. The area profile never really changes just the same as the dollar ride. We then shot an instrument approach into Columbus followed by a single engine approach to an single engine go around followed by a 30 flap to a full stop. I flew first so we switched Jason flew the exact same profile. I had some study time before the afternoon class in navigation covering filling out a flight planning form and filing a flight plan. 

28 Jun 06 (Day 159)

Today was a pretty meaningful day. In Phase II, I truly wanted to fly part of my cross country trip to Maxwell AFB, AL because that was where I went through officer training and obtained my commission. After reporting at 0620 and briefing at 0730 for a 0930 flight, we flew our planned flight to Montgomery Regional for a pattern only sortie. I was flying the first half and after my second pattern it got pretty busy. So we diverted to Maxwell AFB (10 mins away) and our 3.1 hour flight encompassed 23 patterns and 22 total landings. Wow, we were tired. It was great though as I completed 11 landings and one single engine go around. My pattern control is getting much better and now I just to fine tune the spacing to ensure rolling out on a proper 1-1.5 mile final at about 500’ to ensure a 3 degree glidepath. I only had one firm landing and that happened when after floating past my intended touchdown point I kinda gave up on the flare and let the aircraft sink. We did see a C-130 takeoff while we were in the pattern. I remember hearing Tweets flying overhead while I was sweating at PT or marching around in formation during Officer Training School. It is very rewarding to know I’m in the plane flying it around versus looking up wishing I could. God has definitely been good to me in granting my desires to fly. The EP this morning was gear malfunctions and it dealt with the nose gear not extending. You climb and get to an area where you can assess the situation, get a chase ship to verify the position of the gear after troubleshooting and then come back in for a straight in. The nose will skid after you hold off the runway as long as possible and then emergency ground egress. After the debrief, we had a half our intro class to our last systems block that covers the autopilot and flight management system. Our second class was a 1.5 hour class on in flight calculations on range, fuel consumption, proper speeds and altitudes, etc. I was trying to stay attentive. I inserted a picture below that shows an example of what we would see on final. You see four lights to the side called PAPIs. We want two red and two white saying we are on glidepath. All red and you are extremely low while all white means you are very high.

In this picture, the person is slightly low for the distance from the runway. The PAPIs show one white and three red.

27 Jun 06 (Day 158)

We reported at 0620 and we briefed at 0757 for a 0957 takeoff. Oh, did I mention that Jason and I got called up again for an EP. We weren’t expecting it as we were called just a few days ago and not all teams have had a chance yet. I was joking just before we reported in how I thought it was a doosie of a EP. The situation was that you lost hydraulics at an outbase therefore losing normal braking, normal gear extension, anti-skid protection, speed flaps and flaps. We chose to end up going to Huntsville, AL for its long 12k’ runway. The USEM said we did an exhaustive job and had a few critiques for us as well. We flew with a Reserve instructor (his other job is flying for UPS) and it went well. I was a little cold jumping in the seat second but quickly settled down. We flew in the high MOA (16-22k’) and the aircraft definitely responses differently needing more throttle and needing more gentle control inputs. After the MOA, we went to Millington, TN for our pattern work. My patterns are much improved and I’m slowly getting the ability to put the finer points on it. It was a 3.2 hour flight. We did have to step to a spare jet after the first jet failed the trim system check. The left wing trim tab was inoperative. We had one navigation computer lesson about enroute calculations for descents and how to lead a turn. I went to 07-04’s Track Select to see some friends finish Phase II. They got 3 T-38s, 2 T-44s, 1 Helo and the rest T-1s. Just for anyone who is interested, I attached the flow sheet for T-1 academics and sims/flights.

T blocks stand for Transition (visual) flights, C stand for Copilot rides, N stand for navigation rides (out and backs - you stop and eat basically before coming home), and the others are airdrop/air refueling/formation familiarization rides. I’ve highlighted what I’ve already done.

As you can see I’m almost finished with T-1 academics. PR stands for procedures (checklists). IT stands for instrument classes. CR stands for crew resource management. AE stands for aerodynamics and EN stands for navigation.

26 Jun 06 (Day 157)

Today was my only down/study day for the week. I’m scheduled to fly 3 days and sim on Thursday. We came in for the EPQ at 0630 followed by formal brief. We had no bust today on the EPQ and the Lord blessed me with a 95%. We had two 100%s. I shouldn’t have second guessed myself and I wouldn’t have missed any either. I read alot today and worked out. We had another navigation class from 1530-1630 covering different environments through which we could fly (classifications of airspace, etc).

23 Jun 06 (Day 156)

Pretty calm day. We came in at 0600 for an EP and GK. The EP was low oil pressure in the area while simulating traffic pattern stalls. You have to shutdown the engine or it could seize up and you came back for a single engine approach. I read the Dash 1 today and worked out at the gym. We had our first class of our navigation class from 1500-1600 dealing with how to go about planning an entire mission anywhere from scratch.

