Platform Selection

Continuing on with my posts about Nick and flight training, today was platform selection.

Nick was cool, calm, and collected all day.  I, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck and it was hard for me to eat.  Luckily just before we left, I received a surprise package in the mail that put me at ease...at least for the time being.  My nerves did return when selection began.  (I will blog about that tomorrow).

We arrived on base, and went upstairs to the squadron bar and hung out for a while waiting for selection to start.
When it was time, the six selectees at the bar.  The CO asks them to introduce any special guests they have attending, and then begins talking about how proud they were of them, how the hard work needs to continue on, and how they need to remember to thank those that helped them get where they are, such as significant others and other family members.
Then they went around the bar and asked the selectees to give one thing they liked or appreciated about VT-3, one thing they disliked or thought needed some improvement, and then any sort of safety issues they felt should be addressed.

Then it was time for selection.  The VT-3 Red Knight squadron has a very fun and unique way of doing selection.  Although it just prolongs the anxiety, it's fun and the students much more prefer it this way than over how other squadrons do it (which is just sitting in a room and being told what they got.)

Before starting, the CO makes sure everyone has a designated driver there.  Then the selectees go one at a time while sitting at the bar and the CO places a few paper cups in front of them.  On the bottom of each cup are the different platforms, along with some bullshit cups (such as "repeat TBS" if you're a Marine or "repeat Contacts" which is the first part of Primary training).  The student brings their own alcohol and pours a shot into a shot glass in front of them  (they are also told they do not HAVE to drink, it's just a fun social thing so they can shoot water or soda if they want).
They must toast, with the first shot ALWAYS being to the Red Knights, take the shot, then choose a cup, flip it over, and read the bottom.  The CO then says yes or no.  If it's a yes, they're done and they know their platform.  If it's a no, they pour another shot, toast to anything they want, then flip another cup.  They continue to go down the line until they finally reveal their platform.

Reading a cup to the CO

The CO congratulating him.

Nick looking at me, relieved and happy, after finding out he got his first choice!

Below, you can watch Nick's platform selection.  Click the small box in the bottom right hand corner to enlarge the video to full screen:

HELOS!!!!  I cannot tell you how excited we were!!!!!!  (I just love the way he turns and looks at me and smiles after he finds out.)


Afterwards, the CO gives a little talk, which I recorded:

Afterwards, the bar a is open to everyone (selectees, others in VT-3 who are there to watch, friends and family) to drink and enjoy.  It is customary for the selectees to leave whatever liquor they bring and this is how the bar is always stocked and able for open use to everyone.  They also have a keg with beer and a popcorn machine.  Nick and his friends hung out from about 3pm until about 7pm just drinking, celebrating, and playing darts, foosball, ping pong, and some drinking games.

Nick and his partners during Primary.
Mike (to Nick's right) was his on-wing partner.
Greg (to Nick's left) was his forms partner.

Christina and Nick taking a celebratory shot

Nick's class' ceiling tile.
This is his class patch (you can see it on his right shoulder of his flight suit in these photos).  Each class puts their patch's design on a ceiling tile and has it displayed in the bar room.

Nick's classmates that selected today.

Nick behind the Red Knights bar

Each member is also given a framed picture of the T-6 (the plane they flew in Primary) and their classmates sign the mat.  In addition, Nick bought himself a Red Knight t-shirt, a coin (he has quite a few various military coins and they're something he collects.), and a VT-3 glass.  Our good friends also attended and bought him a Training Wing 5 t-shirt (Training Wing 5 is the entire base) and it has a photo of the T-6 on it so he really loved it!

