UPT Complete!

Finally finished today after canceling two days in a row for weather. We took off and immediately regretted the decision. The weather was a lot worse than reported, but we picked our way through the clouds and got out to our low-level route using some hybrid IFR/VFR navigation techniques. The route went alright and we found the DZ, but as soon as we started the next route we saw weather up ahead. We continued, because it really didn't look too bad. It looked like our visibility would deteriorate a little, but nothing serious. We were wrong. One minute we could see lead, the next we couldn't. It was just like that...POOF! In the clouds. We both did 180's to get out of the weather and we reformed with some good flying, good comms, and good spotting on the part of the IP's. We ended up having to return to base via separate IFR clearances and PAR's. Crazy day of flying and quite the wrap up to 15 months of pilot training. I learned a ton from that flight, and I'm glad to be done for now. I'll have a bunch of admin to do and a move to coordinate between now and Little Rock. Stay tuned for further information.

CX for T-Storms

We canceled for weather again this morning. Here's the radar picture of the area. Our planned low-level route goes northwest from Corpus Christi (center of image), west of San Antonio (left of Victoria). You can see the definite line of thunderstorms rolling in from the northwest. I think we made the right call. Tomorrow the weather should be a lot better.

Low Levels and TACFORM

I've been really busy prepping and flying low-levels and TACFORM (Tactical Formation) the last couple days. I had the sim last Friday. We flew it in a TC-12 sim, because they have visuals. They're contractor-owned, so the sims were much nicer. It was weird being in a visual sim again after almost a year. On Monday I flew a low-level out and back up to Victoria to have a late lunch. The flight went pretty well. It's gonna take some time to adjust to the copilot mentality. All these rides are right seat rides for us to get us ready for the C-130 copilot responsibilities during a low-level airdrop. We have drop zones (DZ's), landing zones (LZ's), simulated ground threats, and a whole mess of other stuff to simulate a wartime airdrop operation. The weird part is flying less than half the time in the air. These rides are also sort of a navigator appreciation exercise in that we have to prepare all the maps, stick diagrams, and pre-mission planning products that navigators usually produce. This leads to a schedule where you finish a flight, debrief, go back to your apartment for an hour, and then go back to work to print off maps, make sticks, and procure dropzone photos for the next day. Then you finish later than you wanted to, and you go to bed for another early showtime. I've only done it a couple times, but it seems to go quicker each time.

Yesterday, we flew four low-levels again, but unlike Monday, they were in formation. This is cool, because when you're wing, all you have to do is stay in position, and keep up with the navigation, you don't really have to actively do the navigating. Plus, you're in formation, which is always cool. We did the same route and stopped again in Victoria for lunch.

I only have the checkride left, which is supposed to be pretty low-threat. We canceled today because a huge thunderstorm is rolling in just to the northwest. Only one ride left in UPT! Hopefully we'll get it done tomorrow.

Low-level Academics

Since Thursday we've been in academics learning how to plan low-level routes and create useful maps for flying them. We have one more day of map-making tomorrow, a low-level sim on Wednesday, and we drop on Thursday. We'll fly on Friday and maybe Saturday as well. I could be done as early as Monday. We'll see.

Change of plan(e)s

My last 4 flights were good memories. They were low-level Out-and-backs to Oklahoma City on Monday and Lawton on Tuesday. I flew my last two with the IP who gave me my dollar ride. The weather was just unbelievable, we flew the whole thing in 2-ship tactical formation and ate Chick-fil-A while stopped in Lawton. Can't ask for much better than that. T-6s ended well.

I had known for about a week that I might get re-tracked to fly T-44s down at Corpus Christi NAS because I struggled so much in T-6s, and I found out for sure yesterday from my Flight Cmdr. I have awhile before the move, but this curveball from life should actually really work to my advantage. The Navy training is a little more self-paced and laid back. I also have a much better shot at actually flying something that being a UAV operator. I'm excited to start something new and live somewhere else, despite the negative. At least Someone sees the big picture. It's lookin' up!

On to Form

I finally wrapped up low-level today with another FPC. This one was requested special, because I spent both of my progress checks on the mid-phase contact block. Thankfully I passed, and I get to move on to formation. I actually had to fly it twice, since the first one was cut short due to weather. My check IP flew the recovery. The weather later in the day cooperated and allowed me to finish the sortie without too much trouble. I had to weave my way through a few clouds, but it worked out.

It seems you learn good things from going to the edge and back. Seeing as how I've been there twice now, I should know quite a few good things, but I'd like to put an end to these shennanigans. I'm getting too old for this.

Rolling to backup backups

Today after giving the morning brief I prepped to fly two of the navigation routes we fly. One's the primary and one's the backup. Today though, as my IP and I were on our way to step, the bird status changed and we had to bust out another map of a different route right before we flew. Stuff like that happens more often than you might think. I still managed to fly the low-level ok. It helped that I flew the same route yesterday. I came back to the pattern for a firm touchdown and some sloppy landings. Check tomorrow.