22 Jun 06 (Day 155)

Surprise, surprise. Today I was expecting a nice easy rest day to study for the instruments test at 1500. We came in at 0600 and we were scheduled to fly after ATIS was recorded, so we didn’t know until this morning. We were signed up for a copilot ride. Normally, we fly the left seat and the IP flies in the right but on a few rides we ride in the right seat to get a feel for what they do. In our careers, we will fly as copilot many times so we need to be familiar with copilot duties. I was a little stressed because I didn’t study that much last night because I had all day today. Well, we rushed to plan a trip to Montgomery, AL and back but we weren’t really sure what the IP wanted (guest IP). We had morning brief followed by GK and the EP. The GK went well and then Jason and I were called up for an engine overheat/fire on takeoff. We started out pretty well but when we retarded the throttle, the condition ceased leading me to believe it was an overheat and no immediate threat. I elected to get radar vectors back around to final without declaring an emergency. Well, I won’t do that again. The USEM wants the most conservative response. If you every open your EP checklist, treat it as an EP (other wise we wouldn’t do standup EPs!?!). Well, we did pretty well but there were some things to learn from. After that we met our IP and he stated that he wanted to do a flight to Terra Haute, IN. It was a 3.1 hour flight and we flew to Indiana and back with 7 patterns in-between - airplanes are amazing. It turned out to be a low threat ride and it was different flying from the right seat and flying patterns at a foreign field. We came back with two hours before the test. I crammed and honestly the test covered huge amounts of information covering domestic and foreign flight rules. The test was harder than any test we have taken yet. We had 1.5 hours to take the 34 question test. Many of the questions were tricky and I asked multiple clarifying questions. After hearing clarifications and rechecking the test about 5 times, the Lord blessed me with a 100%. The average was about 2 missed. I was relieved and ready to relax from a seemingly rushed day. Good advise is to always have a positive attitude especially in front of the IPs when curve balls come your way. Only two more academic tests, navigation and radar/flight management systems. 

21 Jun 06 (Day 154)

In Tweets, if you had any cold-like congestion, you really couldn’t push it and fly. You need to be responsible with going DNIF but the T-1 is more forgiving of those types of issues because of the cabin pressurization. Today, I was a little under the weather and the flight went well but I just didn’t have those quick reactions. We reported at 0600 for the formal report, GK and EP. The EP dealt with an engine shortly after takeoff. You have the choice of staying in the visual pattern with tower or transferring to RAPCON and getting radar vectors back around for a straight-in. Believe it or not, you don’t have to rush to handle an emergency unless is is gross like an engine fire that won’t extinguish. The flight’s GK is pretty good and all is going well with that. We briefed at 0736 for a 0936 flight. We did the same profile as the dollar ride with going to the west MOA and then down to Meridian. Our MOA time is getting quicker as we’re starting to figure out what we’re doing and not taking so long in-between maneuvers. The flight and squadron are suppose to deconflict airfields so we won’t over saturate the pattern as that only reduces the amount of landings you get. Today when we arrived 5 aircraft were there including a KC -135, T-1s and a T-37. We had to keep extending the pattern to account for wake turbulence (crazy wind forces coming off heavy aircraft - due to massive lift produced). We have to wait 3 minutes after heavy aircraft to let those winds dissipate. My main issues that I’m working on is controlling airspeed/altitude and spacing. You are never actually holding an airspeed as you are slowing down from pull-up to perch. If you’re not holding a constant airspeed, your trim requirements change and if you aren’t paying attention you will get off altitude quick. Our pattern maintains about 1.5 miles spacing for downwind but I seem to be putting the aircraft at 1, so overshooting the runway can happen. Landings are much better and I only had one slightly hard landing (not 2 Gs though). After the debrief after our 3.2 hour flight, we had a one hour review at 1500-1600 for our instruments test tomorrow.

Here is my first gray jet that I’ve flown. The story is that a Navy Admiral was commenting to an AF General that our white T-1s look too civilian. So the General directed that a handle full of jets be painted the tradition AF paint scheme. Well, not complaining at all, but the interior temperature increases about 15 degrees and it takes longer to cool down. 

20 Jun 06 (Day 153)

Study day. We reported at 0600 and we had our EP standup and GK questions. The EP was an abnormal indication prior to our overall abort speed on takeoff, so you abort and expect hot brakes. The GK centered around the EP so pretty straight forward. I spent the day studying until we had academics at 1400 till 1615 over international aviation rules and then transition to land from various instrument approaches. Side note: you may notice we don’t have RSU duty like Phase II but we do have a couple of jobs as baby class. We have to have someone sit in the flight room at all times and we have a person man the pubs desk. This person checks the huge pub bag to ensure all publications are returned from use in the jet. We also ensure the snack bar is stocked (sounds simple but these people can eat some food).

