Fuel Logs and CRM

Monday was a great experience. My IP and I were in sort of a mini-airshow to commemorate the anniversary of naval aviation. The irony of my Air Force-ness was subtle but present. We just took off and flew over to one of the civilian fields in the area and waited to be called back for a low-approach followed by a landing. We were fifth, following a Stearman, a T-34, T-6, and a TC-12. The P-3's followed us and the Navy's newest aircraft, the P-8, followed them. I flew the initial break entry and the low-approach, and the IP took the landing. Fun time flying without the evaluation.

Our trip back was hampered and slightly delayed by a massive squall line stretching from the Gulf all the way to Canada. We had to wait for it to pass Jacksonville before we left. I had planned for 60 kt headwinds at altitude and a fairly lengthy leg, but actual 80 kt headwinds forced us to land early in Gulfport, MS. We got some food and gas and made the final leg past Houston and over the Gulf with no issues. I flew the visual back into Corpus and was glad to be finished with a long trip.

Today I had my final sim in the T-44 simulator building. We had multiple emergencies and several ambiguous situations were introduced. For example, I had a wavering propeller RPM, which is not in the book, followed by a flameout on the right engine, and a fuel crossfeed light. The final approach was done without radio comms, because both radio circuit breakers were popped. The point of all this is we're getting into the phase of training where big picture analysis and decision-making comes into play. It's no longer, "My right engine has failed, and this is the procedure." It's more along the lines of, "I'm getting some bad indications from one of my engines, but the weather is terrible and the winds are gusting into the 30's, I'll keep it running for now, because I need the power." Less cut and dry, more ambiguous.

It's good to be done with instrument sims for now.

The airfield is closed this weekend for the Blue Angels airshow on Saturday, so I won't be flying.

Yesterday I flew down to the valley and did a few localizers and a localizer back course along with a TACAN circling approach and an NDB. The NDB approach was no fun. The needle swings back and forth, and you just have to sort of pick the approximate course you're going to fly. We ate more Mexican food and I flew a few more approaches on the way back. I finished with a visual back into the airfield. That was only the second time I'd ever done that. The first was in the T-6 at Lubbock Intl. Easy, but new.

Today I flew with an instructor who actually had high expectations. It just revealed the fact that I have to look out for myself and push myself, because the quality and expectations of the instructors varies. I learned a lot, but it was a little unnerving to feel behind when every other ride in the block I got good vibes from the instructors. The flight wasn't so hot. I overflew a holding fix and didn't even realize it for a whole minute. Thankfully, the IP gave me another shot.

I'm tired. Good thing it's the weekend.

PIREP - It's cloudy and I want to fly

We opened up this morning with a review of weather and a practice test. The weather instructor tells lots of stories about flying in and around the Pacific, especially the Philippines and Indonesia. They're good ole war stories and usually pretty amusing. We reviewed clearances, standard radio comm, initial calls to ATC, and lost comm procedures in the afternoon and I finished up the instrument review CBT. This GPS is really different from the one in the T-6 - no map display, just a readout of the next waypoints! We're kickin' it old school. I really think they should have made the keyboard standard qwerty as well, but they decided to make it completely non-standard. At least the letters are in alphabetical order. I'm really learning to appreciate how Gucci the T-6 was.

Four of us sat around afterward to work on the CBTs and reminisced about the T-6 and told our best stories.

Wx test tomorrow, then more instrument review.

PIREPs are pilot weather reports.

Study Time

As I study for Systems and read through the NATOPS (flight manual) for the T-44A, my appreciation for the simplicity of the T-6 has grown immensely. Maybe it's the fact that I'm looking back on it, but the T-6 just seems so much simpler. Having two engines adds a fuel crossfeed system, makes the engine starting procedures more complicated, and adds a third electrical system to worry about. The T-44 also has both anti-ice and de-icing systems, the difference being that anti-icing systems prevent ice buildup around the engine inlets, windshield, and pitot tubes, while the de-icing system actually removes ice from the wings after it forms. The de-icing system inflates a rubber boot along the front edge of the wing which subsequently breaks the ice into chunks, so they fall off. Smart.

So the T-6's one generator, single pitot/AOA heater, and comparatively straightforward glass instruments seem like a long-lost dream of simple flying. Hopefully I'll feel differently once I have all these facts and figures tamped down in the back of my brain.

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!