Crazy

Its been a crazy busy week, but AWESOME!! I'll update this weekend.

End of Week 4

We only flew one day this week due to the weather (we still usually had 10 hour days) but Friday I had my 2nd no puke flight. I went to the chair a lot during the week and I think that helped to keep my body used to it. Flying Friday was awesome, ya I messed up a lot, but I got into a competitive mode against myself to the point where the I was yelling more than the IP. (Mom don't read the rest of this one) While in the area I was refreshing myself on all of our maneuvers including spins. The second spin I was using a little aileron to keep it wings level while I induced the spin. Usually spin starts slowly and gradually progresses to a steady spin, since I had a little aileron it skipped the slow roll and went right into a fast spiral straight down. My head slammed to the left as I heard "OH FXXX" The IP took the aircraft and eventually brought it wings level after losing about 4,000 ft. I wasn't ever worried, probably because I didn't know I needed to be worried, but he said that was the only time (in the T-6) he has wanted to go straight home, crawl under his bed, and cry. We just flew around real easy and gentle for a little bit after that. No more spins on that day.

end of Week 3

The Lord really blessed me the past few days, I hit a low Thursday afternoon, but I saw 2 really good friends track select that night, then friday (I don't know why I'm just now posting this) I had my first no puke flight!!! it was pretty awesome, it is much more fun not throwing up, still stressful as all get out, but stress can be fun. And then this weekend was A-MAZING, we'll leave it at that. We didn't fly today or yesterday due to weather so its been pretty relaxed, really early days that didn't match up with my sleep patterns over the weekend but...
I've realized my brain dumped a lot of the info I learned in academics, I'm having to constantly go back and review material "I learned" and learned well enough to do very well on the tests, but now don't have a clue about. There are some extremely smart guys here.
Friends are awesome, I can't imagine what I would do w/o them, and don't know how or why anybody would want to be a loner.

graphic - strong stomachs only

So during the spinning they teach you how to breath, not so much to breath, but more to control the muscles that are contracting your stomach to vomit. Today was much better, we did a couple goes in the pattern, went out to the area for some G-ex and abnormal recoveries, then back to the pattern. I felt kinda crapy in the pattern but was able to force it out of mind and the breathing helped, but on our very last pattern I couldn't hold it back, a little bit of crunchy peanut butter came up, but I was able to swallow it down - I think that just adds to the madness, and holding it back only leads to to explosive puking that comes out your nose and sense I'm trying to ignore it I don't get my bag out in time then it filled the mask, sprayed out the top covering my visor so I couldn't see - it was kinda funny, but encouraging cuz its getting better, and I didn't puke in the chair. Turns out we went 1.7 hours if we would have done the regular 1.3 I might have made it. My performance flying is still really bad, but hopefully I can focus more on flying now.

w3 d2, no mention of "stuff"

Before you feel confident with one maneuver they move you on to others. Today we did spins (to see a video of this copy this address http://www.t6driver.com/gouge_contact.html scroll down to and click on spin video) We also did abnormal flight recoveries, they fly the plane in a really weird
position (inverted dive) then give you the plane to get back to normal. Its a strange sensation seeing nothing but spiraling green... Oh, yesterday we had an unsafe landing gear indication while flying in the area, and had to preform a precautionary return to base. It may have been a burned out bulb but it was still exciting, and that ride didn't count as a real flight. My pattern work wasn't very hot today and I hooked the ride because I didn't maintain level flight during turns. This is a vitally important task, at one point I looked up with a plane above me, looked down to see one taking off below me, then forward to dodge a buzzard. Its funny when we do the G exercise I instantly break out in a sweat, I can feel the individual beads pop out on my head.
Last blog I said this isn't any fun, and thats the general thought among the class. Everyone I've talked to in classes ahead of me say it doesn't really get fun, I haven't talked to anybody that enjoys phase II. Apparently this phase is just plain busy/stressful, you constantly feel behind and incompetent, and its just gonna be that way, you have to accept it and brush it off. Half the class has already hooked rides, sometimes with good reason, sometimes not, either way you just have to move on. I guess this is how it needs to be, it makes you evaluate if this is really what you want to do, and overtime it distinctly separates the awesome from the average. I'm fine with it being work, I won't whine any more.
oh ya, 2 A-10s taxied past me today just before I took off - awesome
ps. a buddy just talked to a guy we went to school with who hated phase II, did horrible, is now loving flying, just got back from Alaska, England, Germany, but sadly had to miss the trip to Columbia... it will have a happy ending