19 Jun 06 (Day 152)

Well, we took our first true T-1 EPQ today - we did set a record. The IPs said we sat a new low record for the lowest EPQ score of 55% - what a record!? We had 4-5 busts, 3 minimum passing and the rest passing. The Lord blessed me with a 95%. I do have to admit something. The gouge got me. I by no means endorse using gouge as you use it at your own risk. A couple years ago a tech order (aircraft manual) was changed making the temperature requiring anti-ice 5 C, formerly 8 C. I read all required reading on Sunday and then reviewed gouge to summarize things. The gouge was out of date and it still had 8 C and I remembered the gouge number when taking the quiz this morning. The gouge did help me test my knowledge so just be aware that gouge is not 100% accurate. We did show up for the EPQ at 0645 and Jason and I briefed at 0733 for a 0933 takeoff. Jason flew first and I sat jumpseat. I definitely like flying first because you fell as though the other guy gets all the flying time when you fly the last half of the mission. We flew the same profile as last time and then instead of going to Meridian as planned (approx 80 miles due south of Columbus) due to low clouds, we flew to Greenville (about 90 miles due west) and we got in 14 total landings and 16 patterns. My landings improved tremendously and I even squeaked in a few (smooth touchdown) but I did have one bounce. We flew 30 flap, 10 flap, no flap and single engine patterns & landings. The variation of approaches change the aircraft angle and approach speed. After the flight we debriefed and then had a computer lesson from 1500-1630 over instruments. We have our 3rd to last test in UPT on Thursday over instrument procedures. One thing that is different from Phase II concerning USEM is that you only have one USEM event a day. We didn’t have standup EP because we had an EPQ. You won’t have two events in one day. We had one person fail their EPQ 1 (boldface/ops limits from Friday) and 2 people failed their weekly boldface/ops limits this morning (we turn in weekly boldface/ops limits on Monday morning). It is great to be back up in the air.

16 Jun 06 (Day 151)

I didn’t fly today either and enjoyed a day of study. I basically sat in the mission planning room today reading ahead. We had our first EPQ which is Boldface and operating limits and that all went well. We then finished our publications check for our volume 2. All our dollar rides were finished up today and we heard some hilarious stories about people trying to use the lavatory in the T-1. Yes it has a bathroom in the back. The roominess just isn’t there and people were describing their experiences in-flight. We then had our last official CRM (crew resource management) class dealing with the recent C-5 crash and past crashes of a C-130 and C-21 as well as a successful handling of C141 emergency where CRM worked extremely well. Obviously, we will continue reviewing CRM for the rest of our careers. We definitely see the bad and the good to keep us working towards a having great crew skills. I went to the Assignment night and the heavy guys for 06-11 got 4 C-17s, 2 KC -135s, 2 KC-10s, E-3 (AWACS), T-1 FAIP and the rest were guard/reserve. The 38 guys got two FAIPs (first assignment instructor pilots), a B-2 and a F-15C. A good night

15 Jun 06 (Day 150)

Wow...150 days of UPT - it has definitely flown by (no pun intended). Today was pretty peaceful for me because I didn’t fly and I had 8 hours of study time. We reported at 0715 for our weather brief and for GK and an EP. Just like we started the 30-day program in Phase II, we have a 20 day program in Phase III. Today was Day 3 (day 1 & 2 were briefings about USEM events). Our EP was an engine fire while starting engines. Our GK centered around the EP and started with the dreaded TOLD definitions. There are about 20 definitions dealing with different abort decisions that the IPs want us to memorize verbatim. An example would be refusal speed. This speed basically represents what is the max speed you can accelerate to and abort to a full stop on the available runway (this is not the full definition but you get the point). We had one person get airsick (or may be just not feeling well) from the T-1. It is not uncommon for those sitting in jump seat to not feel so great. You have limited visibility and you got moved in all three planes of motion while the other student is “flying.” The day ended with two lessons on crew resource management (CRM), which they teach to ensure we communicate and are a competent team flying these huge aircraft. I hit the gym and finished at the 12 hour mark since we started. As a side note, if you don’t prepare food for the day you can definitely eat pretty unhealthy if you depend on the snack bar in-between flights and classes on busy days.

