March 2012
4 posts
US Air Force demonstrates aerial refueling for... →
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Goldsboro North...
Seymour Johnson Air Force base was as beautiful of a base as I could have hoped. Going from the cold, lifeless, windy, dry, miserable Oklahoma base, to the most lush green grass and tall healthy trees was a dream come true. But before I get into the beauty of God’s creation here at the base I am stationed at we need to rewind a few days.
I left Minnesota for North Carolina in a car that my...
Frozen Tundra?
My training was finished and my time in Altus was done, I headed north with everything I had and as I drover further north I expected for the conditions to get worse and there to be snow and freezing air where I could see my breath with each cycle of my lungs. I was however to be very disappointed with the harshness of winter 2011/2012. February has been known to be one of the snowiest months,...
Check Ride
January 30th, I flew my check ride and my last flight in Altus Oklahoma. It was a pretty eventful flight, and before I start getting into the details of it there are a few things I will explain so the things I write here in these next few paragraphs make more sense and hold some sort of meaning to you all.
Check rides are the final flight in your training to see if you are good enough to be...
January 2012
5 posts
Check Ride....almost done
On Monday the 30th of January, I’ll be flying my last flight in Altus *currently knocking on the wooden desk I’m sitting at* and I can’t wait to finish my training here. I had my ground evaluation to test my knowledge of the aircraft systems and emergency procedures. It went extremely well and I knew everything I was asked by my evaluator. It turned out I got our Boom Operator...
Miles To Go Before I Sleep
My time here in Altus, Oklahoma is drawing to a close. Many times in life we dread the end of something we have become comfortable and familiar with, however this is not one of those times. People will often become familiar with a place, find a routine and become a creature of habit in said routine. I have become one of these so called creatures of habit. I however am so ready to break the habit...
December 2011
7 posts
Ups and Downs
This past week has had it’s ups and it’s downs. It’s surprises and it’s disappointments. Last week, I had my fourth flight. Now I will take some time to explain some things to you who are reading this who have a hard time comprehending or understanding the gravity of certain situations which I have been through. Now to first explain something quite simple, I as a Boom...
Night Flight...no me gusta
For my third flight last Monday the 28th of November was a night flight. The way this whole flying business works is I get this nifty little thing called crew rest, which excuses me from all duties 12 hours before I am to show up for my flight which in turn is three hours before Take Off. The 12 hours off are designed to ensure that we as aircrew members are not operating $50,000,000 equipment in...
Flights
Hello all!
Sorry it’s been awhile since I last posted. I have had a great few weeks. I have flown three times now. My first flight was November 17th and was phenomenal! In-flight refueling really is in my mind a modern marvel. It’s overwhelming lying in the back of a boom pod having a 400,000 pound aircraft flying 6 times faster than you car can go closer than home plate is to the...
November 2011
10 posts
Veterans Day Weekend
This weekend we took a day to honor veterans who have served in the great cause of freedom and liberty for all. I have never felt more gratitude for those who came before me than I did this weekend. Both my grandpas fought in World War II and I know that what they went through is more than I will ever in my career experience. The best I can do is serve my country and serve in the community. This...
Green Rope
Hello all,
Today was an interesting day. The base commander came to our PT (Physical Training) today and that was an interesting turn of events for my Wednesday. I had been an Airman leader during my time at Basic Training in Lackland which came with it’s challenges and difficulties, but also was a rewarding experience. During our technical training (which I have been in since I graduated...
Tornado!
http://www.weather.com/weather/videos/news-41/top-stories-169/raw-tornado-22488
This was the storm chasers capturing a video of the Tornado that hit a few miles away. Thank’s Kaydi for finding this and sending it to me!
Oklahoma...
Well this has been an interesting week for a boy from the heart of the Twin Cities where the worst I’ve dealt with was a blizzard or two in my lifetime. Today, not even 48 hours after my bed started shaking while I was sleeping…due to the largest earthquake in Oklahoma’s history, I saw the storm chasers vehicles driving through town, looked up at the bright sunny sky, then over...
All Done With The Sim's
All done with the Simulators. Over the past two weeks I have had twelve simulators in the Boom Operator Pod Personnel Trainer (BOPPT). Each Boppt consisted of a 30 min pre-brief on which aircraft I would be refueling during the mission, some of the unique features of the aircraft. On Each mission we are challenged with a different malfunction, such as the boom failing to unlatch and lower or the...
Hello Friends
So I decided to start doing a blog for all my friends and family (Mostly my dear mother Kaki;) so that you all can keep up with me and my adventures in the Air Force. I know I’m not going to have the time to call you all and tell you about my day to day life, so if you are ever curious I’ll try to keep this updated as much as I can with pictures and updates of where I am. Today, I...