…and neither were Air Force pilots!
It’s official - C’s first day of UPT ground school began today. Here he is, looking handsome in his blues, ready to start his day.
Ground school is composed of the first 6 weeks of pilot training, when the soon-to-be pilots learn the fundamental concepts of Air Force flying from instructors, books, and computers before hopping into the reality of a T-6 Texan.
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| Photo: Danny Fritsche, airliners.net |
The first day consisted of Commander’s briefings, PowerPoints (you saw that coming, didn’t you?), and an introduction to computer-aided instruction (CAIs). CAIs will be a primary mode of learning over the coming weeks, along with direct instruction and oodles of studying. Later this week, they’ll focus on flight physiology – learning how their bodies will react to the aircraft and the atmosphere. (Teaser for an upcoming blog: See C get “drunk” on altitude in the altitude chamber)
This whole experience had seemed pretty surreal up until today (really, it still kind of does for me). The first day of ground school marks the true beginning of our journey. We have no illusions that it will be an easy ride, but we’re determined to get the most out of it and enjoy ourselves along the way.