14 Jun 06 (Day 149)

T-1A DOLLAR RIDE

Obviously, today was a great day. It is great to reflect and see where God has brought me. Today I, as part of a crew, flew this expensive large jet through the skies and didn’t do so bad. We reported this morning at 0730 and it started off with a weather brief very similar to Phase II except you are briefing about weather and the statuses of 12 bases not just 2-3 for the T-37. It went pretty well with a few critiques from the IPs. We then had a IP demonstration of how an standup EP (in reality you and the other guy sit down). The USEM designates a aircraft commander and a copilot and you take your pubs and sit at the end of the center table to handle the EP. Today they demonstrated an engine fire shortly after takeoff. Then we had a GK session where the USEM simply asked about numbers straight from the operation limits (stuff like engine rpms during starting or oil temp during takeoff, etc). It went well and we started into our flight briefs. We start about two hours prior to takeoff and we briefed at 0845 for a 1045 takeoff. It was pretty funny. Jason and I told the IP we were ready to brief when in reality we didn’t have any flight pubs to view approaches, nor have a mission card for the IP nor did we have the jet signed out yet. Well, now we know. It was a gorgeous day, clear and a million (miles visibility). We took off and flew a standard departure where we flew to the west MOA where we did area work and then we flew to Meridian Naval Air Station and then back to Columbus. The West MOAs for T-1s extend from 45 - 65 miles from base whereas Tweet MOAs extended from 10-40 miles. Trust me, we got out there pretty quick. The T-1 has plenty of power as I experienced during takeoff. I flew the first part of the flight in the left seat and the IP flew in the right seat. Jason sat in the jump seat (seat centered right behind the front two seats). I had to adjust to taxing because the Tweet’s brakes are very primitive whereas the T1’s brakes are very sensitive. I was jerking the jet from side to side when we first started. We were off the ground in no time and heading out to the MOA. We cruise around at 250 (our max is 330 knots). We went to the area and checked in . We did traffic pattern stalls, slow flight, unusual attitude recoveries, steep turns (at 45 degrees angle of bank), and vertical S maneuvers (climb and descend 1000’ while banking 30 degrees - it is an exercise that increases your crosscheck of instruments). The IP then did three one-time demonstrations. The first was the asymmetric thrust demonstration in which he brought one engine to idle and the other to max thrust. The aircraft began to immediately roll to one side and if you didn’t intervene you would probably roll the aircraft. The second was the yaw damper demonstration. The T-1 is a swept wing (where the wing is angled away from fuselage (aircraft body)) which makes it sometimes yaw (side-to-side) back and forth in slow flight). We have a device called a yaw damper that uses a computer to counter these movements through the autopilot feature to make the aircraft fly smoothly. The IP disengaged the yaw damper after introducing the yawing motion and when re-engaged it immediately damped the motion. The final demonstration was the flap retraction. Basically, the IP retracted the flaps without doing anything else to show us how the aircraft pitched up to compensate for the lost of lift. After all this Jason and I did a seat swap and he repeated all the maneuvers. After he was done, we did another seat swap and I flew the arrival into Meridian. We entered the pattern and the IP demoed a pattern and then I did a 30 degree flap pattern, repeated, then did a closed pullup (yes you do closed pullups only at 45 degrees bank (as opposed to up to 90 in the Tweet)) for a 10 flap. Things weren’t to shabby except for the touchdowns. The T-1 is much higher off the ground than the Tweet and when I saw the ground rush I flared at the same height that a Tweet would. Well, I had a “firm” landing. One time we had a one wheel landing before I put all wheels down. This tendency is due to the yawing motion that you have during landing (you can’t have the yaw damper on). You as the pilot have to manually dampen it. I looked at the G meter and it was 0.5 to 1.5 before our landings and our landings pushed it up to 2 Gs. Fun times. After 5 landings, we switched seats in the pattern and Jason flew 6 patterns and flew us home for a full stop landing. The total flight took 3.1 hours and we burned about  4,000 lbs of fuel. I took some pics of the jet but I didn’t get to get in the picture because everyone was trying to catch the crew bus. Debrief was pretty short especially for a dollar ride so our total time was 2 hours for prebrief, 3.1 for flying and .5 for debrief, totaling almost 6 hours. Not really a double turn option today. After this we had a 1.5 hour instruments class at 1600 and I finished the following computer lesson by 1800. So a 11 hour day. My body is going to have to readjust. I’m blessed and today was a great day!

Here is the great Tone that kept me safe on my first ride - see I brought it all back in one piece

On this dollar ride, I flew an aircraft that was 40 years newer than the Tweet I flew my first flight in - it was great!

13 Jun 06 (Day 148)

Today things pulled together better. The computer server came back online and we were able to complete assignments as normal. We took our Aerodynamic test this morning and the Lord blessed me with a 100%. We then had two one hour computer lessons over instrument procedures. We then went to the flightroom around 1430 for a ground lesson over MOAs and different maneuvers that we are expected to do on our first ride and in the first block of training. In Phase II, there was a clear course syllabus that outlined what should be accomplished every mission whereas in T-1As it is much more free flowing and you basically just go out and get proficient at flying and handling the aviation world at different out bases. We finished the day with a publications check which was exhaustive. Not only did we ensure we had the correct date (issued date) but we went page by page through a three inch binder to ensure we had accurate and up-to-date instruction. About 5 teams are up (out of 8) to have our dollar rides tomorrow. Jason and I filled out a mission card and signed out the MOA and Meridian airspace/airfield for our flight starting at 1045 tomorrow morning. I’m excited and ready to get back in the saddle of flying. Academics can make you fell out of touch. Some students chose to buy crew bags and some of the big choices are from www.flyboys.com, www.cencal.com, www.jeppesen.com, www.sportys.com. I chose the flyboys bag and got my name embroidered on top. As you can imagine there are a lot of black crew bags that look near identical just as picking up a black bag off of the baggage carousel at an airport. Also below, because I don’t believe I mentioned it, is the headset we were issued. We don’t use helmets but have mask that we slip on if we have decompression or smoke in the cockpit.

