I feel like I’ve spent every week in a different city since I started working on this program. Now that I think about it that’s not far from the truth. My first 4 weeks was spent in Savannah, TN where I did my formal training. Following this I spent a week in Bingen, WA where we had our evaluations and the maintenance exam. Then I was back in Saint Louis for 2 weeks completing paper work for military deployment processing. Now I’m headed home for a day after spending a week at Camp Pendleton where I was processed and issued my ID card, body armor, gas mask and helmet.
That doesn’t seem like a lot of stuff, but the body armor and helmet alone took up my whole suit case, fortunately I brought a duffle bag just for such an occasion. I went from carrying a 15 lbs piece of luggage to carrying a 50 lbs roller case and a 10 lbs duffle bag. I was waiting for someone to ask why my suit case was so heavy and sure enough the woman at the American Airlines counter asked
“What do you have in here?”
I responded “Body armor…”
She laughed.
I wasn’t sure if she believed me or not. After all how many people dressed in civilian clothing roll through with a black Samsonite filled with body armor? Probably more than I think… Although I’m sure the people doing the X-Raying had a good time trying to figure out what it was… Oh yes, and there was the gas mask too, which was an interesting acquisition. I hope I don’t have to use it while I’m out there, especially with TRNG ONLY painted on the filter… Please President Obama, don’t upset the Pakistanis or Iranians…
Well besides all that good stuff, I also got my military ID card. That has become my de facto form of identification for everything. Anytime I get carded I pull that bad boy out and wait for them to figure out what it is. I’ve gotten a lot of long strange stares, but I continue to use it because it’s more easily accessible than my driver’s license since I have it in the front pocket of my wallet. Sometimes people will recognize it and are really appreciative since they know where you’re going or where you’ve been. The card itself is pretty cool too. It has a functional smart chip with all my information encoded on it. Unlike the smart chip on my Boeing ID which has nothing encoded on it. I still sort of wish I brought it with me so I could have more easily accessed the Boeing facility in Seal Beach. I had to make some copies and fax some documents to reserve my flights overseas. I have a friend who recently transferred there. We were going to meet for dinner anyway, so I decided to give him a ring and see if he could get me in the facility to use the printers.
He had meetings in Huntington Beach so he let me sit in his office, which had a view of the ocean. I’m not sure I can go back to working in the windowless boxes at the Saint Louis facilities after being there. The entire building seemed so much nicer! On top of that the entire area was nicer than the area the Saint Louis site is in. The first bit of evidence was the signs that said “MAY 15 BIKE TO WORK DAY.” It’s like a dream of mine to be able to bike to work, especially on my birthday! A few of you know that I’ve tried a few times but finally gave up. It was always either too hot, too windy or too dangerous. Seal Beach is always between 70 and 85, winds usually seemed calm and drivers are courteous and accustomed to bikers. In fact, I saw more bicyclists, joggers and walkers out in California than I saw in Oregon and that was why I was so impressed by Oregon!
So of course I’ve fallen fast for another city, the downside is that it’s just as expensive as Oregon... But of course I won’t let something like that stop me. I’ve always said that I wanted to move out to San Diego, even though I had never been. When I got to Hood River, I thought I found everything I’ve ever wanted… Then I spent time in California and found more than I could ever ask for. Reality check, it doesn’t matter since I’m going to be spending the rest of the year on a 6 month camping trip. It’s my birthday today and by this time next week I’ll be in a tent surrounded by miles of nothing.
We’ve been in contact with one of the guys that’s there now. He’s been giving us the heads up on travel, what to bring and the conditions at the base. It doesn’t sound as bad as I imagined. We have air conditioned tents that work “most of the time.” Well… I guess that’s really all I know about it, but that was a big deal to me. If you know me, you know that I hate heat. 120F isn’t my idea of a good time unless I’m checking the internal temperature of a piece of meat. I was joking around with one of the guys and said that I can’t wait to throw on 50lbs of body armor and go for a 4 mile run. I was joking but I can also see myself really doing something like that. I really don’t think I have all the nuts in my head tightened to specifications, should have used a torque wrench.
