More Learning

I would like to say I have studied enough and learned enough to make it through this course without much thought...but I am a retard. No, I do have the same number of "x" and "y" chromosomes, which doesn't appear to be the normal in rural Arkansas. But, the systems of the C-130 are quite a bit more complicated than the other aircraft I have flown. Not only are there bigger systems and more systems, but they are older and more mechanically complicated. The academics are going well, despite the inadequate ratio of brain space to information needing to be retained. The instructors are really great teachers, but sometimes they forget that we have had zero time in this airframe and most of them have well over 5,000 hours.

We got to go to the flight line for the first time this week. It was an awesome experience, but at the same time humbling. The external fuel tank (not one of the four main tanks or two auxiliary tanks) that is carried under the wing is bigger than the T-6 I was flying this time last year. We take off with over 30 tons of fuel...yes, you heard right...almost 62,000 pounds of get-there juice.

C-130s taxiing here at "The Rock" (as it is affectionately called)

Over the weekend, Candi and I set out to see the sites of the state where the state bird is a mosquito and the state "outfit" is overalls. The leaves started changing colors last week and this weekend was the best time to do a drive-by viewing.

We went down to Hot Springs, which is a hot spot for tourism during the warmer months, and then up Scenic Highway 7 and over to Petit Jean State Park and then back home. It was an absolutely beautiful trip. Don't think that just because I am thirty and old that I started using adjectives and acting like an old person that lives for nature's beauty, but the sites were some of the best I have ever seen. Do you agree?

We went through a lot of small towns and rural areas. We did find that the sleeve monster must live in these parts because a lot of local folk were missing sleeves. It was the first day of hunting season down here, so that kind of made us a little weary of getting out of our vehicle. But, in a brilliant move, I had Candi wear a tiara made of large sticks and no one even as much as shot at me...Candi however suffered some minor bruising and bleeding from multiple sleeveless, camo-overalled, gender-neutral looking people shooting at her. Here are a few more pics.

My beautiful wife with an ugly local...at least he has sleeves

A hard to see waterfall from several hundred yards away that "falls" out of sight

Other than that, we will be enjoying the extended weekend...even though the Razorbacks lost. The whole state goes into mourning after a football team loss. No matter where you go there are people talking about the games. I say people because the women around here are just as into the football thing as men. I have never seen the like of it, but women will be talking to other women in the grocery store (I saw it AGAIN first hand this weekend) about how the passing attack needs to include more underneath short routes. I am a man and a football player and I don't even talk like that! WOW!

Well, a short week this week and then the next two weeks are short as well. You got to love being in the military, outside of UPT. We will be staying here for Turkey Day and we are going to bake our second turkey. We will have to get a smaller one though, our microwave isn't that big.

P.S. I had to clean up a mess this past week because I found out the hard way that you don't put Mr. Bubbles in a bathtub with jets.