Here is the crew bag I just ordered. The headset fits great in one side and the checklist/in-flight guide in the other end.

David Clark Aviation Headset H10-76. This is the pair we are issued for use in the T-1A and beyond in other aircraft.

12 Jun 06 (Day 147)

Today was crazy as the computer server crashed because it had a catastrophic failure and lost all students’ user names and passwords preventing us from logging in and accomplishing any classes or test. We were scheduled to have our Aerodynamics test and complete two computer classes covering instruments, our next block of training stretching into the flightroom. Instead they kept us close to the flightroom (incase the computer server came back up) and we went through several briefings covering what our first day will be like and our USEM events (EPs, EPQs and no-notice tests). We will have at least three no-notice tests that cover Notes, Warnings and Cautions. These will be fill in the blank tests and that is quite difficult. Notes, Warnings and Cautions are indented paragraphs in the Dash 1 that contain critical information about what you are reading. Tonight, Jason and I had our first EP sim and it was a blast. Here are the emergencies we experienced: engine fire on takeoff roll, engine fire after takeoff, runaway trim (huge in the T-1 as the control forces are pretty strong to overcome), electrical fire, loss of cabin pressure at altitude, loss of hydraulic pressure and jammed controls. Crew coordination is huge to ensure you don’t shut down a good engine instead of the bad one, etc. We started at 1700 and finished around 2010.

Our T-1 nametags arrived today - we don’t look so newbie anymore

9 Jun 06 (Day 146)

I know things have been a little dry - that’s because they have been. T-1 academics are relaxing but next week I’ll see how the flightline treats me. This morning we had a one hour computer lesson on weight and balance calculations for the T-1. In the heavy world, this is huge to ensure you have proper flight control authority and you won’t have adverse flight characteristics (like making it off the runway before the runway runs out). Fighters/bombers have this too - realizing the flight limitations based on the bombs you carry. We then had a 2.5 hour lab figuring out various problems and what our center of gravity was. Then we had our review for our Aerodynamics test on Monday. We should having a flightroom briefing on Monday before we officially move over around Tuesday after lunch.

8 Jun 06 (Day 145)

This morning was just like Tuesday (6 Jun), I got up at 0330. Our sim went pretty well but wasn’t necessarily as fun as the other sims. It was definitely the “fire hose effect” we got early on in Phase II. If you remember we were just barely being able to do a pattern and landing and level off at an altitude. Here is what we did. We did the Bulldog 1 departure (just a name for a certain way to go), checked into the T-1 MOA and performed slow flight, traffic pattern stalls, steep turns and unusual attitudes set up by the IP. Then we flew back and flew a single engine approach, no flap approach followed by a Localizer (just side to side guidance not up and down). I flew first in the left seat (pilot) and after all this I switched to the copilot (right) and we did it all over again. He did give us runaway trim on an approach and I basically had to muscle the plane where I wanted to because the trim was fighting me (giving high yoke forces). From start to finish it was 4 hours and 15 mins - very different from a T-37. After this we had a hour or so to study for the test and the Lord blessed me with a 100%. We then had an intro into the last academic section , Aerodynamics, which we will have before hitting the flightroom on Tues and then having dollar rides on Weds. We had a one hour computer lesson on T-1 aerodynamics. We then went over to the flightroom for an IP to take us out to a T-1 to perform our first Exterior inspection. Plenty of things to check on the outside of the plane. It was hot but it is great to know that the T-1 can cool to about 60 F very quickly after opening the door. In preparing for the flightline, there is a lot of gouge on the T-1 but I have found some to be incorrect so I’m carefully choosing what I’ll use as study aids if at all. We talked to the IP and he stated that the previous flight (class) took the first real EPQ and only 3 people passed. He told us we needed to be ready.

7 Jun 06 (Day 144)

Except for those with sims, we showed at 1100 for a two hour class over aircraft emergencies from loss of engines to ditching the aircraft in the ocean - pretty interesting. After this we had a one hour computer lesson covering the oxygen system (emergency for crew and passengers). We then had a two hour class over environmental system malfunctions followed by a test review for tomorrow. The environmental section has plenty of numbers from temperatures for cooling to anti-ice systems so memorization is key.

