Graduation

Well a long time has passed but life still went on. So an update. Graduated pilot training and have earned myself the prized military aviator wings.
First thing was the breaking of the wings. Your first set of wings should be broken. One half given to a significant person in your life and the other side kept to symbolize a lifetime of safe flying. That these two pieces could be brought back together in the next life. I gave the other half of my wings to my mom.



Went outside and showed the family the planes I flew.



And overall a very exciting day



Wrap it all up with good food along side my friends and family.







Put the vibe out!

childhood dreams

Staring out at the sky sat a young boy
Who held in his hands his most favorite toy

It didn't have guns but with speed it would go
All over the world, where the wind would blow

He dreamed of a day when he'd be a man
And fulfill his role in God's wonderful plan

To the heavens he'd chase up in the sky
Soaring over white clouds as they passed him by

But as he grew older these dreams would fade
As he discovered that girls would do as he bade

He got all tangled up in the net of society
That he forgot where was his original piety

So as life slowed down, he took a breath
Listed things to do before his death

It was then he remembered those long lost nights
Looking up at the stars wanting to join their lights

So here I find myself livin the dream
No matter the odds, impossible it seems

So challenge yourself to always shoot for the moon
even if you miss, you'll land among stars...maybe even a balloon.

Hazy Horizons

So this is where I currently find myself. At a crossroads not knowing what path I want to pursue. Somehow knowing that which way I take depends on my place in the world. I speak of what track I want to go to. This is how SUPT works. Back in the good ol' days when fighter pilots and bombers ruled the world pilots would fly in the T37 then go to the T38. However, it has become "specialized" due to the fact that we now fly specific trainers.

We now fly the T-6 then "track" to a specialized plane.

Either the
UH-1: Trainer for helos
T-1: trainer for heavies (C-17, C-5, KC-135, KC-10...)
T-44: trainer for C-130
T-38: trainer for fighter/bombers (F-15, F16, F22, B1, B2, B52....and recently the UAS)

The dilemma comes that this is a changing AF. EVERYONE wants the UAV because of its capabilities. UAV = unMANned aircraft system. However, for most pilots this is a nightmare because you don't sit in a seat....well you do...but a million miles away. so you get why pilots don't want this job. And its a new thing so another aspect is that there are a lot of unknowns and a lot of unkept promises. The ops tempo for UAVs is insane and this is the future of the Air Force. Said for men who dream to be pilots.

So the risk these days is that there are less and less seats in fighters. Just because a lot of them are old and falling apart and the new planes replacing them are expensive and so capable that they basically put themselves out of a job. That means in the pipeline each class gets maybe 3-4 T 38 slots with only about 1-2 getting a fighter. The rest seem to be getting strange aircraft that the AF seems to drop randomly.

Well that is kinda the backstory on what is going on. Here is where I start to ponder things.

Fighters will always be my wet dream. That is the persona you think of when you think AF pilot. However, these days the pipeline is so backed up it will be years before I'm even operational. And most of that time will be spent training. Do I really want to look back and when asked what I did say I trained all the time?

The next option is the T44. C130s. The workhorse of the AF. If I got T44s I would be operational and doing the mission in no time. The thing is...when do I start a family? Something that has been gnawing at me lately...I will always be deployed. Doing something here or there. The mission would be awesome. But location and lifestyle..don't know too much about yet.

Then there is the T1 track. Great opportunities. If I can pull it off there is the C17 waiting for me. The AF's newest toy. And she loves it. Also GREAT bases to be stationed at. I got Hickam, Seattle, Travis, New Jersey, Charleston. Really awesome places. Though if I'm not good enough...there is the KC135....shudder. A tanker basically. And I really shouldn't put down this force multiplier. I really don't know much about the community and there are pilots that seem to love their job.

Well regardless of what I get I have to be able to make the most of it. Because regretted time is lost time. I heard no matter what plane you fly you once you start flying you will enjoy what you do.

Though there are new planes coming out since the spec ops guys are expanding. Planes like the U28...don't know much about it. However, other than academics this is whats been causing me to toss and turn at night.

Whatever, I should just focus on flying the T6 for now. because if I cant even do this...then the rest is out of the question.

SO T6! HERE I COME!

Aerospace phys

First couple days. Pretty much what I expected. A lot of paperwork to in-process and death by powerpoint. whooopeeee. However, we did get our pubs(publications NOT english bars..though this would probably be a better story if it was). An entire 20lb box full of words and pictures.


So it was then, as I was spreading out all this material over my floor the immensity of what I stepped into. By the end of 6months and change I would have transfered all this information from paper into the neuralogical firings in my brain or however stuff is stored up there. Most of it will be know by heart. Gosh. I proceeded to sit down and have a beer while I continued to stare at it. But I finished my beer and started shifting through it all and told myself to set short, attainable goals for myself(I guess all that stuff that gets drilled into your head does get used). So I put it all back into the box and out of sight removing only the material for the upcoming week. Sat down with a much more healthy drink of tea and started reading. It wasn't too bad actually. It would just take time to chip away at the boulder.

