Time To Go Fast!!!

Hard to believe it's been 6 weeks since I last posted! A lot has happened since then...

The beginning of the T-38 program was consumed by 3 weeks of academic training. Topics ranged from ejection seat training, to all aircraft systems, and finally aerodynamics. All of the academics were relatively easy, but 3 weeks of classroom and computer instruction gets old really fast! On the positive side, we only have 1 more academic block to complete before we graduate...yea! In addition to the academic training we were required to complete 4 simulator "rides." There were 2 cockpit orientation ones that basically trained us on how to start the jet, and 2 emergency procedure ones...my favorite...blah! The T-38 simulators are much more useful than the T-37 ones because you get a visual display in addition to a working cockpit. Pretty much a big video game...except for the whole getting graded part..

After we completed academics it was finally time to get our first ride in the mighty Talon. Just to give you an idea of what it's like compared to the T-37, the speed at which you enter the landing pattern in the T-38 is faster than the max speed we could fly in the Tweet. What this boils down to is that you have to think pretty much twice as fast to get everything done...and this is true of the whole flight. It's a pretty sobering experience to start learning an entirely new jet. I was just getting to the point where I felt comfortable in the Tweet, and then I'm back to square 1...kinda makes you feel dumb. On the plus side, the IPs know there's a learning curve. One of the most challenging parts, initially, of flying this aircraft is learning the new landing style. Compared to the Tweet, the -38 has much smaller wings, making it quite a bit less maneuverable at slow airspeeds...so you really fly the T-38 into the runway with a very small flare at the end to prevent from smacking it down...truly a controlled crash. During the first several rides I just couldn't get the landings down...I was VERY frustrated. It was comforting to hear that many of the other students were have similar problems, but...grrr! Around the 8th ride, though, I finally got the hang of it and have been improving bit by bit.

The basic aerobatic maneuvering we do in the T-38 is pretty much the same as in the Tweet. Here are some fun comparisons though:

Max speed of the Tweet - 350ish...Talon - 700ish
Altitude required to do a loop, Tweet - 5,000 ft...Talon - 10,000 ft
Max cruising altitude, Tweet - 20,oooish...Talon - 40,000ish
Fuel used in a 1.5 hour flight, Tweet - 2,000 pounds...Talon - 4,000 pounds

Because we'd already learned the aerobatics in Tweets we jump right into them in -38s. A very important part of being a fighter pilot is learning how to maximize your energy (altitude and airspeed) to take advantage of any situation. This concept is a bit tough for me to get down, but practicing these maneuvers helps improve that skill.

The T-38 solo flight is much sooner, in comparison, to the -37 one. After only 11 flights it is time to solo. The IPs emphasize in the early phase that landings must be "safe" not "pretty," and that's about where most of us stand. My solo ride was this past Friday. I'll admit that going into the flight I was a bit nervous, but considered that my IP would not have cleared me to fly if he didn't think I was capable of success. The flight was AWESOME!!! In the -37 your initial solo is only a takeoff and then staying at Sheppard to practice landings...not in the -38! The initial solo is a full-up mission to go out and fly aerobatics and then come back and land a few times. Not having an instructor in the back seat seems to slow everything down a bit and the lack of commentary is great ;) Everything was without incident and I proceeded to be escorted to the solo tank...

Graduation is under 4 months away...wow! In that time I have about 90 more flights and 5 check rides to complete...overwhelming to think about...

Andrea and Gavin are doing well. In the last week or so Gavin has become an awesome walker. Literally 10 days ago the most he had done was 5 steps or so, and he just decided to kick it up a notch now walking from one end of the house to the other...unbelievable! As always, Andrea keeps the house running while I'm consumed with class and studying for 12+ hours a day...she's awesome!

Hope all is well with you guys!