The dizzle as of... now.

I can't believe its already the end of June. What happened?

I

...was a temporary roommate and found a new friend.
...started flying and finished up, now lost in a new phase of instruments.
...moved to a new place, seems like a brand new lifestyle.
...am adapting and realizing new strengths and weaknesses.
...always learning.

Rent on the 1st!

God, do you hear me? It's me, Vanessa

I was cancelled again this morning at 6am.

Then, while trying to pack and shop for a TV at Wally World, I get a voicemail that isn't accessible on my crazy-ass cell phone because of horrible signal on the first floor. The message was left at 8:45am and I don't access it until 1:30pm.

"You've been called back in, you can fly with another IP." I call the desk and then he says there was a mistake and to come in anyways. I come in.

They are lucky I only 5 minutes away, its not much gas to spare. Otherwise I would have been really pissed off.

So I'm thinking.. I'm flying! Reciting all the maneuvers in my head as I'm driving, power up, angle of bank, spin spin spin! Oh, right, I'm on base now... gotta obey the speed limit.

I get to the squadron, they finegle with the fact that I can or can't fly, we're all looking to see if there's an instructor available to pick me up to fly. So they type my name in for a 1345 slot with a FOR SALE written in the instructor's name spot. That's rich.

I print out weather (wasting paper), all the necessary forms (more paper), and even decide to brush up on my Boldface/Limits by making some copies and practicing until someone decides to holler at me (again, more paper).

15 minutes go by, I'm chatting lightly with my buddies who have their checkride/night contact flight... and a LT comes pokes her head in the ready room and calls my name. She says I can go, nobody will pick me up -- as if I was some orphaned puppy in the pet shop and they are going to send me to the pound or somewhere dark and lonely.

So as you can see, one moment, you're gliding along through, thinking you're going to finish all of your flights in one week. Then things can turn around--somebody that you don't even know decides to take action upon themself and do something out of the ordinary, which ends up affecting everyone else down the food chain.

Yes, I know I'm in the military. Stop whining, we are supposed to adapt and be flexible. But excuse me for complaining... God does not like me and this is not the week to mess with my hormone-induced emotions.


On a lighter note, I visited my apartment... "previewed" if you will... and it's an exact replica of Erin's apartment, except my walls are white white white. So stoked on moving in and decorating. That'll be the good part of all this.

Wow, I'm thinking.

Well in the midst of all the commotion happening here at VT-4, and because this is the week that Penascola decides to storm its beaches, 4 flying days have passed on by and I am still negative 3 by this Friday.

However, I have realized a few things:

-During Pensacola's summer season, you can almost always expect some sort of precipitation between 2 and 4pm (there you go Evan Baxter)
-I slice 10 minutes off my get-ready time because of the hair length that I have
-I have finally come to grips that the sun does not nor will not care about your makeup in uniform -- it will melt off and leave stains on random items of clothing. So... I have given up on makeup in the summer.
-I never got tired of downtown Blacksburg. Why am I so tired of downtown Pensacola?

Thank you for realizing that with me. Now I must return to my hot green tea and pass out so I can fulfill a day of nothing tomorrow. Perhaps packing a bit?

Til next time, folks.

Ooh, free time to blog

Yeah, that's me in the front cockpit, being watched.


Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. Ever since contact simulator and flight phase began last week, I've been in the books, trying to feed my brain radio procedures and maneuvers and even chair fly. Yes, chair fly... when I'm not on base in a sim, I'm sitting in a chair and imagining scenarios (by myself or someone else is throwing them at me) and flying them. It sounds funny when you say that you're chair flying, but its the only way you can get some good practice in the comfort of your own home.

A pretty funny story: the Monday we had our first flight, it felt like 95 degrees F outside, and the majority of my class (from VT-4) had early briefs/flights. All but one of us got airsick on the first flight. Word spread quickly that our class got airsick, which they say is usual, especially for those who haven't been in a plane for more than a year (i.e. me - IFS was last June after commissioning). I remember being on a ship for Navy summer cruise and while underway, the first day most of the crew got sick. It just goes to show you, once you've been out of the game for a while, no matter how old you are, you can still get motion sickness.

So I took some ginger today .... and they called me to tell me that there's a ground mishap so flights are cancelled today. So now there is ginger floating in my tummy. I hope nobody I know got hurt.

In other news, I've got another flight, a night flight, and a checkride (the test). I have until the end of next week to get all of the contact flights in. Then I'll be free to do whatever... watch duty, or maybe even move to my new apartment! Who knows?

VVVVRRRRROOOOOOOOOOMMMMAAAA ZOOOOM

I saw this bad boy chillin outside the hangar.

Its so funny, Fat Albert is so damn big that its tail sticks out of the hangar, showing its backside for all to see.

It is also funny, everytime I walk away from the hangar to my car, I feel that cool Top Gun feeling... I'm just missing my motorcycle.

Done with Ground school... for now

I am starting my fourth week into Primary Flight Training.

I start simulator contact flights tomorrow. The weather sucks, which doesn't bother me... because I'm INSIDE!

Later dude.