A different kind of Christmas

I just wanted to let everyone know how weird it is to have Christmas in the late spring weather. I just had to laugh when I saw people singing Christmas carols in shorts and flip-flops in front of a house this past weekend. I remember just wanting to a chance to get inside one of the blue hair's house to warm up and if not, you tried to talk to them (which of course they couldn't hear) so they would open their door and you may catch a quick blast of warm air. Here they come out on porch or even throw out a blanket on the freshly mowed lawn to listen .

Everyone is freezing here and I rode my motorcycle last week with just a light shirt...I actually wore more than just a shirt, but you know what I mean. I can't say I have rode a street bike in December before, not to mention I had my air conditioner on last night.

The amount of Christmas lights and festive things isn't near like at home. I still haven't found a place to get a Christmas tree. I think the increase in power costs deter most of the ghetto from putting up lights...not to mention it brings attention to your house where you are trying to sell the wacky tobaccy to the middle schoolers.

Well, I just wanted to share and now I can get ready to freeze my backside off in Idaho...just 76 hours, 57 minutes, and 19 seconds. We pilots pay attention to the details, "because it is the little details that gets your mother a letter that starts, We regret to inform you that your son..." Not that they yell that at you every time you mess up. They quite often remind me that I am giving them hand cramps with all the letters they have to write home on my behalf.

Week 17...and things start to come together

For the first time since I have been here, I am starting to feel like I am getting the hang of flying this jet. I still have a long ways to go, but I got a couple of high grades on sorties this past week. Little things like that go a long ways to building confidence that has been absence since the beginning of the training.

I am into the advanced "aerobatics" (not acrobatics) part of the training. I was pretty nervous about getting airsick, but I survived. I felt a little queasy on the day I was getting the maneuvers demonstrated to me, but after I started doing them all, I felt fine. I had probably one of the best feelings ever when I was solo and at the top of a loop, upside down, looking at the world four mile below and realizing that I was all by myself doing what most people only dream of doing. I won't lie, I had a strut the rest of the day.

I am doing maneuvers like the: loop, split-s, aileron roll, barrel roll, cloverleaf, chandelle, Immelman, lazy 8, and the Cuban 8. I had a hard time trying to find diagrams of these maneuvers, but you can Google them if you want to know what they are. Here is a Cuban 8, it is basically a loop with a roll on the down side and then doing it again to make an 8. The cloverleaf is pretty cool as well. It is a turning loop done four times in a row to make it look like a cloverleaf. I pulled up to 6.5 Gs the other day and that made me feel like a real Thunderbird pilot...minus the skills and ability.

I am suppose to have another checkride this week before Christmas, but the weather doesn't look like it is going to cooperate, so we will just have to see.

Speaking of Christmas, it is definitely different here in North Mexico. I have not seen one place selling Christmas trees, unlike at home there are stands on every corner. The other thing is the streets are filled with slow driving Mexicans. All of Mexico comes across the boarder to shop at the fancy department store in Del Rio...Wal-Mart! They must not be use to driving at such high rates of speed as 30 mph because they go about 15-20 and clog up all the roads, and all roads in Del Rio lead to Wal-Mart.

I am really looking forward to being home in six days and 10 hours. I definitely need some time off studying and just relaxing...not to mention getting presents. MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, even if you all don't want to comment anymore. I keep enclosing regular pictures of me for all of you that never e-mail, call, or post a comment. I don't want you to forget me, since most of you are doing a good job of it...hopefully at least you are still reading this blog. Below is a picture of me in my apartment in the Del Rio ghetto. See ya!

Week 16...and I am a hooker!

Before most of you say, I knew that...in the military flight training system, to fail something is to "hook" it. For those of you that don't take straight lines between point A and point B, this means that I failed something this week. I only point out my weaknesses to make you all feel better and to know that I am not always perfect...just close. OK, JUST KIDDING.

I hooked my check ride this past week. I actually did really well on the flight, except for no flap landings (generally the hardest of all landing because you don't do them a lot and your whole descent angle is different, etc.). Apparently, safe landings are a big deal and he had to fail me for not doing them well. Out of all the items they grade you on, this is the only one he failed me on, so I was actually ok with hooking because I knew that I could fix that one little thing.

A sweet picture of me..sorry no good ones taken this week!

The next couple of flights went good and I am good to go again. It is really hard to explain what I really do because it is so much more than just moving a stick to control an aircraft, but just know that if I tried to explain it you would all fall asleep. I soloed once this past week and was starting advanced acrobatics, but the weather was so bad that we had to come back and not complete a couple of flights.

Speaking of bad weather, it has really cooled off in the last week and a half. It is getting down to the high 30s. I know that is warmer than back home, but when two weeks ago it was high 80s, that is a dramatic drop. I guess I am getting primed to go home in 13 days and 9 hours....but who is counting?

Not much else is new in North Mexico, but I did find out that you can use Mexican money to buy groceries...the lady did that in front of me this morning. I was so pleased to wait while they tried to convert the currencies in their heads. One thing about it down here, the locals are in no hurry and in fact if you stand there waiting for them to pick one side of the aisle or the other, they kind of look annoyed. Moving quickly is definitely optional, just as well as being aware that you share this world with others. Well, it is a long way down from my soap box, so I better get my ladder positioned an come on down.

Week 15

Sorry to all for keeping you waiting an extra week, but by the looks of "0 Comments" nobody missed it that much. Anyway, Week 14 was short and I got to go home and see friends, family, and my dog for three days. It was a good time, just way to short. We spent Thanksgiving with my family and then the next day with Candi's family. We had a few friends over on Friday night and then Saturday we just hung out and watched the BSU game. Saturday night we went to the Festival of Trees and then Sunday morning I had to fly back to this hole.
The only good thing was that it was warm when I got back. I left cold Idaho for 87 degrees, Texas. I was laughing and making fun of all of those people complaining about the cold and then karma struck. Wednesday a cold front blew in and it literally dropped 45-55 degrees in one day. I had to wear pants and a jacket for the first time this week. I typically just go around in my Speedo or thong, when not in uniform...but this weather is helping me become more modest.

I was scheduled to take my checkride on Wednesday, but the wind was blowing so hard that we couldn't open the canopy on the jet because it was only rated for 40 knots winds and the wind was blowing harder than that. Not to mention that our chutes are only rated to work if the wind is below 35 knots. How bad would that suck to survive a ride on the ejection seat rocket and then die because of the parachute malfunctioning. The wind was really crazy. You walked with a 45 degree body lean just to keep from getting blown over. The winds got up to over 50 miles an hour.

Long story short, it has been two weeks since I thought I was going to have my checkride and now it is suppose to happen Monday. I hope the third time is a charm because my stomach can't take too much more of these nervous times right before check time. It is so bad, I have never had nerves affect me as much as I have right before this checkride deal.

Anyway, the saving grace is that I will be home in three weeks from today. Not a lot of news from around here, since I haven't been flying much lately. We did have two tests this week that I passed, so that is about as good of news as I have. It is still very challenging, but these breaks give light at the end of the tunnel. Talk to you all next week.