UPT Week 18 (Jan 10-15, 2010)

Sunday January 10, 2010 ( Day 78)
Because of all the unfavorable weather we had over the past two months, the T-6 training program is behind, thus I had to go in to work today! Hoping it would be a lighter load, its just like any other day - with an official morning brief, Emergency Scenario Stand Ups (if you suck, then you can't fly or sim for the entire day), and being there for almost 12 hours! AHH!

Monday January 11, 2010 ( Day 79)
Instrument Sim this morning (I2104) - yikes those things take long to prepare! BUT! The more prepared you are, the better the sim goes! I like it!!!!

Tuesday January 12, 2010 ( Day 80)
INSTRUMENTS INSTRUMENTS INSTRUMENTS!!!! Today was my first instrument ride (I4001) and conveniently, it was pure IMC (instrument meteorological conditions) - meaning it was a terribly cloudy day with the cloud base low to the ground - around 700 ft! And clouds going all the way up to 22,000 - a pretty yucky day. BUT! Where as 2/3 of the T-6 world at XL was weather cancelled (as I have been multiple times this year), Class 10-15 comes to the rescue with our INSTRUMENT RIDES!! The DO (3rd big dog in our squadron) personally came over to our flight room to praise us for adding additional instrument flights, and as result, "we only had 30 weather cancels!" I guess that's really good for a terrible flying day! (NOTE: XL has 110 T-6 Texan IIs and we launch an average of 200 flights per day).

We had many instrument sims, but flying (on a real instrument-mandatory day) was very different! My analogy I thought of was like driving your car in the fog and you can only see as far as your front car hood- NO further. That's what it was like flying up there today. Doing maneuvers in the area was no big deal, but flying back to the base and trying to get in for a landing with 10 other aircraft at the same time - is pretty scary. Why? Because we can't see anything!!!! For our approach back to base for landing, we are 100% at the mercy of the Air Traffic Control (ATC). We fly a standardized route back within 10-20 miles, then they are like a kid playing with matchbox cars; moving this car over here, moving another car in this direction, then turning another car in the opposite direction, then having another car move towards base to start its landing, then extra cars are sent over in the corner in a pile to enter a HOLDING PATTERN until there turn to start the final approach for landing comes up. Same deal. ATC gives us vectors, altitudes, air speeds, commands, etc. and they are the only thing keeping us from colliding with other aircraft! Pretty important.

This particular ride ended up being the most congested ride my IP has ever seen here (in 4 years)! =0 Needless to say, we landed with MINIMUM FUEL, meaning things were so ugly up there that we almost had to DIVERT to another airfield. Our BINGO fuel was 550 lbs (a pre-briefed fuel state that allows us to return to return to the base of intended landing or alternate airfield, if required, using preplanned parameters and arriving with normal recovery fuel). The lowest fuel state to have before having to DIVERT was 420 lbs, and lets just say we landing with about 421 lbs! =0

1.7 hour flight (31.2 hours total T-6 flying time)
90 Total landings


Wednesday January 13, 2010 ( Day 81)
Believe it or not, but the weather was even worst that yesterday! =0 Weather cancel!
BUT! I had my 2nd to last Academic Exam today - Navigation. PASSED! 97.8 %! YEE-HAH! Only one more test to go until be EXAM COMPLETE!!!! =0

Thursday January 14, 2010 ( Day 82)
Still pushing myself, feeling sicker than yesterday, and as a result I got my ass kicked in a sim! Sadly I was super-prepared and ready, but I guess not ready for the mental/physical execution. Note to self: next time, DNIF yourself BEFORE an event! (I thought I could be able to knock out these sims versus flying...NOT)! DNIF = Duties Not Including Flying

Friday January 15, 2010 ( Day 83)
DNIF! Means Im sick and I went to the flight doc and he said "You're sick." Doing nothing today!

These are the Advanced aerial maneuvers that I am now doing:

Lazy 8

Loop

Recoveries

Barrel Roll (Around an imaginary object)

Chandelle (High speed climb)

Split-S

Immelman

Cuban 8

Cloverleaf