The final 5 days of UPT

To cut to the chase, I will be flying the F-16 Fighting Falcon, or as everyone calls it, the VIPER!!!

Here I am, just 5 days from graduating from USAF Undergraduate Pilot Training. I have a total of 2 formation low level flights left, and maybe a checkride. I say maybe, because the rumor around the squadron is that we will not be flying the Low Level checkride due to bird hazards and a large number of the fleet's windscreens having cracks along the rivets that were just discovered recently. Either way, I am totally happy with finishing up with no worries of a checkride!

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Last I wrote, I had 2 checkrides left: Advanced Formation and the Low Level.

Well, advanced formation was a blast and ended up passing the checkride with 5 downgrades! Not too shabby at all. I flew 90% of the flights with one of my good Italian friends, Michele Pedalino, and we meshed really well by the end. Although, the two of us did go through a very, very rough week...we both busted (failed) two flights in a row just before the checkride and had to do it a third time, which we both passed but definitely got shaken up for that checkride. Considering that the advanced formation checkride is the single most important flight in UPT and counts the most for your mass score (assignment night ranking), we were kind of worried. It's not even that we were doing bad things, just a couple little things we don't normally do wrong were happening, and they were things that we could possibly fail a checkride for, depending on how anal our IP would want to be. Like I said before though, we pushed through it and passed with an average flight. Worst part about that whole deal was we knew we could have done much better, but we were glad to get it over with.

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Once that was done, on came the low level flights, 4-ship formation flights, and solo out-and-back flight. This was definitely the BEST last few weeks we could have asked for in pilot training. Not only is flying formation next two 3 other jets the coolest stuff I've ever done, we got to fly in the number 2, 3, and 4 positions! No-threat (of failing) flights are always the best kind of flights, especially were your IP flies for a little bit showing off and letting you look around at the other jets. Just as cool is flying 500 feet off the ground at 450 mph! The low level flights are amazing, and a little scary at times with the birds and towers and other jets flying around, but it is totally worth every second! The worst part about the low level phase is we only get 8 flights before going to the checkride (which we probably won't have). That is not much time at all to get up to speed with all the things involved in the planning and flying. On top of that, trying to fly that fast and that low while looking at a self-made low level chart that is about 3 feet by 3 feet big makes for some interesting experiences!
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The solo out-and-back flight, which we have tried to complete for about two months now, finally got done. We got a break from the weather and winds and whatever else was holding us up and launched 6 solo students and 2 solo IP's as chase ships out to Amarillo for lunch! Flying around solo is damn cool. It's even cooler when you get to actually go somewhere and fly into a strange field and feel like you are an actual pilot! .....Man, these last 5 days are going to go so slow!
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Let's see, what else happened in October...I just about double turned flights every day to get caught up after breaking so many jets...so that was pretty exhausting. We celebrated Ryan's 21st birthday (in spirit)... OH, we had class 08-01's Assignment Night!
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Assignment Night is the night all the assignable (non-Air National Guard) U.S. student pilots find out what they will be flying for the next 10 years or more! Finally it was our turn! Our theme of the night was 80's rock and we all dressed in mullets, big-hair-band t-shirts, and chose our favorite theme song to individually walk out to. We also got a hold of 25 beat up acoustic guitars, in which would a picture of a certain jet (our assignment) would be taped and we would actually smash the guitar open to find out! It was definitely a TON of fun, and I ended up getting my #1 choice, the F-16 Viper! I am PUMPED! As it turns out, two of my good friends, both of which I lived with at ERAU (Mike and Greg) both got the Viper as well! The three of us just can't seem to get away from each other. Actually, the 08-01 drop was pretty dang impressive:
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F-16: 5 + 2 Air National Guard

F-15C: 2

F-15E: 2

A-10: 1

T-38: 1

T-37/T-6: 1

B-52: 1
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Most everybody was pleased, with a few exceptions...but that's life. Needs of the Air Force is the game. It was a great time and Dave Sustello even made it down from Vance to celebrate with all of us, which was great! The entire ceremony lasted about an hour from start to finish, and of course I busted my face up again in the process. I'm pretty sure it happened when I jumped off the stage and busted my guitar, ending up with it breaking where the neck meets the body and bouncing up into my face. I'm just glad I wore my sunglasses just in case...although I think a new set of sunglasses will be on my Christmas list this year! It may have happened right after that though, when an I-flighter decided to tackle me (tradition for a dog-pile to occur) when I wasn't looking, ending up with us in the middle of the broken guitar pieces. HAHA, it was all such a blur, and I won't deny there being some beverages involved either...but it was a great time and I am totally happy with getting the VIPER!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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This week coming up is a big week as well. Wednesday we will get our RIPs (orders) for IFF, survival training, water survival training, centrifuge training, and our RTU (F-16 training). At least I will be able to plan out the next few months for the most part. Also, all the families will be getting in town for Red Carpet Day (kind of like show and tell) and graduation on Friday! The worst part about this week is it is the last week we get to spend with all the great Italians in our class. They move back to Italy the day after we graduate! Fortunately the internet makes it very easy to keep in touch, and I know I will definitely do that with many of them!
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Well, it's 4am on Sunday, actually 3am with the new time change, and I guess I need to get to bed. One last piece of great news from the non-flying department: I started dating a great girl, Anna Avera, and actually it is a pretty funny story of how it started. To sum it up, we went to middle school together and 9th grade, but then both moved away and didn't hear from each other for 10 years, and a few months ago I ran across her page on facebook (online college networking) and sent a message to see how things had been going. We ended up exchanging phone numbers in mid-August and ended up talking for 2 hours a day (woa) for about a month...then she came to town and visited and we hit it off! She lives in Nashville, TN now and actually got to make it for assignment night which was great and will also be here for graduation! I'm pretty surprised how great things are going between us, and will keep you informed on how it goes! haha
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Hopefully everyone had a great Halloween and ate lots of candy, I know I sure did!

Until next time....