She's Old but She Cleans up Nice

In the process of learning about the various systems on the Huey, I'm also getting a history lesson on the way things used to be. This helicopter is nearly an antique.

The Huey was first accepted by the Army in 1956. What were you doing in 1956? I wasn't even a thought at that time.

Smoking was allowed while flying the Huey until the late 80's. It was disbanded because there were too many burn marks on the floors. The Hueys we fly still have ash trays in the dash.

The clock on board must be wound up for power. Needless to say, the only digital item on this helicopter is my wristwatch!

Back to School

Well, I don't have much excitement to pass along. I can pretty much sum it up that I'm back in the classroom.

This past week has been nothing but academics. Academics are synonymous with books and numbers. I'm developing a new vocabulary. Trunnions, bearings, hanger assemblies, fairings, gate valves, solenoids, cams, driveshafts, and tachometers are tossed around in most of my conversation.

I'm not doing any flying yet - not until I memorize a bunch of obscure numbers about the different systems on the aircraft...oil pressure limits, when do certain valves open and close, how much weight can you carry...the list goes on and on.

Even more of a mind boggler is figuring out how the engine produces power. I won't even try to explain it to you. The picture of the 1400 horsepower turboshaft engine above speaks for itself.

Any pilot knows that there are certain situations in which he must be able to react quickly if he intends on living through the experience. In other words, he must be able to recognize that something is going wrong, diagnose what is wrong with his aircraft, and then react appropriately. These actions become even more important when you are low to the ground - a place where helicopters spend most of their time. So not only are we learning a bunch of numbers, but how to react to a bunch of "oh - sh**" scenarios.

Fortunately, our instructors make up for the lack of excitement during the day. Most of them flew in Vietnam. One instructor has been flying over 50 years! That's twice my age. These guys know the Huey like they know the back of their hand. They know my questions before I can ask them - seriously. It sure beats learning from slides on a computer.

The Huey

As I draw closer to hitting the flight line, I should explain to you all what I'll be flying. If you saw my first post, you'd say the UH-1N "Huey." That's close, but I messed up. To be correct, the model is actually the H model rather than the more recent N-version.

Regardless, the Huey has a long standing history of use across all service branches. Most of you will recall its use in the Vietnam War. In fact, some of the birds we're flying here are recycled from Vietnam! Yes, these boys are old. You can supposedly see bullet holes on parts of the skin. Now don't worry about them falling apart. The maintenance shop here meticulously takes care of these fragile birds.

Anyways, it's pretty awesome to know that I'll be flying something that was flown in combat four decades ago by pilots younger than myself. In fact, the Huey is the only trainer in the USAF that is a warbird (i.e. flown in combat). This helicopter is a piece of history . It's legendary. Let's hope that I don't spoil her reputation.

Find lots of pictures and information about the Huey here:

http://www.aircav.com/huey/uhgal01/uhgal01.html

Wait for It...

Some of you may be wondering if I'm ever going to start flying - many of my posts have dealt with nothing related to it. Right now, I have some free time on my hands and have been posting like a madman. However, it's going to come to an abrupt stop very soon. Training starts on the 24th. Once that happens, you might catch a post on the weekends depending on how busy I am.

In the meantime, check out this awesome youtube video to get a taste of what I'll be getting into over the next 6 months:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV84mo-aWbw&feature=related

What's that Sound?

I didn't even need my alarm clock this morning. Helicopters launching on their training sorties took care of that for me a few hours before I was supposed to wake up.

In Oklahoma, I was used to the sound of T-6's buzzing over the base at 500 feet. In Alabama, there's the distant whomp-whomp of helicopters landing and taking off.

Occasionally they'll pass over the house, and that really makes a stirring. Even the squirrels will run and hide. The sound kind of creeps up on you until the chopper is suddenly overhead. You can feel the vibrations in the walls - no kidding.

Most people would find this annoying. I find it exciting. It makes me want to start flying now, but I still have about a week to go before I start class. I guess I should enjoy the last bit of free time that I have left.

Sweet Home Alabama

It's official: I'm no longer living out of a hotel room. After much searching, I found a place on post that's hard to beat. It's fully furnished with a carport, a yard to myself, mail on my front porch, and lots of space. But my personal favorite: the bathroom. I think it speaks for itself.