I cannot express just how proud of Nicholas I am.  I've watched him for over a year thoroughly enjoy what he does every single day.  Even the days he didn't have the most perfect flight, he still loved the fact that he was flying.  Even the days he barely had time for a shower, he still loved his flight training.  The days when we would speak 5 words to each other because he was so busy were all completely worth it to see him accomplishing his dreams.  I feel so honored to be his wife and be by side through all of this.  It's amazing to be able to witness his dreams falling into place.  I feel very blessed.  His hard work, dedication, and pure passion for flying paid off today as he was selected for his first choice.
We are both so excited!  While Nick is incredibly sad to be finished flying the T-6 (he now pouts when he sees a T-6 flying over), he is so excited to learn how to fly helicopters.
We are excited to enter into the helo community and we are beyond excited to start a new adventure!!!



So what's next?

Nick's report date is February 06, 2013.
Luckily, we do not move.  His next phase of training is called "Advanced" and it is actually on NAS Whiting Field, the same base we are currently stationed at.
This phase of training typically takes 6-7 months and he will be training on a small helicopter, the TH-57 B/C (Bravo and Charlie models) "Sea Ranger".

After training, Nick will get his wings and officially be a Naval Aviator!  Then it's off to a squadron in the fleet after he selects the specific type of helicopter he will fly to begin his very first sea tour!  (For those asking, this is the point where Nick becomes deployable.)


I wanted to thank our friends and family.  Thank you for the support and encouragement you've provided Nick through his enlistment, Academy days, and now throughout flight school.  It really helps him knowing he has so many people behind him.  The outpouring of love yesterday through phone calls, text messages, emails, Facebook messages and statuses was amazing!  I am not sure how we got so lucky to have so many amazing people in our life, both family and friends, that love us and support us to the extent that you all do!
To my family, you have no idea how much it warms my heart to see the amazing pride you have for Nick.  To know you love and adore him as much as you do me.   The tears of joy, emails, and Facebook statuses you all dedicated to him meant so much.
To my friends, near and far, thank you!  It makes me smile to know so many people demanded I text them as soon as I knew.  On top of family, I probably had a list of about 20 friends who wanted to know as soon as I was able to text.
You all are seriously the best.  I hope you know we wouldn't be here without you.  You continue to support Nick and that drives him to excel in his career and your love and support keeps me strong in this lifestyle while having to be so far from everyone.
To our Milton/Pensacola family, thank you for the support!  Thanks for making our time here so enjoyable.  You are all a big part of why we are excited to stay living here!!!  TEAM HELO ;)


To check out one or two additional videos in addition to a lot more photos (of them hanging out and celebrating, of the bar room, his gifts, etc) {click HERE} and check them out!

Why Platform Selection is a HUGE Deal

Tomorrow is Platform Selection for Nick.  Because I am asked this a lot, "platform" simply refers to the type of aircraft he will be flying.  The choices are:
Rotary (That is helicopters and Advanced Training is actually here at NAS Whiting Field where we are currently stationed.)
Maritime (That is what they call a P-3 or P-8 or the UAV the Triton and training for that is in Corpus Christi, Texas.)
Tailhook (That is the various jets, C-2, or E-2.  The training for these platforms are either in Meridian, Mississippi or in Kingsville, Texas).

To those in the aviation community, they understand how big of a deal tomorrow is.  To civilians or even military families in other communities, they might not understand.  So I shall attempt to explain.

The type of aircraft you fly completely dictates many things.  For Nick, it determines obviously the type of aircraft he flies as well as the various missions he will complete.  (Each aircraft, even different models of each aircraft, are made to do certain missions such as patrol of submarines, minesweeping, etc.)  There are some platforms that Nick does not want simply because of the type of missions they're made for.  It would be awful to be stuck with a job that you hate what you're doing, right?  (And unlike civilians, Nick couldn't just quit because he's unhappy because has a contract with the Navy.  And "switching jobs", while an option, is not at all easy to do.)

For us as a couple (and eventually a family), platforms dictate a lot about our life, such as our lifestyle in forms of how much Nick is home and communication while he's away, and locations of where we could be stationed.
To explain a little more about lifestyles, various platforms have more challenging lifestyles (for lack of better words) whereas others are a little easier (as easy as a military life can be).  Some platforms endure longer and more frequent deployments than others.
Some platforms, unfortunately because of their mission and locations, greatly restrict communication...limited emails, little to no video chatting or phone calls.  Whereas some platforms have the ability to communicate with their families on almost a daily basis.