6 Jun 06 (Day 143)

This morning was Jason & I’s first early sim and it hurt. I woke up at 0345 and showed up at 0430 - no problem getting a parking spot. The sim went OK but not as well as the last one felt. This instructor did cover checklists items in more detail, verbially asking almost every step what indications we were looking for (during various tests). Starting malfunctions were introduced such as hot start, starter didn’t disengage after start and hung starts (rpm won’t rise to idle (52%) even though running). We did 10 degrees and zero degrees flap touch-n-goes and go-arounds ending with an ILS in the weather (All of these were in the pattern). It was interesting flying this approach with electronic displays versus the tweet instruments. We started at 0445 and ended around 0845. I studied for a while and we had our test at 1100. The Lord blessed me with a 100%. After the test we had our introduction to our Systems 5 class covering environmental systems (anti/de-ice, pressurization and cooling). Then we had two 1-hour computer classes. I went to the PTT to do some exercises covering operating the avionics one more time to get proficient. We have two more test and two sims before we hit the flightline next week.  

5 Jun 06 (Day 142)

Our class had two sims go in the morning and two in the evening so our academics started at 0900. We had a two hour computer lesson on T-1 flight controls followed by a 2 hour class lesson on flight control malfunctions and a review for the test tomorrow. We have two tests this week and it is our last full week in purely academics. We hit the flightline on the 15th. Many of us were looking at the “expectations” of student’s knowledge on day one of the flightline. They include the ability to draw the fuel, hydraulic and electrical systems by memory, all TOLD (takeoff and landing data) definitions word by word from the Dash 1 (i.e. operating manual) and know all annunciators and meanings (these the lights in the cockpit saying something is wrong). All this is in addition to, of course, general systems knowledge. I’m definitely getting out of the relaxation mode and back into the books this week and committing all this knowledge to memory before we hit the flightline next week.

2 Jun 06 (Day 141)

Pretty slow day. I have already finished up my various computer lessons so we only had a 1.5 hour class lesson covering hydraulic, landing gear and brake system malfunctions. 

1 Jun 06 (Day 140)

We started today at 1100 due to early morning sims. We started with the Avionics test and the Lord blessed me with a 96%. I missed one that was pretty dumb. Many of the questions were worded weird and multiple people missed questions on the test. After the test, we had a two hour lesson on landing data and how to use charts to produce the various numbers. This was a little dry but we will be expected to figure these numbers on the flight line. Then we had a 1 hour class on the intro to our systems 4 section. Much more up my alley, dealing with landing gear, hydraulics and flight controls. We also had a 1 hour computer lesson over hydraulics and landing gear. I finished up three computer lessons for tomorrow waiting for my 1700 sim brief time. The sim was actually wonderful - yeah that’s right I said wonderful. The IP had good words for us and said we were doing very well. We ran through all the checklists and I did three patterns with the first landing being a touch-n-go, the second a go around (due to another aircraft pulling out on a runway) and the third was a full stop. We took a five minute break and Jason jumped in the right seat (pilot) and I jumped in the left (Copilot-CP) The aircraft seems sometimes to turn like it has an elephant on its back but I’ve heard this is actually modifications made to the T-1 to make it seem like it flies like a true heavy (like our follow-on aircraft). We finished around 2145 so almost four hours. 

31 May 06 (Day 139)

I met with my flying partner at 0930 to review checklists and we had class at 1100. The first class was avionics malfunctions and how to handle them. As you can imagine, the T-1 is heavily reliant on avionics/electronics, so we have to at least know how to maintain aircraft control when screens go out. After that class we had our review for the avionics test tomorrow. I went to the gym after class. Two teams had sims this morning and I’m scheduled to have my third sim tomorrow night.

30 May 06 (Day 138)

Pretty slow, self-paced day. No formal classes today. We had a 2 hour lesson in the PTT covering operations of the electronic attitude indicator and horizontal situation indicator as well as the air data system, etc. We then had a computer lesson over more avionics. This past weekend Amanda and I celebrated our 6th Anniversary with a camping trip (with boating ) with the girls-great time!

26 May 06 (Day 137)

Today was basically a day off. It is considered a Safety Day. We met at the O’Club at 0700 for a wing safety brief covering alcohol and the 101 critical days of summer - basically play safe. Then we watched a video in our flight room over driving safety and we’re released at 0930. I spent a couple of hours going over checklists with Jason and picked up the boat from outdoor recreation for our family camping trip this weekend. Have a great Memorial Day!

25 May 06 (Day 136)

We started this morning at 0800 in the PTTs (part task trainer) till 0930. See pictures from an earlier date. These simply let you get use to the radios and display units. You are allowed to come in when no one is using the PTTs and review lessons. After this we had a class lesson from 1015 to 1215 covering TOLD (take off and landing data). This is moderately important for a T-37/8 or fighters but even more important to a heavy aircraft. There are five times the number of data charts for the T-1 as the T-37. After this we were released to study, etc. Most of the class visited life support for T-1s and picked up their headsets used in sims and in the aircraft. 