Week 3 Day 2, puke update

Me puking is not any fun to read about so I'm making one post about puking and another that is fun. You are currently reading the less fun one. Yesterday I went to physiology and they spun me in a chair for 2 rides 10 min each, which simulates a 1.4 hour flight. During the rides they have you make simple movements that change the fluid movement in your inner ear. They know which movements will do what so they talk you through ways to detect/control the impulses. Before this I thought the breathing tech was a bunch of crap, but I could seriously feel a difference as I did what they said. I still puked, but I learned, so it was a good thing. I was able to fend off the feeling a little bit today in my flight, but flight requires more mental capacity than I currently have and diverting any of it to controlling urges results in very poor flight. So I "hooked" (failed) the ride today because I gained/lost too much altitude during the pattern turns, and I still puked. Then I went back to the chair to puke some more, but I got a lot of good advice. The chair is a 3 day program then we'll re-evaluate the situation then. I can't tell everyone how much I appreciate the encouragement, at the same time I hope you aren't spending more time thinking about this than after you finish this sentence. I'm not, the IPs aren't (they've seen this 1000 times), and the physio Cap said he has too. those last sentences were targeted toward mom and Laurzapan.

Phase II end of week 2

I just realized I haven't kept this thing up to date at all. Over the past week I've flown 4 more times. The first 3 on meds that completely eliminated any nausea. Its amazing how much progress you make in an hour. In the first 6 flights training is focused on basic traffic pattern procedures/radio calls and situations that can result from improper inputs (stalls). I have to add a stipulation for guys who are about to start flight school: flying is ridiculously amazing. Banking/pulling Gs around the pattern and feeling the extra weight in your pants as your G suit tightens up takes your breath away. But having a million factors continuously changing around you, having to maintain SA (situational awareness) on them, and always being evaluated on your ability to adjust to and control those factors... not so much. I've been pretty horrible the first flights but leaps and bounds are made every time. Jarrell (who is 6 weeks ahead) says that all of a sudden things just start clicking, and before you know it you don't even think, just enjoy the flight, so we'll have to see... We also had an academic test this week and 3 guys failed, not because the test was harder, but probably because they didn't put the time in for it. Some days you might have the test, a flight, a sim, standups, and an EP to prepare for so you have to pick and choose. We also keep messing up our boldface/ops limits so each day we've had to turn in 7.
I puked again today on my first flight off the meds, so I'll have to go back to the Doc monday morning. I can throw up 2 more flights, then I'll start hooking rides (recieving a U or unsatisfactory). I'm not sure how many I can hook, but you never want to hook a ride. Its pretty useless to get frustrated over my performance or puking (even though thats my first instinct), and who doesn't like a good challenge. What good is something that you don't have to fight for. So in that respect this is pretty fun, and we're already getting used to the pace, good week overall, two thumbs up.

cont

I didn't realize that last post was so long, but I forgot to mention: after the flight I had another cool moment walking by all the planes in my fancy G suit and harness with my helmet bag thrown over my shoulder, that image was instantly shot down when I realized I was carrying my sick bag and vomit filled mask in the other hand... awe man

