The road to my wings
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| Date | 25-11-2010 |
| Location |  |
| Message | (Thursday 1425) It's Thanksgiving and we've been invited to one of the Americans this afternoon. Yesterday evening COM called and asked if I wanted to go night fishing. I used to be the kind of person who needed everything planned meticulously in advance but I've become quite spontaneous in the last few years, and I quite like it, to be honest. So of course I said yes. We went at about 1600 just as it was starting to get dark, launched his fishing boat in the lake and head out with all the rods and equipment. The weather was great, not a breeze of wind or a cloud in the sky so the water was like a mirror except for all the wildlife. Birds, fish and there's also a big alligator in the lake but unfortunately we never saw it. After sunset the stars came out and made a beautiful night sky that you don't see very often if you live in a populated are with lots of lights. Apart from the Apaches and Blackhawks flying by occasionaly it was dead silent out there, except for all the animals that come out at night in the forest that can clearly be heard from the lake. We caught a few fish too (for a change!) and had a couple of cold beers. It was a great way to spend a Wednesday night, knowing that we didn't have to go to work the next day. Happy thanksgiving! /GEA |
| Date | 23-11-2010 |
| Location | |
| Message | (Tuesday 1820) As I probably mentioned, we only do IFR in the simulator at the moment, which means that we haven't actually flown for quite a while now.In a couple of weeks or so we'll move onto the aircraft again and then after the Christmas holidays we'll have our checkride, which basically gives us the helicopter IFR rating. I'm actually quite enjoying the IFR stage. There's not too much work for us Danes as we're all IFR qualified on fast jets in Canada, and there are alot of similarities between the rules and what you do in both aircraft types. Of course the techniques are completely different but I find that I just have to experiment a bit and find out what works best for me. COM had to go to Dothan after work today to get his bike fixed. So I went along as we got off early. I ended up buying a pool table for the dining room in my house, which I never use anyway. It's gonna be here in a week or so. It's gonna be great to have a pool table in the house. Yet another excuse to skip studying... I also found a plastic model kit of the USS Missouri battleship, which I had the previlage to board back when I was on holiday in Hawaii. I can't wait to start building it and have it up on my shelf in the living room. It's going to look great! I've always wanted a model of a US battleship and now I found an excuse to buy one. Yep, another study distractor. On the good side of things, we have a four day weekend this weekend as it's Thanksgiving on Thursday. I must admit that I get humbled by the hospitality of the Americans every time. Thanksgiving is a holiday that they value highly, and always spend it with their closest family. However, us Danes have been invited for a dinner on both Thursday and Friday at two different places. I look forward to both of them. Then Saturday, we'll be going to Troy University on a "study trip" to see their campus and see a Football game at the stadium. For those of you,like myself, who are not quite knowledgeable about American Football, well, college football is actually a bigger sport than senior football here in the USA. That's where all the big stars are discovered and all the stadiums are always full for college football games. It's going to be nice to experience a game like that! Oh well, that's it for now. I got some homework and flight planning to do for tomorrow and then it's off to bed as this week is an early one, with the alarm clock going off at 0345. /GEA |
| Date | 17-11-2010 |
| Location | |
| Message | (Wednesday 2010) It's been over a week since I updated. When we came back from Denmark we didn't have to start work right again, which was a bit of a mixed feeling sensation. In one way it was nice that I had a few extra days off, but on the other hand I didn't want to fall further behind than necessary. The syllabus at school is paced quickly and it doesn't take much to fall behind, even if you attend class every day, let alone if you don't! Anyway, the Americans had their Basic instrument phase while we were away and when we got back we started directly on the advanced phase. So this week's been hard with alot of extra work, but the fact that we're IFR certified (from Canada) obviously helps a bit. The rules are similar which is both good and bad. Good because you know some of the stuff already but bad because you start mixing things up very easily and because you it's hard to get away from "old habits." Last weekend, LOD, GAR and myself went to Pensacola for the airshow. It was pretty good and it was nice to see the Blue Angels again, this time at their home base performing the last show of the year. Friday we have our next IFR written exam so there's quite a bit of studying to be done. This weekend I plan to go to Atlanta. I have a friend visiting, who leaves Saturday, so either way I have to drive to Atlanta. So then I might aswell make a day out of it. Other than that I ordered a flight ticket home for Christmas. It wasn't all that cheap, being Christmas time and all but it's much better than not seeing my little boy. /GEA |