Another big factor is duty stations.  Just because we are Navy does not mean we can be stationed at any Navy base.  The base must have squadrons of whatever platform Nick flies.  For instance, if Nick were to fly the MH-53 (a helicopter), they only have two squadrons and both are stationed in Norfolk, Virginia.  Nowhere else.
To some, it might not seem like a huge deal, but to us, that is.  Call us crazy, but we do have preferences for where we'd like to live and where we would not want to live.  (Although, we'd adjust and find the positives anywhere we go.  It's what we did here in the redneck sticks of Milton.  Negativity and pessimism just aren't us, nor is it a way of life we're willing to lead.)

For me, I prefer a lifestyle where Nick will be able to communicate with me.  Not asking for everyday because we're in the military and I'd never be naive enough to think we'd get that (but I'd welcome it if it were possible.)  But enough communication to know he's alive, safe, and doing well on a semi-regular basis.  Enough to give him updates on my (and future children's) lives.
I prefer a platform that will make Nick come home each day with the smile he has now.  Not just from loving the job he's performing and the aircraft he's flying, but also because he loves the people within his squadron.

I don't really know how to convey tomorrow's importance.  As I re-read this, I feel like I'm not conveying just how big of a deal this is.  I feel saying these things doesn't really give you a clear picture of why this is a huge deal.  But I don't really know what else to say.  So I'll just move on.


The two questions I keep getting asked:
What did Nick put as his preferences?
What is my first choice?

When Nick began his aviation training in September 2011, he was between Helos and Maritime, but leaning towards Helos.  (He had an aviation training his last summer at the Academy with an MH-53 helo squadron and absolutely LOVED it!!!!)  Jets were not even on his radar (he did/does not want the missions nor the lifestyle of jets.)
Then suddenly the last three months, he brought up going jets.  I was taken aback.  He had never talked about jets and now he suddenly couldn't decide if he wanted helos or jets more.  Maritime had suddenly taken the last spot because he learned of the UAV, the Triton, and he does not want the risk of "flying" this at all.  Simply because Nick wants to be in a cockpit and flying.  So as to not risk getting stuck with the Triton, he decided that will be his very last preference.
For the last few months, he has really struggled with what he wanted to put as his number one preference.  The month of December was really, really stressful for him.  As I said, it's a big deal.  How do you decide something so major, without ever actually engaging in it?!  There are obviously a lot of unknowns with each, such as what TYPE of jet or helo would he fly?  Each different model has it's own missions.  So let's say he wanted the MH-53 and chose helos for that reason.  There is a chance (a good chance since that community is so small) he won't get the 53 and he'd get the one of the 60 models of helos.
He continually weighed the pros and cons but each time, he was left more confused and stressed out.
He would also ask me for my opinion.  I was always hesitant to give it to him.  While I know this is my life too, and I had a very strong opinion, I didn't want him to base his decision off of me.  He does know my preference but I made it clear to him that I want him to do what HE wants.  I'm very aware that if he goes to work and doesn't enjoy it, then that unhappiness will spill over into our marriage and home life.  I can and will handle whatever platform we get.  While I hate change, I am able to adapt and find the positives.  I'm a very strong and very independent individual.  And luckily I can be a nurse anywhere we move.  What matters most to me is that Nick chooses what will make him the happiest.

In the end, Nick FINALLY decided on his preferences.  Yesterday after his last flight, he filled out all his paperwork and put his preferences as follows:
1.  Rotary
2.  T1 (Tailhook in Meridian, MS-{that's what the '1' refers to})
3.  T2 (Tailhook in Kingsville, TX)
4.  Maritime.

