Travelling by the Airlines and Wearing Madras and Polo Shirts (aka Visiting Connecticut)

Just a warning, this one is more about me personally than anything specifically pertaining to flight school.

I went home this weekend and it was probably the best thing that I've done in months. The stress that had been building in the pressure cooker that is what the end of Primary is becoming for me was lifted and replaced by a renewed feeling of energy.

I finished my Last T-34 Simulator Ever Friday morning at about 9am. I rocked it, I had the instructor who is known to have the highest failure rate and I got one of the better grades of that block of simulators. I am definitely confident in my ability to do whatever is demanded of me in the plane. It was a great feeling walking out of that building knowing that there is a good possibility that I'll never return.

I spent the next 45 minutes trying to secure my "Special Liberty" chit, which wasn't supposed to be ready until the afternoon, but my flights were early, so I needed to get the heck outta Dodge. I got it and had 15 minutes to get home, get changed, pack and get back to base to meet my roommate who was giving me a lift to the airport at 10. I was late, so was he, it all worked out.

The flight was very interesting. I'd brought some of the charts that I'll need for my upcoming flight to Tucson (no, it didn't happen today and no, I have no idea why, but I'm not complaining). I realized that I was flying across one of them and since I had the opportunity, I pulled it out and practiced navigating using ground references as they passed below. We were going really fast and it was so much harder than I thought it'd be. It was really good that I had that chance to study in the air as it'll be exactly what I'll do for most of tomorrow. Of course all the people around me were looking at me like I was an alien, but I think I was dressed slightly better than the average Terrorist so that worked in my favor.

Flying into Westchester County Airport was very cool, we apparently got vectored in right over Greenwich and I got the chance to see the New York skyline as we came in on the Instrument Landing System Precision Approach. The relief of being back in civilization washed over me in an awesome wave. We landed at about 9:30pm and one of my best friends from home was already there to pick me up. I walked outside and immediately noticed how good it felt to see trees, real trees with real leaves, trees everywhere like a cool green blanket all around.

After seeing the new Indiana Jones flick, I crashed in my childhood bed, waking up to the sunlight filtering in through the green canopy in my front yard. After some family time I went out in town and immediately noticed how strange it felt to drive on roads that... curved. I wandered around town and ran into at least one old high school friend at the Goodwives Shopping Plaza (a place I was so used to, that it's name never struck me as ridiculous until I saw it featured in the original "Stepford Wives") and ended up at Post 53. The rest of the night was filled with having dinner with my Aunt's family and my grandfather and then ending up in downtown Stamford with my friend to have a couple drinks and catch up. It was very cool to be in a crowded bar with decent music and filled with young people once again.

I get out maybe once a week and rarely to the bars here in Corpus, mainly because they're filled with old people and flight students, so instead, we just go to each other's house to hang out until we fall asleep or have to get home to get the proper amount of rest before the next flight. It's fun, but it's not like going out all night with a rowdy bunch in a big town.

The best part of the weekend was after the Memorial Service for Mr. Doble. Mr. Doble founded Post 53 back in 1970, an organization which started out teaching young people minor first aid and has ended up being my town's full time (and free) EMS provider. It is an organization which had a huge impact on me growing up (all of 5 years ago), I had the opportunity to save lives through Post 53 and in turn, I believe it saved mine.

After the service I had dinner with 3 other Post friends. The 3 of them kept up with EMS in a way that I never had the chance to, they took more courses and have higher certification levels and continue to work in the field. I am definitely happy with what I'm doing, but every now and then I wonder how great it would have been to pursue a career in Medicine. The adrenaline rush of driving to an ambulance call and performing the procedures in saving a life, at least as I've felt, is no different from anything exciting that I've done in the plane. That is, except that there's no one's life I'm responsible except for my own and my instructor.

We ended up at the last dive bar in Darien, Benny's Restaurant which, sadly, is closing in July (?). There we met up with about 20 other young Post alumni who spanned over a decade of Post's history. We spent the night remembering the good times and catching up. It was simple, fun and probably the best night out that I've had in a long time.

I flew back yesterday, it took me all day. It was easy, but exhausting, in fact I had a long layover in Houston (that's what you get when you buy your tickets online 10 minutes before going to bed and a week before you depart). I spent it at the USO, those people are great, they have a room in the airport filled with a TV, couches, snacks, drinks, free internet and some nice volunteer to give directions around the airport.

My pilot friends met me at the airport and we all went to dinner together. I was exhausted and loopy, but it was very cool to see them. A couple of the flights I'd flown had me sitting next to a large American who tried to do that thing where they raise the center arm rest before you get to your seat, so naturally they have more room but you end up having contact with their bulk. Oh, I lowered the bar, but it was not pleasant and I was so happy to get out into the warm air again. I can't wait until I have an actual civilian license so can fly myself and my friends around.

We finally ended up at the movie theater and watched the Indiana Jones flick... again (which was so much better the second time I watched, by the way). Not only that but the beginning was filmed not 20 miles away from Las Cruces and I could definitely recognize the mountains I flew around in the background. Today, I'm going on base to pick up my car and figure out this cross-country thing tomorrow (?)