Anyway, I’m on the plane back home right now. I have some “birthday gifts” from Boeing to pick up from UPS tonight. It’s actually all the gear that I was supposed to have before I left for Pendleton. I’ll probably spend part of the night opening boxes and deciding what I want to bring with me overseas and the other part celebrating my 28th. Tomorrow will be a fun filled day doing expense reports, completing whatever paper work I have left and, weather permitting cutting the lawn. Then Sunday I’ll be hanging out in the business class cabin with the high rollers on my way outbound. Things started rolling really fast all of the sudden, who knew that things could be so efficient!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
The Bullpen
I’ve been back in Saint Louis for a little more than a week now. Like a good corporate citizen I’ve been coming in to the office to help out wherever I can. Thus far I’ve spent the majority of the days getting poked and prodded by physicians and nurses though. I have to admit, I’m feeling pretty invincible right now with all the vaccinations I’ve gotten in the past few days.
There are various others in the office and we spend the mornings fighting for open desks so we can set up camp for the day. The others are in town from various places and for various reasons. Some are waiting for medical clearance to return, while others are in between deployments. One of the best parts of having these guys around is hearing the stories they bring back from the field.
Most of the stories are about good times. Even the bad stories come across lighthearted when thought about in hindsight, although at the time it was far from it. Occasionally the seemingly random mortar fire would come a little too close for comfort and bring the reality of war back to the forefront of one’s mind. Other times it was far enough away to be heard but not felt. Despite what the media shows, it seems that these types of attacks on a base are rare and furthermore rarely accurate.
I’m very excited to get out and experience it first hand. I might be naïve but even hearing the bad stories aren’t a deterrent. I’m going out there to do something important for a lot of people and from my perspective it’s something that’s going to be a lot of fun no matter where I end up. It’s a good thing I’ve heard plenty of negative comments about my destination to lessen my expectations.
Multiple times my friends have advised me to try to go somewhere else. The danger level is high, the facilities are terrible and the people are subpar. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s better to start with the worst and work my way up to the best. My only hope is that the people aren’t as subpar as I’ve been told. I don’t mind the danger; it’s what I’m here for. I don’t mind the facilities; I can eat anything and sleep anywhere.
Now the wait continues. My scheduled deployment date is the week of May 11, but things change daily around here. I could leave tomorrow or I could leave in a month. My final destination has probably changed a dozen times and will probably change a dozen more.
There are various others in the office and we spend the mornings fighting for open desks so we can set up camp for the day. The others are in town from various places and for various reasons. Some are waiting for medical clearance to return, while others are in between deployments. One of the best parts of having these guys around is hearing the stories they bring back from the field.
Most of the stories are about good times. Even the bad stories come across lighthearted when thought about in hindsight, although at the time it was far from it. Occasionally the seemingly random mortar fire would come a little too close for comfort and bring the reality of war back to the forefront of one’s mind. Other times it was far enough away to be heard but not felt. Despite what the media shows, it seems that these types of attacks on a base are rare and furthermore rarely accurate.
I’m very excited to get out and experience it first hand. I might be naïve but even hearing the bad stories aren’t a deterrent. I’m going out there to do something important for a lot of people and from my perspective it’s something that’s going to be a lot of fun no matter where I end up. It’s a good thing I’ve heard plenty of negative comments about my destination to lessen my expectations.
Multiple times my friends have advised me to try to go somewhere else. The danger level is high, the facilities are terrible and the people are subpar. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s better to start with the worst and work my way up to the best. My only hope is that the people aren’t as subpar as I’ve been told. I don’t mind the danger; it’s what I’m here for. I don’t mind the facilities; I can eat anything and sleep anywhere.
Now the wait continues. My scheduled deployment date is the week of May 11, but things change daily around here. I could leave tomorrow or I could leave in a month. My final destination has probably changed a dozen times and will probably change a dozen more.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Moving Right Along
Seven days after arriving in Hood River I’m now on my return flight to Nashville, TN where I’ll get my car and drive back to Saint Louis, MO. My reason for going to Hood River was to successfully complete my training and demonstrate to an evaluator that I am capable of operating our UAV. Now that that’s done the job really starts.