I can say I am happy with this.  Very happy.  Helos are most definitely my first preference for a lot of reasons {that I will not get into...at least not now}.  I just really, really hope he gets it!!!
I guess the good thing for Nick is if he doesn't get his first choice, while he'll be disappointed, it will only be a little disappointment.  He won't be devastated with jets since up until a week ago, he was thinking that would be his number one.  (I guess that's a positive of being indecisive?  Because he sure is the King of Indecisiveness.)


I'm just a ball of nerves and it's been so hard for me to eat today.  I just need to get to tomorrow at 3pm.  I went to a friend's selection a few months ago (same squadron as Nick) and I was a wreck.  And it wasn't even my husband!!!  I was shaking so badly and my palms were sweating!!!  I do not even want to think about what I'm going to be like when I'm upstairs in the VT-3 bar as Nick is waiting to take his shots and find out what he gets.  (Yes, I said taking shots.  VT-3 has the coolest tradition when it comes to selection!  Don't worry, that blog post will come tomorrow or Friday.)


There's really no other way for me to explain this.  Hopefully I was able to make you see, even if it was just in the slightest way, why tomorrow is so important and huge for us!   In short, it really determines what our life in the Navy is going to look like!!!!  Ahhhhhhh

Nick: Primary Complete

April 23, 2012:  Nick checked into VT-3 Red Knights squadron for Primary Training.

June 01, 2012:  Nick had his very first flight in the T-6B Texan II.

September 14, 2012:  Nick had his very first solo (contacts solo) in the T-6.

January 22, 2012:  Nick had his very last flight in the T-6 and is Primary Complete!!!!

It's been a long process.  The summer brings rain every single day so it took quite a while for Nick to get through the contacts phase but once September hit, and the rain subsided, he flew almost everyday (well, everyday that planes were available and the occasional bad weather days.  And he was med-down (unable to fly for medical reasons) for about 3 weeks).

Today was his last flight, which was his formations solo.  I was lucky enough to be able to sit on base and watch him fly by for the break, and then as he came down to land (I couldn't capture him actually landing because there were trees in the way and I parked where I could get a video of him flying in formation, because I felt that video was cooler than him landing.)
In these vidoes, he's flying at 1300 feet MSL, which is 1100 feet above ground level, at 200 knots.

Nick is the rear plane.

The video below is Nick (rear plane) and his instructor flying (I suggest clicking the bottom right hand corner button on the video to enlarge it so you can see it better since the planes are tiny in this video.)

The video below is Nick and his instructor coming in, separately, for their landing.  Nick's instructor is the first plane coming in and Nick will be second.  You can see them off in the distance by the tower, then they come in, loop around, and come down for the landing.  I do not actually capture him landing on the runway because there are trees and a building in the way.  I positioned myself to get a better video of him flying which I thought was more important for videoing.  If you watch until the end, you'll see him pass in front of the trees after passing that building.  (Again, I'd enlarge the video to see it more clearly.)

After he passed by, I hopped in the car and drove to the line shack to meet him as he walked off the flight line.

There he is!!!  Mr. Primary Complete!

I don't know if you can really see it in this picture, but he is smiling from ear to ear.
That smile is what makes my homesickness, my "I'm a planner" anxiety, missing my significant other, and hatred of change, worth every bit of this military lifestyle.

Proud wife with her dedicated husband!
(It was sooo cold!!  Well, to me.  It was about 50 degrees.)

LOVE seeing him in all his gear.  Good thing I'm a sucker for flight suits ;)  It's definitely my favorite uniform he owns.
If he gets his first choice at Thursday's platform selection, this will be the last time he wears all the mask and G-suit.  (Unless he opts to come back here to be an instructor for his shore tour).

Then he updated his very last Aviation Training Jacket for Primary 

and totaled up his log book for the last time in Primary.  (He gets annoyed with me taking photos but I wanted to document this day because it's a big milestone!)

and that was it!  He is Primary Complete and will be selecting his platform on Thursday!!! (I will blog about what this means and why it's a HUGE deal tomorrow.)
He is really excited to find out what he'll be flying next, but he is really sad about being finished with the T-6.  He thoroughly loved Primary and really loved flying that plane.  As of now, he says he'd love to move back here and be an instructor for the Primary.