| Date | 09-11-2010 |
| Location | |
| Message | (Tuesday 1455) I'm back in Alabama and it'slike summer once again. The temperature is about 25C with clear blue skies and really clear air. Unfortunately my luggage didn't make it with me. It got "lost" somewhere in Atlanta airport. It's really annoying, especially because the staff who's supposed to help you was really hopeless. I had to really push to try and make them look for it. All they wanted to do was write a report. I don't want a report, I just want my suitcase with my stuff. Anyway, they told me it would be here the next day at my home but it never got here yesterday so I used quite some time writing to and calling people to find out what the status is. The "funny" thing is that I had the suitcase in my hand in Atlanta. When you arrive there you pick up your luggage and put it on a conveyer so that it gets scanned once again and then you pick it up again later on in the terminal. But somehow mine never made it to the terminal. I clearly remember when I picked up my luggage after the flight and had to deliver it back, thinking to myself: "Imagine if they should lose my suitcase now, how pissed off I would get..." And they did! That's it for now. This weekend I plan to go to Pensacola for an airshow, which also happens to be the Blue Angels homecoming. Pensacola is, after all, their home base. /GEA |
| Date | 02-11-2010 |
| Location |  |
| Message | (Tuesday 1955) I went to the US embassy today and had to leave the passport there. They'll give me a call when it's ready to be picked up. After I was done in there I took a nice walk in the city. I realized how much I had actually missed Copenhagen. The weather was crappy, as always, with the usual gray sky and drizzle, which turned into rain later on in the afternoon. Tomorrow I'll do some practical stuff with our apartement so that we can put it on the market before too long. Ideally it'll be sold by the time I'm back in Denmark around June next year, but I'm not too optimistic with the market as it has been for the past few years. My kid was really excited to show me his room and all of his toys. Now it's time to watch some good ole Scandinavian TV before I head to bed. /GEA |
| Date | 30-10-2010 |
| Location | |
| Message | (Saturday 2205) Tomorrow I leave to Denmark for a week in order to renew my visa. This coming trip got me to do alot of thinking... Somehow I don't feel like I'm going home. Growing up in Malta, I felt a sense of belonging, yet I felt that I had to move away. In the ten years in Denmark I felt at least just as big sense of belonging as I did in Malta. And when I think of it, the same counts for my two years in Canada and also for the short time that I've spent in the USA. It gets me to wonder where I really belong. I've only lived here a couple of months and I know for a fact that I could easily live here. All those places have been a home for me, yet I cannot point one out as a favorite, or more precisely, as a "home." I have felt welcomed in all of them, with different kinds of hospitality (and sometimes hostility...) I guess what really makes a place great to live in, isn't what job you have or how much money you make or what the climate's like or what the landscape looks like, but the people you meet and the friendships you make along the way. All the above mentioned factors all add up, but the people are what really make the difference. The Americans have really taken me into their lives and in a way it's touching to connect with people so quickly. I'm a very out-going person to say the least, so in a way it's not surprising how I get to meet all these people but I do speculate on whates makes the connection happen. Sometimes I get to wonder what the purpose with life is. I don't think there's one as such. I really think that people just have their own purpose. I always kind of knew what my purpose was and what I wanted to do with my life. Somehow, it's been messed up somewhat with the carreer changes that I've had and I've had alot of confusion in my head for a while now, and it doesn't seem to subside of its own accord in any way. I was always very focused on what I had been doing and my goal was very clear. I cannot say the same thing anymore. My motivation is at its lowest and I have alot of things to figure out. It's not easy to suddenly have to change you're life's goal, especially when you're so close to the goal. I have alot of thinking to do. I'll figure it out eventually, I'm certain of that. I'm a fighter. But it may take a while. I guess my confusion also reflects in this blog. I used to write often, almost on a daily basis but lately it's been kind of on a weekly basis. Today I took the family to Destin in Florida. We did some shopping and then had a nice walk on the beautiful white sandy beach. Then as we got home we put on our Halloween costumes and went "trick or treating" around the neighbourhood. My little boy now has enough candy to destroy his teeth many times over; but the candy will obviously and mystically disappear during the night so by tomorrow he'd hopefully have forgotten all about it. That's it for now. Next time I write will be from home. Denmark, that is. /GEA |
