Well it is finally over with, can't believe it has all happened so quickly. I finished my NATOPS Instrument Check Ride last week, that completed my 5 Review Stage flights in the T44. On Friday I flew my AIRNAV Solo, got to take the plane on the road, and logged a 4.3 hour "tour of Texas" flight, quite enjoyable.
I managed to knock out the two Formation flights, a VNAV flight, and finally my last flight yesterday of Advanced, an ONAV flight up to Galveston. The ONAV flight was a lot of fun, we basically rigged some ships in the harbor up there at 500 feet practicing photo and recon runs. Had to watch out for the numerous helicpoters out there though, that were ferrying back and forth from the oil rigs!
So that completes my Advanced training here in lovely (sarcasm) Corpus Christi, and I will be getting the "coveted Wings of Gold" a week from today, on Friday 6 October, at our Winging ceremony. It will be a large Winging, with 26 people (Air Farce, Jarheads, Coasties, and of course us Squids). In addition I will soon be finding out were I will be stationed at for my first squadron.
I will still be on the watch bill, and expect to stand the SDO watches around here, and possibly pick up copilot duties on AIRNAV or FCF flights if I am lucky.
That is about it, can't honestly believe how quickly the last year plus has flown by since I checked into API, and in reality how far I have come in my understanding of flying, though there also seems to be a long way to go!! For those that wonder, it is all worth it, and even on the seldom "bad" days, I have enjoyed tremendously the training, flying and the people I have met, wouldn't trade any of it.
As for what is next on the plate, after Winging, I will have a 2 week class, the Basic Officer Leadership Training Course, then off to SERE school, and finally move out of here and go to Jacksonville, FL for training on the P3. Current gouge has it that there is hardly any wait to start up.
But for now, I have free time on my hands, and one of the items on my to do list is updating the web site with the pictures I have taken during Advanced, and a lot of the gouge I have accumulated here in Corpus.
I managed to knock out the two Formation flights, a VNAV flight, and finally my last flight yesterday of Advanced, an ONAV flight up to Galveston. The ONAV flight was a lot of fun, we basically rigged some ships in the harbor up there at 500 feet practicing photo and recon runs. Had to watch out for the numerous helicpoters out there though, that were ferrying back and forth from the oil rigs!
So that completes my Advanced training here in lovely (sarcasm) Corpus Christi, and I will be getting the "coveted Wings of Gold" a week from today, on Friday 6 October, at our Winging ceremony. It will be a large Winging, with 26 people (Air Farce, Jarheads, Coasties, and of course us Squids). In addition I will soon be finding out were I will be stationed at for my first squadron.
I will still be on the watch bill, and expect to stand the SDO watches around here, and possibly pick up copilot duties on AIRNAV or FCF flights if I am lucky.
That is about it, can't honestly believe how quickly the last year plus has flown by since I checked into API, and in reality how far I have come in my understanding of flying, though there also seems to be a long way to go!! For those that wonder, it is all worth it, and even on the seldom "bad" days, I have enjoyed tremendously the training, flying and the people I have met, wouldn't trade any of it.
As for what is next on the plate, after Winging, I will have a 2 week class, the Basic Officer Leadership Training Course, then off to SERE school, and finally move out of here and go to Jacksonville, FL for training on the P3. Current gouge has it that there is hardly any wait to start up.
But for now, I have free time on my hands, and one of the items on my to do list is updating the web site with the pictures I have taken during Advanced, and a lot of the gouge I have accumulated here in Corpus.