I cannot begin to express how incredibly proud of him I am.  It fills my heart to the point I feel like it's going to burst when I see him up there flying or when he's walking off the flight line (and it doesn't hurt that he looks sexy in that flight suit, especially when he has all of his gear on).  I just feel so blessed to be able to watch him as he works towards achieving his dream of becoming a Naval Aviator.   

I also feel so incredibly blessed that I'm able to share in these milestones with him.  I love attending his different traditions such as his first solo, tie cutting, and selection or just simply watching him fly.  I know in other communities, it's not as easy to share in the service member's continued accomplishments and watch them at work.  I could not be happier that we are a part of the aviation community for these reasons (among many others.)  It's been nothing short of fun and exciting and I look forward to all the wonderful memories and milestones I'll continue to be a part of in future trainings and in the fleet.

We've both greatly enjoyed our time in VT-3.  It has a bad rep, but that's only coming from people not in VT-3. {The only (negative) difference is that they have Knight School (this is where it gets the bad rep from.  It's a mandatory 2 hour, Monday through Friday, morning "meeting" with the class and one or two instructors to discuss the contacts phase of flying.}  I cannot say enough wonderful things about this squadron.  They have a lot of fun traditions (such as the way they do tie cutting, the pool dunking after their first solo, and their platform selection), they are very family-oriented and welcome any and all to join their events, and camaraderie amongst the class is awesome to witness.  Nick and his classmates gather together often whether it's bowling, barbecues, or nights out downtown.  They all come to every one's solo pool dunk, tie cuttings, and selection (even though they're in the same class, they all end up in different stages of training because of schedules and hold ups so not everyone does these things at the same time and even within the same month as others.)  We're really going to miss our time here at VT-3 but we're looking forward to the next training squadron we'll become a part of!

in the VT-3 bar

Nick's Class:  Composed of Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and Air Force student aviators.

To view ALL of the photos from today, {click HERE}

Nick's Tie Cutting Ceremony

Today was Nick's Tie Cutting Ceremony.  I'm sure most people have no idea what this was because just a few months ago, I know I sure didn't!!!!

Within each community in the military, they have their traditions.
Within Primary (the training Nick is in right now), each squadron has their own traditions for events.  The biggest for most squadrons is their solo flight.
When the student aviators begin training, an instructor pilot (IP), also called their on-wing, flies with them, sitting in the back seat of the T-6.  After 13 flights, the last being a check-ride flight, the student is able to fly the plane solo.  (To check out my blog post on Nick's solo flight, click HERE.)

All the squadrons have a Tie Cutting Ceremony after they solo.  And it's exactly what it sounds like....they cut a tie.

red tie in honor of the Red Knights

So why do they cut a tie?  They don't even wear ties!  Don't worry, I thought the same thing.  Apparently, as the tradition was explained today by the Skipper, way back in the day, they wore ties with their uniforms.  When the instructor needed to correct the student aviator or get his attention, he would pull on his tie.  The cutting of the tie signifies cutting them off from their instructor and signifying they are on their own and can now pilot a plane by themselves.

I am not too sure how all the other squadrons do this ceremony, but Nick is a part of the VT-3 Red Knights squadron and like with most things, they make their ceremonies fun.
They have a mock T-6 set up and the students must enter correctly (not walking in from the front or the back, but stepping over and into the cockpit) and their instructor sits behind them.  (If they fail to enter correctly, they have to pay money.)  In some cases, as with Nick's on-wing, they have two students.  If this is the case, BOTH students must get in the cockpit, sitting on each other's lap.  The student on bottom must act as the harness....as you can see in these photos, Mike's arms are Nick's harness shoulder straps.

getting in the "cockpit"

Captain Buckley saying "I've got the controls!  Nobody reach for the stick!"

