When I first arrived, we got "briefed" on the pipeline the student aviators go through, and learned a little more about where we could end up for advanced flight training (and where we could end up after that) based on what the husband selects. It was interesting to learn about the different types of aircraft he could potentially be flying, and to see where we could end up after he's done with all of his training!
After the brief we headed to the Paraloft (where they put their gear on before their flight). We stopped at the husband's locker so I could put on his g-suit (aka speed jeans) and his survival vest. However, his stuff wasn't in there because he was in the air flying (I suppose he needed his gear just a little bit more than I did...). The Lieutenant running the shindig found me another set of gear to try on, and I have to admit, I was kind of glad he did. The gear I got to try on was clean, and not smelly or full of sweat.
Trying on the gear was a lot different than I imagined. The g-suit is designed to squeeze your legs and abs to keep the blood in your head, so every time the plane senses there are G's, it inflates the suit. I can only imagine what it feels like when it inflates, because it's already pretty tight from the get-go. After putting on the g-suit, I put on the survival vest, and let me tell you, it's heavier than it looks! I was told it can take a bit of time to put the gear on, but the other spouses and I did it in under 5 minutes. We will pretend that we didn't have any help figuring it all out...
After trying on the gear (and obviously taking pictures), we headed over to the simulator. On our way there, we ran into the husband, who was just coming back from his flight. He offered to let me put his gear on, but also mentioned it was dripping with sweat so I declined that offer... After he changed out of his gear, he met up with us at the simulator.
The simulator wasn't as hard as it looks... (seriously just kidding here!). All I did was steer, I didn't even pay attention to any of the instruments, and that was hard enough! The husband was in the simulator with me so he could teach me what to do. I did a couple of barrel rolls. I also did a loop (where you go up and over). The first time I tried that, I over G'd it, and they had to reset the system. I got it the second time, but with a little help from the husband. At the end, I tried to land on the runway, but I completely missed and ended up "landing" (i.e. crashing) into trees instead. Whoops! Good thing the husband is the one training to be a pilot and not me...
I'm really glad I was able to experience a little bit of what he gets to do each day. I obviously know there's WAY more to it than what I saw, but even getting to experience a little bit of it gave me a better understanding of what he does. It also makes me even more proud of all the hard work and dedication he's putting into everything! It's easy to see he was made to be a pilot, and he definitely has the passion and skill for it!
Here are a just a couple of pictures from the evening!
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| The husband is actually somewhere in those clouds! |
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