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.