My roommate is a lieutenant in the Army who is also here for flight school and also from Ohio - Wooster. We'll get along well and I'll learn a thing or two about the Army. Here's a shot of the front of the house as well.

Frame This

I had a bit of free time on my hands so I picked up a new hobby. What do you think of my work? Not bad for an amateur!

If you're thinking I drew that picture, thanks but you're wrong. I bought it. But I did make the frame. It took me 3 and a half hours, but I made it nonetheless. I'm taking orders if any one wants some framing work done.

Road Trip

I waisted no time hitting the road for Alabama. I broke the trip down into two days, making a stop in Memphis for the night. Nobody passes through Memphis without grabbing some BBQ, so that's exactly what I did. It sure beat the Waffle House that I ate at in Arkansas - this one was truly the "awful waffle."

After being in Memphis for less than an hour, I already saw an Elvis impersonator. According to a friend of mine who is well-versed on living in the South, it was Elvis week in Memphis. Who would have guessed?

But the adventure did not stop there. I ran across this school bus just outside of Montgomery. But it wasn't hauling Sunday schoolers - not even close.

I could tell I was getting close to Fort Rucker when I started seeing signs for Panama City Beach - 85 miles. You're just not used to seeing this in Ohio. Even more so, you're not ready for the humidity which is super thick down here.

Luckily, I made it here without a flat tire. If that would have happened, I would have to take nearly everything out of my car to pull out the spare.

Packed - With a Surprise

So I managed to get most of my stuff into the car - leaving enough room for myself and myself only. I have no back window and must sit up high in the seat to look through my right rearview mirror. The tires look like they're going to scrape the wheel well if I pack any more items into my car. Keep your fingers crossed that my Mazda can hack the long drive with all this weight.

When I first arrived in Oklahoma, I was warned of the many spiders native to the area - specifically the brown recluse. I have been here since November and have never even seen a spider....until today.

I found this monster hiding under my sink in a box full of rags. I should have known better to be keeping a box full of rags in a dark cupboard. When I pulled the box of rags out from under my sink, he was only a few inches from my hand.

After changing my underwear and snapping a few pictures, I swished him outside with a broom and quickly closed the door. This guy was so big that he made a nice thud when he hit the ground.

Organized Chaos

As with any move, you have to pack. Well, I guess I'm just not very good at it. Hopefully, things will come together as I try to figure out how to fit all of this in my car.

I have to quote my mother on this one by calling it "organized chaos." I don't think you can describe it any better.

Bye Bye T-6 ... Hello Helicopters

Okay so I'm giving this blog idea a try. For those of you new to this website, you can check it whenever you want to see my status as I progress through pilot training. You can also leave a comment for any post that I make. Before I get into the details of where I am at and what I'm doing, I'll tell you about where I've come from.

I am half way down the road to earning pilot wings. The first phase of training was completed in the T-6 Texan II (pictured below). Myself and 26 other students flew this trainer learning all the basics of flying including instruments, navigation, low-level, and formation.

Once completing training in the T-6, we progress on to an advanced phase of training where you fly an aircraft more closely suited to the aircraft you'll be flying in the Air Force. There are four ways you can go. Each path and its corresponding trainer is shown below.

If you want to fly fighters or bombers, the T-38 "Talon" is what you want. It's a high speed supersonic trainer that is kind of like the Corvette of the Air Force.

The students wanting to fly airlift and tankers hop into a T-1 "Jayhawk." It's bigger, heavier, and carries more than just two people.

Students desiring to fly C-130s will head down to Corpus Christi, TX to fly the T-44 with the Navy. This airplane is also larger and heavier and is a twin-engine propeller driven aircraft similar to the C-130.

Finally, for the students who want helicopters, there is the UH-1N "Huey." This is the same helicopter that was flown in Vietnam, however, it is a newer model.

So there you have it, four different tracks, four different aircraft. This is the point where I currently stand in training. I've been fortunate to have been selected for helicopters, so the next big thing on my agenda is making a long drive from Enid, Oklahoma to Daleville, Alabama. For you military folks, that's a PCS from Vance AFB, OK to Fort Rucker, AL. I'll be sure to make a post about my road trip.