BREAKING NEWS: Due to over-sized class sizes, under-manned Instructor Pilots, and terrible weather, Base XL has initiated a series of major "wash backs" starting with my class 10-15 (convenient...NOT)! Yours truly has been hand picked to lead the charge (backwards)!!!
Class 10-15 is washing back up to 10 people (1/3 the class).
Class 11-01 (who started 3 weeks AFTER me), already wash backed 8-16 trainees!
Class 11-02 (who started 6 weeks AFTER me), are washing 20+ trainees back. ETC...
Effective immediately, I have been put on HOLD, and am awaiting pending paper work status (submitted last Friday) to be wash backed to Flight Class 11-01, Aces Flight. The waiting begins.....
Tuesday February 9, 2010 ( Day HOLD)
Standing by....to stand by. Its really hard - I (and one other) are on hold, or FREEZE, which means we can literally do nothing syllabus related. Ohh we can always study our 500 pages of pubs!!! =0 Its hard to sit back and freeze, while you watch everybody you trained with for the last 5 months progress ahead of you. I am officially dead to Longhorn Flight, Class 10-15. =(
Wednesday February 10, 2010 (Day HOLD)
Standing by....to stand by.
Today I died a Longhorn and was born an.......ACE !!!!!!!!!!
Thursday February 11, 2010 (Day HOLD)
Standing by....to stand by. First full day hanging out with A Flight, the "Aces", or "America's Flight." Its a completely new group of people, things are totally different, and my comfort zone got completely obliterated! =0
Even though I'm on hold, I had to complete a last-minute Navigation Sim (N3001) so I could on my cross country! SO I was taken off hold, scrambled into the OFT Simulator (see the bottom of Week 8's post for pictures of the simulators). I did an "EXCELLENT" job - so lets go cross country!!!
Friday February 12, 2010 (Day HOLD)
Standing by....to stand by. And..... going cross country!!! We originally wanted to go EAST - to Miami and then drive down to the FLORIDA KEYS!!! However, a huge ice storm front moved in over TX and decided to clog the entire coast east of me, rendering my new cross country destination to be....WEST!!! Here's the itinerary:
Friday - Flew to El Paso (Texas) to refuel, then off to Tucson (Arizona)!!!!! Spend the night with the cacti, had $10 of taco bell, and was happy to see all of the A-10s flying around!
Saturday - Flew to San Diego (California)!!!!! It was an AMAZING approach into a windscreen of the Pacific Ocean! The approach we flew in was right over the beach, then right over the bay with tons of boats, blue water, waves, and terrain that is 100% NOT-like here in Del Rio!
Sunday - Flew to Reno, Nevada - the "Biggest Little City in the World." Flew in, parked the plane, and drove to the slopes of LAKE TAHOE! Saw the lake on the drive there (obviously) and it was gorgeous. Spent the night there, hit the casino, didn't lose any money. Good times!
Monday - Got to sit ALL day. Ohh what day.
Tuesday - Returned to XL!!!! Flew from Reno, Nevada back to Davis Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona (to get gas). Had a candy bar and a pop, then flew another long 600 mile leg back home to XL!
Hours:
N4001 - 1.7 N4002 - 1.1 N4003 - 1.3 N4004 - 1.8 N4005 - 2.2 N4006 - 1.9
10.0 hour cross country trip (50.7 hours total T-6 flying time)
101 Total landings
Eric - Yea! Nice Cross Country flying! Welcome "home"! Pops =)
ReplyDeletei liked the longhorns.. the aces sound even grander...it is a uplifting freeness you have described within yourself that makes ya want to shout....your are the man.. xoxox mom
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