24 May 06 (Day 135)

I had my first T-1 sim tonight and it was great. If you remember, I hated T-37 sims with a passion and literately had to build myself up for every sim. I truly believe T-1s will be different. The checklists are completely different in the way they are accomplished. This morning we came in at 1100 to have an intro class on our Avionics systems (not the electrical system but user interface, i.e. the cockpit). I have to say I sat there dazed and confused trying to understand the complicated systems. But it will slowly come. After this class we had another CRM (crew resource management) class and then we were released. Jason and I had our first sim starting at 1700 and it lasted about 4 hours. The sim is always booked because we only have two sims on base therefore you sometimes have crazy start and finish times. I sat right seat/CP (copilot) the first half while he got us off the ground and did a radar pattern to an ILS. Then I switched and did the same. We were obviously slow running the checklists. The pilot has to call for the checklist while the CP runs the checklists and makes all the radio calls. I sat there slightly overwhelmed but very excited because I will soon be at the helm of a very complicated flying machine. The aircraft doesn’t seem (from the sim ) that hard to fly but you do have to know how to work all the various avionics and be ready to handle malfunctions. I’m looking forward to my first flight in mid-June. One funny thing, the sim is valued at $7.3 million and near the end of the shutdown checklist, Jason reached up and pushed a switch and it broke and fell out. We pointed it out the the IP and maintenance guy and they quickly got serious - nothing you can do!?! It probably cost $1k.

A view from inside the T-1A sim. The instructor sits behind you in front of the computer where he sets up EPs or approaches, etc.

23 May 06 (Day 134)

Since I had my sim yesterday I didn’t have to report until 1100 for the Electrical Systems Test. It went well with God blessing me with a 100%; actually all were blessed with 100%. Obviously not complaining but the test could have been much harder. The electrical system is quite complicated. We had a crew resource management class (one of several - not tested) dealing with crew interaction and positive and negative ways to handle conflict while flying the aircraft. We had three computer lessons to complete dealing with flight characteristics of the T-1. Tomorrow I should have another sim in the actual simulator running checklists.

22 May 06 (Day 133)

I had my first T-1 sim with Jason (my crewmember assigned through Transition Check) this morning at 0745. Two earlier groups started at 0545. It was only a familiarization sim with the checklist and the proper way to run them with a crew. It is very different. The pilot initiates the particular checklist and the copilot actually reads the checklist and completes most of the actions. For instance, the pilot doesn’t have a gear handle, it is on the copilots side (right side). For major actions in the checklists, all crewmembers are required to confirm that the action was taken (such as gear or flaps when getting ready to land). The sim was on the cheap cockpit layout (see picture below) and took about 2 hours. The T-1 checklist and inflight guide are much thicker (about 2” thick). In the T-37 you strapped these items to your leg but in the T-1 you hold the checklist and then just set it down behind the center console. One thing I did notice was the exercise of the neck. The T-1 has an overhead console that you have to raise your head to see and it seems like it is constant up and down action of your eyes to see lights and switches. We had two computer lessons over aircraft lighting and electrical systems schematics. Then we had two classes, the electrical system malfunction and test review in preparation for tomorrow morning’s test. We had 4 of our eight crews (16 total people in our T-1 class) in sims this morning so the last 4 crews will go tomorrow morning. The electrical system seems to be focused on indications of emergencies and what is the outcome of each switch activated. I’ll study pretty hard tonight to ensure I have my brain wrapped around it for tomorrow’s test. The T-1 systems cover so much information but they don’t expect you to know (on the test) everything because that is realistic at this point.

19 May 06 (Day 132)

We had our first T-1 academic test today at 0800. The Lord blessed me with a 100% and the class as a whole did very well. Our first section covered an overview of the T-1 systems so our next section began with the specifics of the electrical systems. We had a two hour class on the electrical systems followed by two one-hour computer lessons. We also had three more computer lessons covering checklists. Overall, a great Friday and I finished very thing by around 1400. We have our first sims Monday starting with the “cardboard” trainer (cheap 3-D poster cockpit). In T-1s you are assigned a buddy who you will fly with through your first checkride (Transition check) including all your sims, so almost three months. Luckily, everyone in our class is friendly. I was paired up with one of the incoming Capts. from Moody. The IPs from your flight make the assignments. 

T-1 computer lab. T-37/38s use same computer lab

18 May 06 (Day 131)

I’m enjoying T-1s. We showed up for class at 1030. Our first class covered fuel system malfunctions for two hours. The third hour covered our first test review scheduled for tomorrow at 0800. I went and worked out again after class. Below are some pictures of the T-1 areas and simulators. I did want to mention one more thing. As far as assignments and grading, Phase I & II are history and don’t count. Everyone gets a fresh slate to begin with so it is important not to relax because you may have done well before. Conversely if you did poorly in Phase I & II, Phase III is a great chance to change that.

