Sweet Home Cheyenne

I'd have to say that I've been neglecting this blog for some time. I've just been having too much fun in the Air Force. I'm no longer in Albuquerque, NM. Francis E. Warren AFB is my new duty station (F.E. Warren AFB). Finally, I'll be in a location for more than 6 months at a time.

Here's my new place in Cheyenne, WY. And yes, that white stuff you see outside is snow. Some of you are more familiar with it than others. We'll be getting plenty of it up here. I guess you can view it either as an obstacle or an opportunity. I choose the latter as ski season is just beginning.






I'll make a more conscious effort to keep this blog up to date at least on a monthly basis from now on.

Where are You Now?

Hey everyone. After seeing both sides of my family this past week, I felt inclined to start posting on this blog again. Hopefully this will generate less confusion about my status.

Where are you?
I'm currently at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, NM

What are you doing?
Learning how to fly the aircraft that I've been assigned to for the next 3 years. It's called the UH-1N "Huey," which is a twin-engine version of the helicopter.

How long will you be there?
Training should last until sometime around mid-November.

Where are you going next?
F.E. Warren AFB near Cheyenne, WY. There I'll be flying missile support missions. (More on that later).

If any of you want to check out Albuquerque or the awesome state of New Mexico, just give me a holler.

It's Official

I haven't been doing too well keeping you all updated. No excuses here. Anyways, this post will sum up the past month for you.

I officially completed the USAF rotary wing syllabus near the end of February. Then a couple weeks later, I received my assignment. Assignment night is a big night in any aviator's career because his future is revealed to him. In other words, I finally had some sense of security by knowing where I'll be stationed and what I'll be doing for the next 3-4 years of my life.

I ended up receiving an assignment to F.E. Warren AFB near Cheyenne, WY. There, I'll be flying UH-1N "Huey" helicopters. The primary mission at F.E. Warren is missile support & defense. Basically, I'll be moving, parts, pieces, and people throughout the high plains and the Rockies. (F.E. Warren has over 220 remote missile facilities spread over 12,600 square miles in Wyoming, Nebraska, and Colorado.)

I'll also be assisting with civil search and rescue operations in the area. In other words, when a hiker gets stranded or a boy scout gets lost in the wilderness, I may be one of the guys tasked to go find him and pick him up.

Before I get to Cheyenne, I'll be going through more flight training in Albuquerque, NM until October. There, I'll be learning how to fly the Hueys we'll use at F.E. Warren AFB. They're essentially the same as the ones we flew here at Fort Rucker, except they have two engines. I'll also be spending some time in Spokane, Washington for survival training. And I thought I was finished! An aviator's career is a continuous learning process.

A week after I received my assignment, I received my pilot wings. This is an even bigger day in an aviator's life. For the past two years, I've been working my tail off to get these wings on my chest. Now that they're sitting over my heart, I'll be spending the rest of my career working my tail off so I don't lose them!

When you receive pilot wings, you enter an elite club. But that membership comes at a price of professionalism and responsibility. I have to make sure that I pay my dues!

Almost There

So I finally took my last ride of the program here at Fort Rucker. I apologize that it's been a long, long while since I last made a post. I guess I was busy to say the least.

For the past month, I've been a night owl. I go into the squadron around 1 p.m. and do not return until 12 hours later at 1 a.m. We have been flying at night using night vision goggles.

It's hard to believe that just 6 months ago I was learning how to fly and hover a helicopter. Now, I'm flying it on night vision goggles, in the low level environment, and in formation with another helicopter!

In any event, my training is complete. All that awaits is my assignment and my wings! That won't happen for another two weeks, so I'll just have to wait and enjoy the awesome spring weather. If you're wondering what I could fly and where i could go - take a look at my posts a few months ago detailing my options. I have no idea what I'll be doing or where I'll be going, but I can't wait to find out.

Snow?

Apparently it's been a while since they've seen white stuff down here. And I'm not kidding.

Before the snow even hit the ground, most of the schools were closed. Shortly thereafter, local businesses and the entire post practically shut down. You can't even buy groceries in southeastern Alabama when there's less than two inches of snow on the ground!

Being from the north, I had to laugh. We'd never have school in Ohio if people reacted this way to snow. Oh well, I guess I have to give em a break - they don't really have any sort of snow removal equipment down here at all.

Despite the snow (or lack thereof), this is the best winter I've ever had. Compare my house in Alabama to home back in Ohio. Which one do you prefer?

Going Nocturnal

So I'm finished flying during the day. The remainder of my flights here at Fort Rucker will be at night. Instead of getting up really early, I'm back on my regular college schedule: get to bed around 1 or 2 and go to work around 1 in the afternoon - nice!

I thought I'd pass along a little info to you about how exactly we're able to fly at night. We use these magic things called "Night Vision Goggles" (NVGs). It's pretty amazing how they actually work, but suffice it to say that they amplify and intensify forms of energy that you would not normally see during the night.

If you're not convinced, watch this video of a helicopter on a night search. Imagine doing this without NVGs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-6Vd1gc8AA&feature=related

You wear NVGs on top of your helmet and flip them down in front of your eyes to see at night. (See image above - stylish, huh?) You also pray that you don't break them because they're not cheap by any means. Flying with NVGs is a real challenge. Your field of view is greatly reduced, so you have to move your head all over the place to see what you'd normally see during the day - if you see it at all!

Well, hopefully that gives you all something to think about. In the meantime, I'll be re-learning how to fly under NVGs and paying a lot closer attention to things like moonrise, moonset, moon azimuth, and % illumination.

Parallel Parking

I found this pretty cool. That's a helicopter from the squadron down here. Two instructors attended a symposium in San Antonio and had the privilege to rock star parking!