Through the course of this training I’ve encountered a lot of stressful situations and many more rewarding experiences. I’ve taken more tests in the past month than I took though any given college class. I’ve been challeged by instructors to correct inflight emergencies during our simulations and challenged by mother nature to make sound judgements during actual flights. I’ve been vaccinated for all sorts of illnesses and have more lined up. The experience has not only given me job skills but it has also given me the opportunity to meet some very cool people.
People from Washington, Kentucky, Tennessee, California, Georgia, Indiana, Arizona and Hawaii. The majority of them have already seen the war first hand and experienced things that we’re all fortunate enough not to have to experience. One of my friends said that you don’t really know someone until you’ve had a beer with them. If that’s the case, I know a lot of people very well now. We’ve spent entire days together, working from dawn to dusk and then dinner. We’ve driven hours just to find a decent place to eat. I know I say how lucky I am a lot, to have met these people and I’ll continue to say it. The people made this great.
Last night we went out and celebrated our success over dinner and drinks. It was great to sit around and talk about whatever, as long as it didn’t involve work. Afterwards I said good bye to everyone, knowing that I may not see them again. That’s the most difficult part of meeting new people in this environment, saying what could turn out to be the last good bye.
So here I am, in the plane looking down at the patchwork farms, breathing recycled air ;-) shooting back towards the midwest. School is over, now lets start the next chapter.
Through the course of this training I’ve encountered a lot of stressful situations and many more rewarding experiences. I’ve taken more tests in the past month than I took though any given college class. I’ve been challeged by instructors to correct inflight emergencies during our simulations and challenged by mother nature to make sound judgements during actual flights. I’ve been vaccinated for all sorts of illnesses and have more lined up. The experience has not only given me job skills but it has also given me the opportunity to meet some very cool people.
People from Washington, Kentucky, Tennessee, California, Georgia, Indiana, Arizona and Hawaii. The majority of them have already seen the war first hand and experienced things that we’re all fortunate enough not to have to experience. One of my friends said that you don’t really know someone until you’ve had a beer with them. If that’s the case, I know a lot of people very well now. We’ve spent entire days together, working from dawn to dusk and then dinner. We’ve driven hours just to find a decent place to eat. I know I say how lucky I am a lot, to have met these people and I’ll continue to say it. The people made this great.
Last night we went out and celebrated our success over dinner and drinks. It was great to sit around and talk about whatever, as long as it didn’t involve work. Afterwards I said good bye to everyone, knowing that I may not see them again. That’s the most difficult part of meeting new people in this environment, saying what could turn out to be the last good bye.
So here I am, in the plane looking down at the patchwork farms, breathing recycled air ;-) shooting back towards the midwest. School is over, now lets start the next chapter.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Hood River, OR
Hood River, OR is a small town about an hour east of Portland. The town has a huge windsurfing community and caters to skiers looking to get up to Mt. Hood, which is always within clear view from the town. Additionally, Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens are both within site and the Columbia River separates Hood River and Bingen on the Washington side.
The landscape here is absolutely beautiful. Nearly the entire drive down I-84 runs parallel with the river as it snakes through the Columbia River Gorge. The nearer hills extend out, transitioning into the mountains in the distance. There are waterfalls nearly every few miles and the aspen trees shoot straight out of the ground into the sky, which has been blue nearly the whole time I've been here.
The people are all very laid back and extremely active. I was out driving yesterday morning and saw dozens of bikers, runners and walkers. Groups of cyclists riding passed families with strollers. I haven't seen so many people taking part in so much physical activity in a long time.
To cater to all the outside activity there are dozens of stores that sell outdoor gear. The 5 block downtown has at least 3 bike shops, and 4 outdoor gear stores. It's like I've died and gone to heaven. As long as I make it back from the sand alive I may try to get a job here, so lets just call it a little bit of heaven on earth.
The landscape here is absolutely beautiful. Nearly the entire drive down I-84 runs parallel with the river as it snakes through the Columbia River Gorge. The nearer hills extend out, transitioning into the mountains in the distance. There are waterfalls nearly every few miles and the aspen trees shoot straight out of the ground into the sky, which has been blue nearly the whole time I've been here.