T-1 classroom in the SIM building, third floor.

One of two T-1 sims here at Columbus. There are only approx 9 in AF inventory

These are called PTTs (Part Task Trainers). They are only partially functional and allow you to get use to the displays and manipulating those.

Here are the cheapies’ (relatively speaking). Here is where students can practice switchology and where your first sim takes place. Basically can you find the particular switch in a timely manner.

17 May 06 (Day 130)

I finished up my computer lessons yesterday afternoon so I didn’t have to show until 1030. Our class covered engine malfunctions. Afterwards we met with out assistant flight commander and covered more flight admin. We then had a class covering the T-1 fuel system. I went ahead and finished up my computer lessons for tomorrow morning as well. We are having computer lessons covering two areas right now. One set is our aircraft systems overview. The other deals with aircraft procedures or checklists. We have had 9 lessons over various checklists all the way through taking off and flying a radar pattern (can be flown in clouds and requires turn directions by controller). The aircraft is overwhelming but I’m finding my retention is better than when I started in T-37s. I went to the gym around 1500. Tomorrow I’ll walk around and get pictures of classroom, computer lab and simulators.

16 May 06 (Day 129)

Today was a pretty easy day. I believe that T-1 academics won’t be too bad, you just need to learn the general knowledge. Today we had an academic introduction at 0700. We broke early to go to a commander’s call at the officer’s club due to the alcohol incidents last week and a flight discipline (disobeying known flight rules) issue as well. After that we had our first academics class (first of six systems classes), basically an overview of T-1 systems. The avionics are overwhelming and very up-to-date - it makes the Tweet seem like a kids toy. Then we had about 5 computer lessons. I finished around 1500 and then went to the gym. In T-1s you will have 17 sims (6 before you fly), 9 academic tests, 56 aircraft rides plus 20 in the jumpseat (right behind pilot and co-pilot) and a team ride (you and a fellow student take the jet out somewhere). We should have our dollar rides around mid-June so a little while in academics. 

15 May 06 (Day 128)

Well, it feels a little like day one again in Phase II. We’re back to wearing the black nametags (newbies) until we get our new name tags with the T-1 squadron colors and aircraft. Well, I’m now in the 48th Flight Training Squadron. It was weird seeing Tweets flying overhead and knowing I’m not flying them anymore. We “reported” this morning at 0600 to meet with a Flight Commander (from sister flight - our CC was coming back from a cross country). He laid the ground rules for how the flight would work. Next at 0730 we met with the Sq CC (Squadron Commander) but another Lt Col came in from the Operations Group (one up in the chain of command). Well, some people had partied a little too hard on Friday and it caught up with them. No one in our flight got a DUI but there was some behavior that senior leadership thought was questionable. Needless to say after that our Sq CC had a little bad taste in his mouth. He took about an hour and laid some more ground rules from his perspective and gave us his expectations. Next we went to Physiology to get a refresher in flight’s effect on the body and how the T-1 (pressurized) jet would change things from the Tweet/T-6. We did gain three new guys from Moody AFB where they don’t have a Phase III available (Two Capts, 1 Lt). I’m the youngest Capt in the group and Rob isn’t the SRO anymore. Back to Physiology, there was a scheduling foul-up so we didn’t have class until 1130. I ran some errands and went to the gym for the first time in a while. The CC did say that we could use work time to workout and that sounded great. I believe I let my health/workout go just a touch in Phase II. During class, we also went over the emergency oxygen equipment with boiled down to a quick don mask that hangs beside you when you fly. If there is a problem, you just pop it on. You don’t wear a helmet or mask in the T-1 as it is pressurized. The we covered egress procedures which boil down to turn everything off and run out the crew door. After class at 1430 we got our “hero” shots/pictures taken where you stand beside the T-1. This picture will be used in the assignment night slide show. We did see our flight commander get back, as he was pulling golf clubs and large travel bags out of the back from his cross country to Washington State. After this we were released. I nice easy first day. We are suppose to start aircraft systems academics tomorrow with our first test on Friday. I’ve definitely thought about what my first choices for assignment would be and I think it would be C-17 first and then C-130. This is based on the fact that they both can do tactical airlift (intra or in the theater of operations). That would put me in the action (at least at some point) dropping stuff into battle or parachuting troops into the fight. I’d rather not be orbiting far away from the battle. Just my initial desires. I’ve definitely learned from Phase II to keep my desires tentative/not firm as God will show me my path.

C-17 Globemaster III

C-130 Hercules

Just for those who didn’t know what the T-6 looks like. This is what the Moody guys flew in Phase II.