VT-28 The Rangers

Much has happened between having left Pensacola a week ago and having the internet returned to me this morning, namely, I graduated API and moved to Corpus Christi, Texas.

In Pensacola, I participated in "Redneck Parasailing." It's a simple exercise... you take a student, strap him into a parasail-style parachute, attach a big long roap to a big 'ole pickup truck and floor said pickup truck until said student is 1-200 feet up in the air... then stop and watch.
It was probably the most fun I had during any particular exercise in API. It was so cool you have a helmet with a radio tucked inside (it was a kayak helmet... with a talk-about inside...) and you're in full flight gear with this huge parachute sitting behind you and a pickup truck about 100 meters away. A couple enlisted guys hold up the 'chute and another one tells you to run as the pickup truck starts to go. The second it tugs you airborne all you hear on the radio is the guy running the event telling the driver to "hit it hit it hit it" and you get sucked into the air very quickly. It was a huge rush and better than a lot of roller coasters because you're just dangling by this parachute above the ground. The purpose is to get used to the feeling and to land while using a real parachute. The ground comes up fast, it was very intense.

The next day I graduated API with a short speech from a Marine Captain, the CO and we got our "diplomas" or completion certificates. The day after that the movers came and the following day I drove all the way to Houston (and missed the Navy - Notre Dame game...). Sunday I drove to Corpus, got my apartment and crashed at a buddies house.

My roommate arrived and we checked in that Monday night and the next mornign at 0730 we were in the welcome brief in khakis and I've been going ever since.

The first day of class is on Tuesday and due to the long weekend and Thanksgiving, they are cramming 10 days of class into 7.... so that should be fun.

What actually was fun was a ceremony we had to attend on Friday afternoon, the day we checked into our actual training squadrons. All of us who reported from Pensacola are in VT-28, the Rangers... they have a cool patch with a cowboy on it, it's neat.
We had to go to a "tie-cutting" ceremoney. It occurs when a student successfully solos (or completes the program... it was my first day, I'm not sure exactly what went on). The whole squadron met at a local bar and the way it worked was each student got to roast their instructors and give him a gag gift and then the instructors get a turn. I'm running out of time to write this, but it was a lot of fun except that the newest class has to wear dresses and serve beer ... they called us "beer wenches." Welcome to Naval Aviation...