The people are all very laid back and extremely active. I was out driving yesterday morning and saw dozens of bikers, runners and walkers. Groups of cyclists riding passed families with strollers. I haven't seen so many people taking part in so much physical activity in a long time.
To cater to all the outside activity there are dozens of stores that sell outdoor gear. The 5 block downtown has at least 3 bike shops, and 4 outdoor gear stores. It's like I've died and gone to heaven. As long as I make it back from the sand alive I may try to get a job here, so lets just call it a little bit of heaven on earth.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Firsts and Lasts
Life’s experiences are started with firsts and ended with lasts. The first day of college and the last day, the first relationship and that most important last one. Everything in between seems to flow together like water. Days passing in between that first and that last without even a second thought about their importance.
For me the first of anything is a time of excitement peppered with a little fear. It’s the unknown that’s invokes most of the the two emotions. Of course my most recent experience was with my trip down to Savannah, TN.
I wasn’t sure about moving, even temporarily, to a small town in central TN. The drive down was a mixture of fear and curiosity. I think I’ve compared it to college in an earlier post. That first day when you’re not quite sure what to expect but you’re eager to find out. That’s how it was. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Savannah, but I was ready and willing to go down there and experience something that I hadn’t experienced. Although the fear wasn’t overwhelming, it was there nonetheless.
As the days flowed, life went right along. I became more comfortable with my surroundings and the people who occupied it. I was actually growing to enjoy the place that I was so skeptical of at first. Sadly though, to bring back a nerdy quote from the last episode of StarTrek: TNG, “All good things must come to an end.”
I never would have imagined that I would actually have the desire to stay but sure enough I did. It was the people, those very people that I thought would be horribly unaccpeting of an outsider, that made the experience what it was. That first day was a mixture of excitement and fear and the last drive out was a mixture of sadness and some remembrance.
Trying to pull together all the good memories and the good experiences. Wishing to stop time and live them over and over again. The people I’d met and befriended and those that I met and only knew for a brief moment. It was as overwhelming as that first day, the first time I drove down.
I always wish we could have a playlist of life, like a playlist of songs, that I can put on replay. All the great experiences of my life on infinite loop. Of course I’d get tired of them eventually, but then I’d put the playlist on pause and go off and download new experiences.
Since I can’t do that, I’m now off for another first. On the plane to Hood River, OR, I realize that the first and last is important but no more so than those days inbetween that we often forget and at the end finally try to remember.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
One Step Away
This has been a big week for my training. I passed my 6th sim run on Monday at 7AM after having a delayed flight to Nashville from STL then having to drive 2.5 hours to Savannah from there. I got back to the apartment around 12:30, then woke up and went in. I was a bit short with the instructor when he was hammering me with questions but it was probably more funny than anything. Needless to say, I was relieved after I finished and passed.
The following day we had a written exam for which the only option was to pass. I was hitting the books pretty hard throughout Monday night since I was a bit unnerved by the thought of failing a written exam and then getting the boot from the program. Fortunately all the questions on the exam were the questions we were quizzing each other with prior to starting. When I started to get rolling through the questions the weight quickly lifted. When I found out that I had passed I immediately began preparing for the next obstacle, my FAA Private Pilots Knowledge Exam.
I had been looking over the materials for this exam for sometime up this point. However, I hadn't thrown myself completely into it until after my Tuesday written exam though. This one was a bit worriesome too because you only get 2 chances and then you have to wait a month to retake it. On top of the FAA exam, I also had my 7th simulation today.
It was the same as 6 but there is less and less hand holding. Well I rocked the hell out of SIM7... There's an emergency procedure called a GPS failure where the aircraft loses its ability to know where its at. So the operator needs to cross reference the real-time video with the satellite imagery on the map and fly the bird home. It took me about 5 minutes to cover 30 nautical miles... I felt pretty good about myself... But of course after this I still had the FAA exam to bring me back down to earth.
