Monday, April 14, 2014

the next step...wait, what?

It's been a while since I have written. Our lives have been one crazy whirlwind these past few months. Along with my own personal bits, I intended this blog to document our adventures it the Air Force, so let's get one in about that.

As many of you know, my husband is in pilot training with USAF. He started almost a year ago and is on the last leg of his journey. So let's take a little recap...

We arrived in Columbus, MS in September of 2012. Brian had arrived with an estimated start date of November. Luckily that quickly changed! After the holidays, he headed to IFS (Initial Flight Screening) in February. Once he passed that he waited until May to FINALLY begin UPT (Undergraduate Pilot Training).

Phase I of UPT is a rigorous 6-weeks course of everything flying. When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING! Poor guy was pretty much locked in a classroom or the office learning or studying. He questioned himself (more than once) on the decision he had made to go into UPT. He could definitely describe the stress and well stomach problems that came with said stress.

He made it through academics into the Phase II and the first aircraft: the T-6 Texan II. This began a  five month-ish span of flying one fun plane! He was pulling G's, flying upside down, doing flips and tricks...needless to say he had a blast! The fun times definitely came with some not so fun times but he survived. Then came track select...

Brian chose to track to the T-1 Jayhawk which leads down the path for heavy aircrafts like cargo and tankers. The other choices were helicopters (um no, he was not allowed) and the T-38 which leads to fighters/bombers. After formation flying with the T-6 where they are merely 10 feet from another plane while flying, he knew the T-38 was NOT for him (they only fly 3 feet away). This leads me to where we are today.

He is about half-way done with this third and final phase. As time draw closer and closer to graduation (two months y'all...this is HUGE!!), I'm starting to wonder what the future holds and reflect on the experiences of this past year. It's been an insane year and a half in this crazy town... so many life experiences for our family but also for Brian. He has accomplished so much and I could not be more proud of this man. He has worked so hard to reach this goal and he is doing it one day at a time.

So what is next? Well we don't know. Wait, what? Yeah that's right, we don't know...and won't know for another 6 weeks and 4 days but who's counting. Did I mention this is HUGE? This is the rest of our lives...well for at least the next 10-20 years. Brian would like to either fly the KC-135 Stratotanker or FAIP (become an instructor). Time is drawing nearer...but first he must pass the last two checkrides (it's like a test while flying). May the time "fly" by... I had to.