Nick and Mike throwing their hands up after Captain Buckley said something about "hands up" when not reaching for the stick.

Once "inside" the T-6, the student then tells a funny story about their on-wing.  (If they don't have a funny story, they're booed by everyone in the room (easily 50-60 people in there today) and they just talk about how great their on-wing was.)  Nick told his story about his on-wing (you can see his story in the video below)  and then Mike took his turn (all while keeping his "harness straps" on Nick to prevent having to pay more money.)
Then their on-wing takes a turn telling a funny story about them, both stories were about Nick and Mike almost killing him lol.

Then they exit the "plane" and their instructor cuts their tie with a giant knife.  (It's said that if it's cut at the very top, you did poorly on your solo and if it's cut towards the bottom, you did really well.  But it appeared that all instructors just grabbed the tie and cut, not paying attention to where it was being cut.)

After the tie is cut, both Nick and his instructor sign it, and then it's hung in the Instructor Pilot Lounge/Squadron Bar room.

Nick signing it

Nick and his on-wing partner, Mike

Here is a video of the entire thing (well, just their portion.  There were about 10 others who did this with their instructors as well):

(If you click the bottom righthand image on the video
(next to the YouTube image, it looks like a little corners
to form a box, it will enlarge the video)

It is also customary to present your on-wing with a bottle of liquor.  Nick and Mike were Captain Buckley's (call sign 'Bucknastee' lol) first ever on-wing students so they framed a picture of them standing outside the plane after their solos as well as giving him a bottle of Jack.

He truly appreciated it and talked to them about how much he really enjoyed flying with them and then told them he wanted to do their cross country flight with them.  (Most students get to do one cross country flight over a weekend.  I think it says a lot about Nick and Mike that Captain Buckley would like to do their cross country with them.  He also said he'd leave it up to them where they want to go, such as to their hometowns, so Nick is hoping they can fly into St. Louis.  Captain Buckley said he thinks that's totally possible.  I hope that happens because I know Nick's family and mine would LOVE the opportunity to not only see Nick but go to the airport and take some pictures with him and the plane when he lands, as well as meeting his instructor.)

Nick has truly enjoyed his training thus far in Primary.  He really likes Captain Buckley and was happy to have him as his instructor.  Nick is always talking about how great he is...always cracking jokes and how he's really knowledgeable and really respects him.  Captain Buckley has invited us, along with Nick's on-wing partner, Mike, over to his house on Saturday evening for wings, beer, and football along with him and his wife.  I'm really looking forward to it!  (and luckily today we got the awkwardness of the car photo out of the way....thank goodness lol).
(see the previous blog post from Saturday October 13, 2012 about the Navy Ball and Captain Buckley's car)

I'm also very thankful Nick is a part of the the Red Knights.  I've heard from others that the other squadrons do things more privately or don't include the families (not that they exclude them, but that not many, if any significant others or children go, and sometimes the guys are mocked if they go...this information simply coming from other wives).  Definitely not the case with anything in VT-3.  Today, there were easily 6 other significant others of students there as well as about 4 instructor pilots' wives and about 40-50 students there (who are not forced to go, but just like to attend these events.)  It's great to feel welcomed and acknowledged.  I know I don't do anything other than support Nick as much as I can, but it's nice for their CO to acknowledge this of the families and thank us.  I really truly love Nick's squadron and I know he does too.  (I also appreciated the free pizza!)

The only picture we took today.  I should have checked it because it's pretty blurry but oh well!  So proud of my husband!

************************

This really doesn't have anything to do with the tie cutting ceremony but I thought it was cool.
Recently, VT-3 had two NASA astronauts in Primary as students (not the full Primary) for a while.  They then returned to NASA and sent the Red Knights patch into space!!!!  The had this picture taken, then framed it, each signed the matte, and mailed it to the Red Knights CO.  The photo was taken out of the port facing window of the International Space Station in July 2012.  Very cool!!!!