The FAA exam is pretty much an exercise in memorization. There is a pool of 4000 questions from which 61 are taken. So as long as you memorize all 4000 you're good, but if you don't you only need to score a 70% to pass anyway. Most of the people around here took the week long class, I had 1 night of full out self study. The exam took me 25 minutes out of the 2.5 hours you're allowed. My score was 87%... I knew I was going to pass, but I thought it would be more of a problem than that.
So now there is one more step before we go up to Bingen, WA, SIM8. There is no instructor assistance, which I guess I haven't needed for a while and any comments are usually more irratating than anything. But it's still the last simulation we get here before flying the real thing. One thing I need to remember is that this is just training, the real thing starts when I step off the plane in the sand. That's when the fun really starts, this is just the preparty.
The following day we had a written exam for which the only option was to pass. I was hitting the books pretty hard throughout Monday night since I was a bit unnerved by the thought of failing a written exam and then getting the boot from the program. Fortunately all the questions on the exam were the questions we were quizzing each other with prior to starting. When I started to get rolling through the questions the weight quickly lifted. When I found out that I had passed I immediately began preparing for the next obstacle, my FAA Private Pilots Knowledge Exam.
I had been looking over the materials for this exam for sometime up this point. However, I hadn't thrown myself completely into it until after my Tuesday written exam though. This one was a bit worriesome too because you only get 2 chances and then you have to wait a month to retake it. On top of the FAA exam, I also had my 7th simulation today.
It was the same as 6 but there is less and less hand holding. Well I rocked the hell out of SIM7... There's an emergency procedure called a GPS failure where the aircraft loses its ability to know where its at. So the operator needs to cross reference the real-time video with the satellite imagery on the map and fly the bird home. It took me about 5 minutes to cover 30 nautical miles... I felt pretty good about myself... But of course after this I still had the FAA exam to bring me back down to earth.
The FAA exam is pretty much an exercise in memorization. There is a pool of 4000 questions from which 61 are taken. So as long as you memorize all 4000 you're good, but if you don't you only need to score a 70% to pass anyway. Most of the people around here took the week long class, I had 1 night of full out self study. The exam took me 25 minutes out of the 2.5 hours you're allowed. My score was 87%... I knew I was going to pass, but I thought it would be more of a problem than that.
So now there is one more step before we go up to Bingen, WA, SIM8. There is no instructor assistance, which I guess I haven't needed for a while and any comments are usually more irratating than anything. But it's still the last simulation we get here before flying the real thing. One thing I need to remember is that this is just training, the real thing starts when I step off the plane in the sand. That's when the fun really starts, this is just the preparty.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Visiting Home
I just got to my house in Saint Louis from the airport and for some reason it doesn't really feel like home. I was worried at first that coming home would be difficult because I've really started to feel at home in the middle of nowhere Tennessee. I'm very bad with change and it takes me a while to become accustom to something but on the flip side it's difficult for me to unadjust after I've already adjusted.
I'm not sure how to describe this feeling. When I travelled through Europe and came home after 2 weeks I was ecstatic. After 2 weeks in South Korea the only thing I wanted was to come home. Now that I think about it, most of the extented travels I've had I've wanted nothing else but to come home.
The difference here is that I prepared my mind for the worst. The worst being that I wouldn't see my house for the remainder of the year. Plus having someone else living in my house while I'm gone is difficult to imagine. I've lived a lone for nearly 2 years now and having someone else here kind of freaks me out.
I probably just need to get some sleep and when I wake up tomorrow morning the birds will be chirping and the sun shining. But right now I'm feeling a bit sad to be here and want to go back to Savannah.
I'm not sure how to describe this feeling. When I travelled through Europe and came home after 2 weeks I was ecstatic. After 2 weeks in South Korea the only thing I wanted was to come home. Now that I think about it, most of the extented travels I've had I've wanted nothing else but to come home.
The difference here is that I prepared my mind for the worst. The worst being that I wouldn't see my house for the remainder of the year. Plus having someone else living in my house while I'm gone is difficult to imagine. I've lived a lone for nearly 2 years now and having someone else here kind of freaks me out.
I probably just need to get some sleep and when I wake up tomorrow morning the birds will be chirping and the sun shining. But right now I'm feeling a bit sad to be here and want to go back to Savannah.
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