Random words of wisdom (and some from not so wise ones)

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." -- Leonardo da Vinci

Dangling a Karot

Training Day 1 (TD1)

Today we had an "Welcome to 47OSS" from LTC Whittle. It was a funny experience because everyone is like whoa our bosses boss and a Lt Col. To me he was the officer I used to work for...now just in a different capacity. I will always remember Lt Col Ron Whittle as the most talkative of the bosses. He always would come out and chat with the execs which always made me feel more comfortable in the office full of light birds. I would always see him around town with his boys as well. Usually going off on some hiking or biking trip. So needless to say I hold him in very high regard. So when he came in to talk to my class I took what he said very seriously. One of the hints for success that he gave was to write down the reasons why I am here. My no shit motivation on why I went through the arduous process to become a pilot because now that I am here its only going to get harder. This next year is going to be one of the hardest years of my life. However, one of the most rewarding earned through blood, tears, and sweat. There will be times through this year that I will literally collapse and ask myself why am I here. Why should I continue. And I need to write well enough to convince that future self that is going through that unbearable pressure and stress that this is why I'm here. Be that motivator to quietly come up to me, help me to my feet, and ease that burden off my shoulders telling me, "You know what bucko, see those shiny wings, you're THAT much closer to it. ganbatte! you can do it." So future self, if you find yourself reading this, remember that I am outside of the situation, removed from your current emotions and this is why I want to become a pilot.

I was always a perfect candidate to explore the different elements. Never content to stay on land, I loved the ocean. Everything I could do in it. The three dimensional aspect of it. It seemed only natural that I progressed to the skies. I was first bitten by the flight bug when I was a child. I was given a CAP ride in a helicopter. I raised into the air and I felt the exhilaration that a child experienced when they fell in love with something. It was that same rush that you felt when you saw that girl that took your breath away. That same "make your knees weak and knock you off your feet" feeling when she looked your way. As I rose from the ground my heart started racing faster, my hands grabbed the seat tighter, and I just knew this is what I wanted.

I wasn't able to take any more rides since flight school was quite expensive and coming from a low income family I had other responsibilities to attend to, but in the back of my mind I knew what I wanted and I knew there was a way to do it. So as I grew up I invariably became attracted to the military. They promised me opportunities that I didn't think possible for a boy in my standing. So I took them up on it. I found out that they would pay for my college and I could apply to be an pilot in the elite ranks of the United States Air Force. So of course I took it. It was around junior year that I was given an incentive ride in a T-37 "Might Tweet" at Columbus AFB, MS. For an entire hour or so all I did was loops and rolls and other things that I didn't know the name for pulling Gs left and right. I all I knew was that I was like a fly on crack...and it was amazing. Then the PIC showed me how to play his favorite game, cloud chasing. All you had to do was find a nice fluffy cloud with a nice poof on top. Take the plane straight at it then pull up at the last second hitting the cloud with your underside and look back. POOF goes the cloud. WHOA, at that point I was a little kid set loose in a candy store and told to go for it. That pretty much wrapped it up that I wanted to become a pilot.

Then came IFS(initial flight screening) where even though it was the DA20 it was still a plane and I still went into the skies. This was the first plane that I soloed in. I flew in that plane all by myself. It wasn't like those other times where I had a PIC in the plane making sure I did everything correct and didn't crash. I WAS THE PIC! (pilot in command) I flew the plane and I was the one making sure I didn't crash...and it was a rush. That small little thing left me breathless.


Remember "I" wanted to become a pilot, nobody forced me. This is what "I" wanted. If I succeed I would be one of a select few that was able to rise though the ranks and accomplish something that less than 1% of Americans do. And not just any pilot but an United States Air Force pilot.

I could have been anything I wanted but I wanted to do something I loved to do. Someone my family can be proud of. Be part of a close knit community of fellow aviators. Share in a camaraderie few other professions can boast.

Remember those tough times growing up when I would lay outside and look to the skies and wish I could grow a pair of wings a slip the surly bonds of earth. Remember that and know that you are on your way to getting those pair of wings.

I want to travel and see the world. I want to be able to impact those that need my help. I want to fight for my country. I want to fly.

And hopefully when I meet that girl of my dreams I can go up to her and say, "I may not look like much but I'm a nice guy and I have a decent job". She'll smile and be swept off her feet.

So when SUPT gets tough remember these moments and keep them wrapped up because as Capt Pete Sanchez warned, training was not created to be fun. It was made to stress you out and teach you to perform under pressure so when the real shit goes down I don't freak out and mind dump everything. Flying during SUPT won't be fun, but when all is said and done I will receive my wings and then I can enjoy life again. To all the student pilots Good luck flying. I only wish for clear skies and may you always have a strong tailwind at your back.


A small visual reminder of what my end goal is; for that one day I earn the right to wear them proudly on my chest. Placed so that as I leave each morning I lightly touch them as a reminder that everything I do that day gets me that much closer to them. And when I return I firmly brush past it to remind me that my dreams are still within my reach no matter how hard the day went.

Rendezvous Point

I wrote about this subject in a different blog but due to the impact this journey will have on my life I decided to create an entirely separate blog for this path of my life.

At the current moment I do not know how long or short this path will be. I may find that this path comes to an abrupt dead end. I would have mounted an entire expedition and invested a good portion of my life preparing for this, only to find it was all for naught. However, that is not what I think about. What is that they say? Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Because this path could have an entirely different ending, where I will travel down this well worn road to an end that does not come and it will be the journey of my life.

One of the reasons I do not worry about the path coming to a short end is due to the inherent characteristics of a well prepared adventurer. I would be disappointed that I would not be able to climb that mountain but there are many other peaks in the world for me to explore. And I would be prepared and equipped for any one of them.

So without further ado, I invite you to explore with me my experience and training in the world's finest Air Force as a Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training student(SUPT stud).