Phase II day 3 - standard day - flight #2

Since I threw up yesterday I got to the flight doc today, they just gave me a pep talk and sent me on my way. Crew rest/duty day requirements don't allow you to stay over 12 hours in one day, so that meant I got to leave early tonight. Each night the IPs (instructor pilots) record the answering machine with the schedule for the next day. I think it is a game they play to see how fast they can read it off. This week we are on a late schedule, which means we fly the afternoon/evening flights and don't come in until 1100 or so, tomorrow we come in at 0845 to do some computer lesson academics, but we're usually out of the flight room around 2000-2100. Some weeks we will have the early flights, so we'll show around 0430 and stay no later than 1630. Today we had a boldface/ops limit test, 5 people switched some numbers around so we all owe 5 perfect copies tomorrow (not a big deal, its like writing lines in school). After that we are rushed to put together and present a weather brief, followed by "shotgun questions" we sit at attention around a long table and one by one come to attention to answer a question over the reading assignment from the night before. If you get it wrong you remain standing until it is your turn again. We've noticed that they have been asking questions from the next day's readings instead of the prior nights, I guess this is a mind game to make you think you are behind... After that we are given an EP (emergency procedure) they set up a situation in the plane and one person goes to the head of the table to talk through how you would handle the emergency. This is a very extensive process, you must ask question after question to access the situation and figure out what is happening, then go into meticulous detail as to how you will handle the situation. I was called up today, it boiled down to an engine failure after take off with insufficient runway remaining to land, so I ejected. After that I had a simulator flight, most are 1.3 hours with an hour prebrief and short debrief. I came back to the flight room, ate my lunch and it was time for my real flight prebrief.
This flight was amazing!!! There was a cloud ceiling at about 5000', but we came out at 8000' to find one of the beautiful vistas I've ever seen. It looked like snow covered hills and in the bubble canopy I had a perfect view all around me. One of the whispy cirrus clouds was literally right above me, it looked like huge pheasant's tail. We played around some in our assigned area in the sky, did some 4 G turns and other stuff and descended back into the clouds to go home. When we had broken through the bottom you could see the rain coming at us from the left, I've seen it ahead of me driving down the road, next to me from a mountain, and now below me racing to suck me in, awesome - then I threw up.
Not right then, I did a tough-n-go, then he showed me a pattern landing, then started to demonstrate another type of landing and out of nowhere there was a burp, then a liquid burp that I swallowed back down, but you can only swallow so fast before it leaks out filling up your oxygen mask, not fun. So I'll go back to the doc tomorrow, where they'll probably give me some air sickness pills and some uppers to counteract the drowsiness of the airsick pills. Not worried.

Phase II day 2

Isaiah 40:31 took action today as "those who hope in the Lord... will soar on wings like eagles" the verse doesn't go on to say that eagles were created to fly, and they don't get sick when they pull 2G's in a 60* bank, 1000' @ 200 knots. Thats not extreme even compared to the log ride, but it was enough to make me yak. Other than that the flight was awesome, and I was able to maintain positive control of my wits, with a confident attitude even when confused (hard for me at times). Taxing was much easier (which was impossible yesterday) and I'll fly again tomorrow with a chance of redemption. Another guy in my sister flight is a former civilian instructor and he puked too, friends in classes ahead of me said the first few flights will do that and then you get used to it, so I'm not worried at all, even though some people (very few) eventually do wash out due to airsickness. My devotional this morning was actually about being in humiliating low points that help us 1) develop true character 2) evaluate our relationship with God 3) use for point of ministry later. Good times.

Phase II

Today was the first day of Phase II. In the last class 2 people quit after day 1, and another quit after about 2 weeks, that guy majored in Aero in college, he just decided this wasn't for him. I definitely questioned what I was doing here instead of backpacking several times today, and I don't think I ever really answered them, I was too busy and my head was spinning like mad. I'll go into more detail later as to what the days are like. I was supposed to have my first flight today, we taxied all the way onto the runway, powered up, and had to abort because my mic kept cutting out. You can't fly if you can't communicate. So we'll try again tomorrow, followed by a sim in the evening, hopefully tomorrow I can make myself relax more and soak in what is going on around me rather than messing with my gear. I mean, I'm getting to FLY!!! Certainly I have the mental fortitude to relax and play the Top Gun theme as we walk to our aircraft with our G-suit on. HA, all Air Force guys are required to make fun of Top Gun, even though they all loved it growing up.