| Date | 28-10-2010 |
| Location | |
| Message | (Thursday 0940) I did my checkride yesterday and it went ok. I got a 92% which could have been better but could have been worse too... COM got the highest score. A well deserved 95% and with the effort he put into it, it was a very appropriate score indeed! Having completed the checkride means that I didn't have to be at the flightline at 0530 this morning, so last night a friend of mine and I took our wife and kids for some hot wings and then ended up drinking a few beers at my place. I still got up at 0400 this morning, expecting the alarm to start ringing, but I quickly fell asleep again. This afternoon we have the second class in instruments and next week we'll start the simulator too. However by the looks of it, we're going to have to go to Denmark next week in order to renew our visa. Right now we have a bad thunderstorm going on. It's been raining heavily for quite a while and I'm just wondering if the guys who haven't yet flown their checkride will get it done today. It's hard to tell because the weather at the airfield could be completely different from what it is right here. Right now I'm just happy to be done with mine. /GEA |
| Date | 26-10-2010 |
| Location | |
| Message | (Tuesday 2050) It's almost a week ago since I last wrote. Funny how time flies when you're busy! I have my final checkride tomorrow meaning that I'm done with the primary phase and get to move on to instrument phase if all goes well. To be honest I can't wait to get it overwith. The bullshit meter is still off the scale but by the looks of it, we'll be treated a bit more like adults in the insturment phase compared to the primary/kindergarten phase. Apart from being busy with work I've also been pretty busy entertaining my little boy after work. The days are long and when you get home you really don't have much time to anything other than taking a shower, studying and relaxing for an hour or so before heading to bed. So I suppose that's why keeping you updated has had so low priority the last few weeks. Tomorrow, things will hopefully change and I will have some more free time at hand. Then when the family leaves back to Denmark I will get my RC model back in the air. I just found out that one of the airfields gets used for RC flying in the weekends, so I simply cannot let an opportunity to fly from a smooth asphalt runway go by. I hope the weather's favorable tomorrow. Today it was pretty crazy with thunderstorms and very string and gusty crosswinds. In any case, it's time to go to bed as I have to get up at 0340... /GEA |
| Date | 20-10-2010 |
| Location | |
| Message | (Wednesday 2020) We went to the airshow Sunday and had a great day. The weather was great and I, in particular, got alot of tan. I also got to see the F22 for the first time. It almost looks like a toy plane as it's really "clean," and by that I mean that it doesn't have all kinds of antennas, sensors and probes sticking out of it like most other aircraft do. The Blue Angels put up a great show and so did the Snowbirds. It was almost emtional to see the Snowbirds fly, having shared base with them for two years in Moose Jaw. Those were the same guys that we drank with at the mess every Friday. The F16 East coast demo was really good, unlike last year's F16 West coast demo which I saw at Minot Air Force Base airshow. There was also the new Navy F18 Super Hornet, flown by a female demo pilot. She was damn hardcore and did some of the best flying that I've seen. Yesterday we finally went on the cross country.It was an utter waste of time for somebody who's flown before this course. The idea was that the IP did all the flying and the student navigates and handles the radios. After a while I asked the IP to let me do everything, with the excuse that I needed my daily Vitamin F (for flying) and he let me fly and do the whole thing which kept me from falling asleep. By the looks of it, my end of stage checkride is going to be on Tuesday. And then we're done with primary flight training and move on to instruments! /GEA |
| Date | 16-10-2010 |
| Location | |
| Message | (Saturday 1955) Yesterday I heard that there was going to be an airshow in Atlanta this weekend so take a guess to figure out where we are right now. That's right, we're at a hotel just North of Atlanta. We drove here this morning, visited the Georgia Aquarium and some other stuff downtown and now we've crashed here, a few miles from the airbase ready for the airshow tomorrow. I'm always excited about taking my little boy to an airshow. He hasn't been to one for a year and a half so I'm pretty anxious to see how he reacts. He's been talking about it quite alot today. At the airshow we'll see the Blue Angels and the Snowbirds fly and on the static line there will be the C5 Galaxy, P3 Orion, A10 and also the mighty F22, which I've never seen before - among many other aircraft of course. I actually hope to meet the Snowbirds pilots as they're based at Moose Jaw and I know most of those guys. One thing I don't look forward to is the four hour drive home after the airshow tomorrow night, especially after having stood in the sun the whole day. It's gonna take a few Red Bulls to get us home safely... /GEA |
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