Aerobatics Refresher

After my low-level today I went to the area and got some aerobatics practice before flying back to Sheppard for a straight-in. It was fun to pull some G's again, if only for 15 minutes.

The low-level was largely uneventful, but I still have things to work on. I get to use the GPS next time, which should make things a whole lot easier. A ground speed readout and exact track over the ground will hopefully make it impossible to miss my turn points. Now, if I could just get a radar altimeter...

Way to start the week

Flew another low-level today, which went pretty well besides the part where I kinda got lost...not what we aim for when flying 500' above the ground, but I got lucky and found the next turn point even though it was probably 2 miles to the left of where it should have been if I'd been on course. Live(fly) and learn. I departed the route corridor and went for an practice emergency landing pattern at one of the nearby airfields. I made a great position report only to look down and see, as my IP was reminding me, that I was transmitting on the wrong frequency. HA! Wasn't the first time, probably won't be the last, but embarrassing nonentheless. I came back to the pattern and flew some patterns that could use some clean up, but weren't awful. I was just happy, because I was landing the plane like it was my job...which it is. Awesome.

Formation sim tomorrow - I'll be sim complete! Also awesome.

Nothin'

Today I didn't have anything scheduled. I didn't even have to show for the morning brief, because I had to stay late yesterday as the recorder. I came in late, and worked on prepping a map for Monday, watched the US catch up and go to a draw against Slovenia, got some paperwork taken care of, and left around 3pm. Not bad.

There was another assignment night tonight. It was a somewhat disappointing drop - only two assignable fighters, two C-17s, and two UAVs, which is two too many in my opinion. Hopefully at least one of the guys requested it.

Thunderbirds this weekend up in OK City!

No more hand-drawn maps!

I flew my 4th low-level today, which means I can make the rest of my maps using the computer software we have instead of prepping them by hand. Excellent! For the past couple of rides I've had to draw out the route, mark the towers, emergency airfields and information, intersecting routes, abort altitude, headings, airspeeds, and altitudes for each leg, and timing. It's much easier on the computer, and you can actually read it, which is the best part.

Yesterday my pattern work was decent, but today it was a little sloppy. The crosswinds didn't help either. However comma I rocked my area work with almost no prep. I like that.

Flying low-levels has been really fun. I have 6 more until the check which should be next Friday at this point. Today I sat another recorder tour in the RSU. It was pretty uneventful except for one aircraft that had a suspected bird strike on landing roll.

Low-level and RSU

I flew another low-level nav route today. It was a little longer one, and I flew over a lake at one point which was really cool. It's more difficult that I thought it would be to pick out towers from the air. Even 400' radio towers are difficult to see until you're 2 miles away.

I sat another tour of recorder in the RSU, and upgraded another dude. About halfway into it, I just had him do it, so it got kinda boring, but oh well. Gonna prep another map for tomorrow's low-level.

My neighbor got pizza, so that was a welcome surprise.

Ground Abort

I was supposed to fly another low-level today, but the aural warning tones in the rear cockpit of our aircraft weren't working. Thunderstorms rolled in right after we aborted, so it probably wouldn't have worked out anyway. Instead we were treated to a standup. We'll try again tomorrow.

Low-Level

So low-level is definitely fun. You stay very busy in the aircraft, assessing your fuel state at each turn point, making sure you stay at 500' AGL, maintaining course, looking at the map to verify your position, and spotting towers along the route. I can't wait to do this back home in the mountains someday. It would be so awesome! Flying low-level on the coast or over water would be really cool too. There are some lakes around here that we fly over, and it's way better than flying over plain old North TX. My landings were atrocious though, so I should probably devote more time to patterns next ride.

See Spotter Watch

Today we had individual report, as in no formal brief! I went in at 1020 this morning. Awesome! The weather was such that I didn't have to go out to the RSU for my spotter upgrade until about 1230. The spotter's job is to sit in the RSU with binoculars and make sure no one lands gear up, calling out normal configuration to the controller and keeping a count of all the patterns that have been flown.

Lazy day.

I had an EP sim later in the day, leaving only one sim remaining for all of the T-6 phase!

I have a low-level map to prep for tomorrow. Should be fun.

Passed my I-Check!

I passed my instrument check today! It should be illegal to be this happy. I had 9 downgrades all stemming from trim and crosscheck issues, but I flew a great penetration, and my area work was solid. Movin on to Low-Level...yeah! It was beautiful out, so it was kind of a bummer I had to wear the hood the whole flight, but hey.

I studied for and passed the Formation test later in the afternoon. Tomorrow I'm just scheduled for a sim and spotter upgrade in the RSU. Should be a semi-relaxed day.