Sorry, I have been so long in updating this blog. I have had a very interesting past couple of months. I’ll try and give the highlights.

I almost got attrited from flight school around the end of October. I failed my pattern solo check ride for IFS because I was struggling with my landings. In IFS a check ride failure is an automatic Performance Review Board (PRB). The gist of a PRB is to determine if one should continue on in training or be removed from flight training and getting a different job in the Navy. I was very nervous going into the board especially because the officer in charge of IFS recommended to the board that I be attrited from the flight program. However, when I got before the board what happened could only be from God. The board wanted to determine what I was struggling with; the board was trying to determine why I was struggling because I have such a high aeronautical aptitude. The board gave me some good advice and voted unanimously to keep me in the program and give me an extension before I had to solo. I can only thank the Lord for the out come; I went into the board worried that I might be out of flight school and trying to figure out what to do with my life and I came out of the board realizing that God is always in control and that he put that trial in my life to teach me to trust in him alway even when I don’t see him. I thank God for this trial mainly because it taught me the ever needed lesson to trust in God and the ability to help my roommate through the same situation when he failed his checkride.

After, my failed check ride, the PRB and the granting of an extension for my solo I proceeded to get better at landing and passed my check ride and my solo. After, finishing my solo I did some more solo, night flying, and cross countries in IFS and completed IFS the week after Thanksgiving. I had a few small errors on my last check ride of IFS but it was not anything that would have caused me to fail the check ride. I also managed to complete my solo cross country which was a blast; However, I did make a small mistake that could have ended much worse I tried to land on the wrong end of the active runway with some one else departing. That completes my IFS training update.

After, completion of IFS I started API a week later. API stands for Aviation Preflight Indoctrination, it is the first of many military ground training that I will go through in my Naval career, Lord willing. It involves four weeks of academics and water survival training and two weeks of aviation physiology training which involves land survival training, dunker training, a ride in a pressure chamber and bay operations. I am currently in week 4 of API, in a med-down status, aka I’m not training because I am recovering from a cold. In the academics portion one studies Aerodynamics, Aviation Weather, Engine, Navigation and Flight Rules and Regulations. I have successfully completed Aerodynamics, Aviation Weather and Engines. I have one Navigation class left before the Navigation Exam and all of Flight Rules and Regulations to complete in week 4 when I get my upchit and am put back into flying status again. I have completed the water survival training which involved drown proofing in full flight gear, a tower jump and underwater swim in flight suit and boots and a mile swim in a flight suit. The hardest part for me was the tower jump and underwater swim, the mile swim was hard but in all reality it just got boring after swimming in circles for 40 minutes. I have one week of academics which I will hopefully get out of the way next week and then on to the two weeks of aviation physiology. After, completion of API I will be going on to primary training at Vance AFB in Enid, OK to learn to fly the might T-6 Texan II.

I think this brings you up to date on the goings on in my life. I also promise to try and update a little bit more often then I have as of late.